When I see numbers like that, I really have to question how they are calculated, as that's less that $1k/month.

While it is possible to live on that, it is also possible to endure many things people in developed countries really should not have to endure...

I didn't know that but that seems reasonable. I calculated what my bare minimum living expenses would be once and came out to about 12k. Once you get down to that income level there are a lot of expenses that just go away like in my state your property taxes are reduced to effectively zero if you make less than a certain amount.