Travelled in the States as a tourist quite a while back.

Very noticeable.

My yardstick? The price of a decent steak.

Applied the same yardstick in the rest of our lap of the globe.

Cumberland, Maryland steak was so much bigger, better and cheaper than the one I ordered in London.

all bets are off.

Even if prices are low, you end up having to compensate for lack of public spending by paying for everything yourself, with zero economy of scale or the ability to negotiate lower prices. AL has some of the lowest property taxes in the country, but property taxes are what support public schools. No problem -- send your kids to a private Bible-based school where they don't mix with "those" people, but the expense is more than a public education for everybody would cost. Oh, and their education won't be up to competitive standards anyway. It's expensive to be ignorant, AND it takes up all your time !