[dekhn]

it's common in the US to use US-dollars (and the magnitude expectations around) them when you want to imply somebody is making a tiny salary in another country with a completely different economy.

How much does rice cost? Beans? Other subsistence food? If it's all cheaper than the US, then not pointing that out (or showing how a wage compares to the average for a country), it's misleading journalism.

[HWR_14]

That's what PPP is for. For Kenya, I think it's around 2.8, so that would be the equivalent of $5.6 in the US.

Of course, PPP doesn't constrain itself to subsistence food.