In general news distort internal and foreign affairs. To know the truth a good thing is to go to other countries. I remember of a traveller who wanted to head to Greece to see with his eyes what were the outcomes of the crysis they had. Also, you could look up Numbeo to get an idea of the prices each country has, and kind of determine their salaries. Kind of, because Luanda in Angola is the world's most expensive city but the local wage are a whole lot lower than those working in the oil business.