system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
I am sorry if this is inappropriate to ask but are PhD salaries enough to sustain your living?

I am so sorry if this is inappropriate to talk about but especially in the US, are PhD salaries enough? If this is inappropriate, just tell me and I’ll delete the post. 

Or do I might need a second source of income? 
And if so, how would it be with the visa? I think 20hrs/week is given by visa and would just working in the uni be enough?

And for other countries, how is the situation there? Please answer the question just depending on PhD salaries and no other source of income (no family backup etc). 

Ive been hearing “PhD salary wont be enough for you to live your life there(being the US), you need another income; you can’t afford going there” etc so I thought I’d ask for people who have experienced this. 

Edit: I reaally really appreciate your answers! You don’t have to write down the numbers, or the city, area you live in. I just want to get an idea of living abroad and studying PhD. To be more clear about your answer, I’d appreciate if you say “I live in a coastal area; I live in a big city; I live in rural areas...” and I’d appreciate if your salary is enough or not. I know it depends on certain things but I just want to get an overall idea. Thank you so much!
gpt
It can depend a bit on field and where the school is. In general, if you’re getting a salary from the school, it’s intended to be enough to live on, but, especially in big cities with a high cost of living, it can be a bit short. It may mean living with a lot of roommates far away from campus to find an affordable rent, or living on cheap food, or needing family to pay for a trip home.

In many cases, a second job isn’t allowed. A PhD student is being paid, in large part, to focus on their research, so a second job would be a conflict.  When the PhD salary isn’t enough, some people take out loans, and the truth is that a lot of people make up the gap with a little help from their family (which, obviously, is a problem for people whose families can’t afford that).