If your comment were true, there wouldn't be any successful US or European startups. Clearly, that isn't the case. Even getting an MVP built in western countries isn't that expensive IF you know what you're doing.

Unfortunately, I've seen many people spend outrageous sums and little or nothing for it.

Teach yourself how to code, know what you're getting into, get aligned with the right people.

But I think my biggest gripe with your comment is that it makes an excuse for not getting it done.

this x100 - "IF you know what you're doing." when everything works and its areasonable success, it looks so easy - but getting all the different people talking to each other and building a product that a customer would pay to use is quite a challenge regardless of your product cost base (which anyways for the proper proudct market fit is a very small fraction compared to the revenues)

It is an advantage, but merely AN advantage. No different from the various advantages anyone has anywhere.

Just as their huge disadvantage, selectively overlooked in order to weave this tale of woe, was merely A disadvantage, no different from the various disadvantages anyone has anywhere.

This "cannot compete" pity party is pathetic. "They work harder than me and figured out something I didn't. It's so unfair!"

Even just the "on cost" part is invalid. Cost is just one variable of many, and may be offset or leveraged by many others. But even aside from that, just considering cost itself, income is just as context sensitive as cost. If you live somewhere where the developer has to be paid more, the customer is good for more in the same place.