Before the age of capitalism when mankind still lead a normadic or agricultural existence, most people had no wages whatsoever. Those who couldn't feed themselves simply starved to death.
Nowadays a "decent living" is defined as housing, clothing, sanitation, electricity, entertainment, leisure, transport etc so you have to admit that capitalism has increase the quality of life of 95% of the humans on this earth more than a hundred fold.
The problem in this day and age is no longer about survival. It's about meeting expectations which have grown exponentially in a short period of time. Everybody wants a smart phone and nike shoes. When they can't afford it, they claim they're suffering in poverty.