Yes, computers were once so expensive that, quoting Professor Frink, "only the five richest kings of Europe would own them". Now they just about come free in a box of cereal.

The usual solutions are either 1) use something like the OECD approach, where poverty is the number of people making under 1/2 the median income, or 2) use a "relatively absolute" basket of goods concept, which includes housing and food.

Instead, you hand-wave "faaaaar better", without explaining what you mean.

For example, it is not "faaaaar" easier for said unskilled person in NYC to find affordable housing now than 1914. For one, zoning laws and regulations have reduced the number of boarding houses, cage hotels, and flop houses over the last century.

You can have all the bandwidth you want, in your proverbial shelter under the bridge, but it won't keep you warm.