Leosghost - 7:44 pm on Jun 8, 2011 (gmt 0)

Average wage in India is around slightly less than $2.75 per day taken per capita ..which means that very very many make less than this as the calculation includes the Indian billionaires and millionaires and in fact all Indians..

The average Indian in fact is making nearer $1.oo per day..so would make about $30.oo per month ..so yes $20.oo is over 60% of the average Indian salary..if the average USA salary is in the range of a minimum of $2000.oo per month ..then indeed $20.oo US to an Indian is worth even more than the $500.oo that Lucy proposed as a value..

In fact $20.oo to an average Indian is about equivalent to $1300.oo ' like for like"..

A technically skilled worker Indian working in an "outsourced" call centre for example or on IT support for "outsourced overseas" makes around RS 54 K = around $1500.oo per month..these people are usually IT or other tech studies graduates or final year students graduates..filling in in vacation..

Their parents however may be making much closer to the per capita figure of $2.75 per day ..so $20.oo is a lot of money to them ...unless their parents are rich ..in which case they are unlikely to be working writing copy for foreign webmasters..

Other people's shoes are usually uncomfortable to wear..but stepping into them, even briefly can help you keep a sense of proportion..

Normal economic maths no longer applies in Zimbabwe..you would need far far less than a million dollars to be the equivalent of a trillionaire in Zimbabwe..being a friend of Mugabe works for example.