Victorian economists calculated that the average English peasant in 1485 needed to work fifteen weeks a year to earn enough money they needed to survive for the year.  In 1564, it was forty weeks.  Now of course, it is questionable whether we can afford a reasonable life at all without two salaries all year round.

From:

The Idler – Smashing The System

Essay: “Economic Thought in the Middle Ages” by David Boyle