A typical worker in Mexico earns about 26 pesos ($3.60) a day. This chart shows how many paid hours it takes to buy a few basic necessities. The figures reflect average prices in Tijuana, the city across the border from San Diego. A kilogram is 2.2 pounds.

Necessity Hours of Work

Beans, 1 kilogram 4 hours

Rice, 1 kilogram 1 hour, 26 minutes

Tomatoes, 1 kilogram 1 hour, 35 minutes

Beef, 1 kilogram 8 hours

Chicken, 1 kilogram 3 hours

Egg, 1 dozen 2 hours, 24 minutes

Milk, 1 gallon 4 hours, 17 minutes

Toilet paper, 1 roll 43 minutes

Diapers, a box of 30 11 hours, 30 minutes

Shampoo, 10 ounces 2 hours, 25 minutes

School uniform (mandatory) 57-86 hours

One school book 17-20 hours

Aspirin, a bottle of 20 2 hours, 25 minutes

Activity: Go to a grocery store and check the prices of the same items. Then calculate how many hours of work, at your wage, it would take for you to buy them (a kilogram equals 2.2 pounds). Note: Some participants might compare the prices in rich and poor parts of their town to get different view of the buying power of income.

Your wage: ________ / hour

Necessity Grocery Store Price Hours of Work at Your Wage

Beans, 1 kilogram __________ ____________

Rice, 1 kilogram __________ ____________

Tomatoes, 1 kilogram __________ ____________

Beef, 1 kilogram __________ ____________

Chicken, 1 kilogram __________ ____________

Egg, 1 dozen __________ ____________

Milk, 1 gallon __________ ____________

Toilet paper, 1 roll __________ ____________

Diapers, a box of 30 __________ ____________

Shampoo, 10 ounces __________ ____________

School uniform (mandatory) __________ ____________

One school book __________ ____________

Aspirin, a bottle of 20 __________ ____________

Source: A. Sanders and M. Sommers, Child Labor is Not Cheap

(Minneapolis: Resource Center of the Americas, 1997).