This study examines the lives of the poor in relation to those more fortunate. In particular, it looks into the injustices the poor are forced to face when trying to escape poverty. It examines a common assumption made by prominent academics (Prahalad and Hammond, 2002; Gage 2004; Prahalad, 2005), that the cost of basic goods and services are significantly more than those more fortunate. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative means to prove this 'poverty penalty'.