I agree that this article is flawed, though it seems to be aiming for “click bait fun” rather than “expert financial advice”. So I think your expectations might be flawed.
Furthermore, speaking of the “minimum living wage”, I think this FDR quote is relevant:
and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living.
With that in mind, I don’t agree with your assertion that wanting to live alone constitutes more than the minimum expectation an American should have for a decent living.