No, the houses are not cheaper.
And this is, essentially, why I no longer buy this tired, lame argument put forth by both libertarians and republicans...that cheaper labor = cheaper goods. The idea that out quality of life becomes cheaper, and thus, increases, when the cost to manufacture goods stays low, or goes lower.
The only thing going up these days are the salaries of the wealthy.
And I see it more and more and more. Economic trouble hits, so companies rein in the payroll, cut hours, etc...forcing the salaried staff to work more and more hours, and kicking the hourlies out earlier and earlier, forcing them into hardships of their own. A salaried worker (of which I am one) used to get by working, say, 45-55 hours per week, sometimes more during the busy season, what have you. Then we started being told to cut our subordinates, turning that work week into a 55-75 hour week, with no extra pay to show for it. And we did it, thinking, well, this is what it takes, and when the economy picks back up, things will go back to normal, and those of us who stuck it out will be recognized. Well, things are picking up. Companies are posting RECORD profits, even when adjusted for inflation against historical measures. But the pay rolls are staying gouged, the skeleton crews are just as lean now as they were 4 years ago. Still working those 60+ hour weeks. Wages are still frozen, or at best, increasing in pathetic increments, like 3 percent per year. In short, once they (the corporate class) take something, even an inch, they never get it back. Prove you can do the work of two, and that's what you'll be stuck doing for the rest of your career.
The standard issue liberal response is to say "You need a union".
The standard issue republican response is to say "If you don't like it, find another job, sell yourself, use market competition to garner better wages."
Well, the problem with unions are many, and besides, not too many managers unions out there, you know? But yeah, too many problems to list here, it needs it's own thread, and has many besides.
The problem with trying to get another job is that there is a wall. You got tons of 20-30K a year jobs...they are everywhere. Got quite a few 30-40K jobs, too. Even a slew of 40-50K jobs. But past 50K a year, you gotta be a specialist of some sort. 50K-100K requires skill sets and exp that are highly specialized...in other words, if those jobs are not specifically what you went to college for, you gotta go back to college to get one. Which, of course, means spending a minimum of 20K, but more realistically, 50K. Not an option for a lot of people. And then, the 100K and up jobs...all requires extensive exp, which is code for...you gotta know somebody. There is a major barrier between "normal" jobs, and the elite. Enough so that they even now have their own job search engine. Like such a thing is even needed.
Anyway, my point is, the jobs that a lot of, or even most americans, are qualified for, are all part of the same corporations, all have the same beurocracies, in many cases, sharing at some point many of the same heads. We're all subsidiaries of someone larger, and those larger companies all copy each other in SOP. Which is to say, meet the new boss, same as the old boss, and meet the new job, same as the old job. The grass is not greener somewhere else.
So, as I am working longer hours without significantly more pay to produce things of significantly increasing price, what do YOU, the consumer, get out of it?