I found it interesting to discover how the minimum wage works in the US. I mean, we always think it's a fixed amount, but it's not like that at all. There is a federal floor of $7.25/hour since 2009, but each state sets its own rate. Some reach up to $17.50/hour like in Washington DC. That changes everything.

I did the math: if you earn the federal minimum and work 40 hours a week, that's about $1,160 per month. Converting at the 2025 exchange rate (around R$5.20 per dollar), it would be roughly R$6,000. It seems a lot compared to the Brazilian minimum wage of R$1,518, but the reality is different. The cost of living there is outrageous. Average rent exceeds $1,600, food, transportation... the numbers don’t add up with the minimum wage.

What I found curious is that states like California and New York have already realized this and increased wages significantly. Washington has $16.66/hour, California $16.50. But even so, people earning minimum wage in expensive US cities are struggling. And there's more: waiters, restaurant servers... these earn less on the base because they rely on tips.

For those thinking about moving there, it’s not just about researching the minimum wage in the state you want. You also need to look at the specific cost of living in the city. Because $1,160 in a rural state is very different from $1,160 in New York. The regional disparity there is real.