The US has five times as many people spread out over 32 times the area. Palm Beach, Florida has an average household income of over $109,000. South Alamo, Texas is at $13,906. Climates vary from arctic to tropical, state and local taxes range from zilch to rivaling federal taxes.
Saying "one espresso" is cheaper in Italy than the US doesn't really mean anything. Prices vary, cost of doing business varies, cost of living varies.
You might be right, but you'd be surprised if you knew how varied Italy is as well.
We hardly speak the same language: dialects are much more relevant than in the US and what people speak at home in different regions is mutually unintelligible.
The climate is almost as varied as in the US, we have mountains that go as high as 15 000 ft and islands just off the cost of Libya.
I cannot say the same for the range of income, but as far as espresso prices go I'd say the range in Italy is 0.6-1 euros and in the US it's 1.5-2.5 dollars. I'd love to be proven wrong, though.
Relatively no one drinks espresso in the US, so they charge more. The most common drinks are drip, latte, or cappuccino which can range from 2.5-6.0 dollars.
Saying "one espresso" is cheaper in Italy than the US doesn't really mean anything. Prices vary, cost of doing business varies, cost of living varies.