Why Gen X is the real loser generation(economist.com)
economist.com
Why Gen X is the real loser generation
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/05/08/why-gen-x-is-the-real-loser-generation
2 comments
> You can come here with $3,000 in month and social security and live a very nice lifestyle. The downside is, it has begin to price out an exclude many of the citizens
It seems that every new apartment in San Salvador is being built to cater that income bracket. In the coastal region is even more. It's pricing out 97% of the Salvadorans who earn less than $3000 a month.
Judging from the instagram accounts of my friends in El Salvador, they are no longer taking local vacations. A week vacation to Mexico or Colombia, even including airfare, can be cheaper than a local one.
It seems that every new apartment in San Salvador is being built to cater that income bracket. In the coastal region is even more. It's pricing out 97% of the Salvadorans who earn less than $3000 a month.
Judging from the instagram accounts of my friends in El Salvador, they are no longer taking local vacations. A week vacation to Mexico or Colombia, even including airfare, can be cheaper than a local one.
Of course, I don't believe that this fact has gone unnoticed for many forward thinking countries around the world. Expats in retirement have always been a thing but has always tended to attract those who were predisposed toward international travel and living a significantly different lifestyle than the USA. What I see happening now in this many countries is about 5 years ago they've started planning to see when Gen x is going to retire and how they can attract those people. Just taking El Salvador for an example, crime has been reduced immensely, there has been a boom of middle class stores and shops. They continue to build out infrastructure that is more appealing to a casual USA citizen. Prices have risen dramatically in the country but those prices are still less than what you would see in the USA. You can come here with $3,000 in month and social security and live a very nice lifestyle. The downside is, it has begin to price out an exclude many of the citizens here from participating in that lifestyle. Some of the local citizens absolutely enjoy it as they have also increased their income to take advantage of these. In this country and several others I have seen this same trend. Certainly they're attempting to bolster their own citizens middle class but I'm not sure that's their primary focus. Because so many of their citizens are left behind and continue to remain impoverished and under-educated and they lack sufficient jobs to employ them at a level that is needed to take advantage of these things. Absolutely attracting retirees seems to be their main focus. They can continue to supply cheap labor for retirees and attract those dollars that they bring with them.