The prevailing wage is almost always reflected in rent. That is, if you raise minimum wage, local rents rise to reflect the increase. Think of it as microinflation.
This means that typically, people pay half their paycheck in taxes, and half of the rest in rent. So their actual net should be calculated from that point, that is, 25% of their gross wages. Just as easily, minimum wage employees should make their plans based on 1/4th of what they thought was their earnings.
Of course, this can be biased if the minimum wage employees live in a low rent or no rent situation. But if it is low rent, the renter might still be taxed on the assumption that he *should* have been charging the prevailing rent. The IRS does not permit rental charity.
Alternatively, you can live with your parents or friends, if they don’t charge any rent at all.
Uh, how could anyone survive on 5 or 6 bucks an hour and besides Haiti, where in hell could they possibly afford rent at this rate?