Ultramarina, I agree with a lot of what you wrote.

In a place like the SF Bay Area, though, you really do need a lot more money to survive. Rents are insanely high, as in an average of $2K for a one-bedroom apartment. The cost of fuels and food are higher than elsewhere, and taxes are very high (e.g. ~9% sales tax, high income tax). Then there is insurance and so on. Add it all up, and you really need to be making $60K gross just to survive here. Add in a child (or two), and that number goes up. Child care will run $180-$200 a week. You can forget buying a house until your income is way over $100,000. An apartment or a townhouse, maybe (maybe, at the $90-100K mark).

People with low incomes end up living with family or sharing apartments/houses.