A freelancer's wage is different from a salaryman's wage - health insurance dollars and the "self-employment tax" are two sizable bites to take into consideration.
I agree, but I simply meant that the numbers for "doing fine" differ between salary and freelance, just as the numbers for "doing fine" differ between Topeka and New York.
Precisely. As well as the increased risk of having no contracts for long-stretches of time, and the additional overhead time of promotion, customer relations, etc.