Are you making the claim the rich now live forever and the poor die much younger compared to previous years? They do still include the poor in the average.
CoL has everything to do with the poor and their quality of life. A $0.10 raise in the price of a gallon of milk has no effect on the middle class and a dramatic effect on those living in poverty.
While there are nutritional issues with McDonalds (far too much fat, not enough vegetables, too much sugar in many of their products), you probably aren't going to be malnourished if you eat their food. Chicken/Beef, bread, some starches and fats. That's not an altogether terrible diet, it certainly isn't unsalted rice for 3 meals a day.
Regarding cost of living, the question is whether minimum wages have gone down , and the answer is yes, because cost of living has increased, they have. It's isn't just mountain view CA.
It's common knowledge that mcdonaldds cannot provide a fully nutritious diet. Take a look at Super Size Me, the book or movie. It's pretty amazing.
[1] https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/1/9/16860994/lif...
CoL in NYC/SF has almost no effect on the overall price index, it's much more representative of middle america.
Completely missed my point about someone being malnourished because they get all of their calories from Mickey D's.
You'd be surprised how many poor people continue to have low access to email and find jobs by physically walking into retail stores to apply.