To explain: Households vary greatly in size - in a wealthy country, an income of $10,000 might be enough to support someone living on their own but could pose problems for a family of four. That’s not to say that such a family needs four times what a single individual needs - one TV set, one fridge should be enough to meet their needs. But such economies of scale don’t apply quite so much in other areas, like clothing and food. The equivalised figure takes account of all this.