Yesterday, we went to the market for an activity in small groups. We had to buy certain items and price some others, and then we did some calculations to figure how many hours a person earning the Morelos minimum wage would have to work in order to be able to buy them. Then we figured out the price U.S. consumers would have to pay if they had to work the same number of hours as a Mexican worker in order to purchase the same thing. Each group had a different list to buy from, so here are my groups results:

1 kilo avocados = 25 pesos = $1.92 = 4 hours of work = $26.2
1/2 kilo green chiles = 8 pesos = $0.62 = 1.3 hours of work = $8.52
Magazine "Uno más uno" = 10 pesos = $0.77 = 1.6 hours of work = $10.48
Kids school shoes = 120 pesos = $9.23 = 19.3 hours of work = $126.42
Shampoo = 50 pesos = $3.85 = 8 hours of work = $52.4

People think that the cost of living in Mexico is really low, but that is only because things are really cheap compared to what we would earn in U.S. dollars. In actuality the cost of living here is really high if you are living off of the wages paid here. Also it is estimated that 50% of Mexicans work in the informal sector, which means that they are self-employed and don't receive a pay check or benefits.

The minimum wage in Morelos (the state Cuernavaca is in) is 49.5 pesos per day ($3.80/day in the U.S.), which is the highest minimum wage in Mexico. So even if Mexican immigrants to the U.S. don't earn minimum wage (which many don't) they can earn more money in an hour of work than in an entire day working in Mexico. And people wonder why the come to the U.S....

Also, there are some really kickass murals around the two houses that have been painted by former students, so if I can think of something cool to do, I might paint one before I leave :) Here is a picture of one of m favorites:

PS: The rest of the students in the program came in this weekend, and they're all really awesome. A lot of them are from Minnesota, so don't be surprised if I come back with an accent, dontcha know.

written by  Kimberly on January 27, 2009 from Cuernavaca, Mexico
from the travel blog: Cuernavaca, Mexico
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That little experiment sounds super interesting, I'm a bit jealous...hope you're having fun!

written by  spenser on January 28, 2009

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We don't have accents - there's those folks up North, ya know that sound like that. Sure, you betcha...

Where in MN are these kids from? I can see it know...you'll come and visit them and maybe drive by to see Juju! 8)

Love it! Love you!

written by  Juju Smith on January 30, 2009

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i hope the reason you haven't blogged in so long is that you're having too much fun!!

written by  katrina on February 3, 2009

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We did a really similar project in Mexico City but we also compared the prices at the WalMart and the local market. Crazy stuff.

written by  Paige on February 7, 2009

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