You bet.
The answer is to move out of such a high cost city.
The biggest mistake people make about employment is that they aren't willing to move....to where a decent paying job is located in a lower cost of living area.
"I live in New York and have never lived without family or a roomate. Am I living below adequate living standards?"
"You bet."
You're missing my point I think. My point was that according to this guys "Living Wage", the wage-earner should be able to have his own apartment without having to share. I was explaining that I am not the least bit disadvantaged and I have always had a roomate. If I can do it, someone working at wal-mart can do it too. His idea of a living wage would be astronomic and leave 25% of the US unemployed.