Nominally, yes, but you know, for $32K, you can rent a flat, eat healthy food as much as you want and maybe you can even save to travel and see different cultures once or twice a year. If you broke your leg, you don't have to worry about health insurance. I think that's fair. You won't go far earning almost just the national minimum wage in any country, but in the UK, you can have a very stressless life.