Communist Party line and propaganda wasn't that life in communist countries is better for everyone universally. It acknowledged that a lot of work was still required to achieve true communism. But the key was that the IDEOLOGY was sound, and superior long term. Capitalism was exploitative and created discrimination and wealth imbalance. Communism was a tool towards liberation for the masses and eventual prosperity for all.

So, when true believers saw the Western way of life they considered the middle class and above to be subservient to a system that took advantage of them and kept most of the gains from them. While countless people remained in poverty, with sharply defined classes, especially amongst racial divides. Much Soviet anti American propaganda was rooted in truth orientated around discrimination at African Americans, and so on.

The wealth of the western nations was deemed to have come from exploitation, and the inferior and discriminatory capitalistic system kept most of this wealth from the masses. The assumption was that things would be shared more equitably under communism, and people would be even MORE way off, but because the West had a head start, it would take some time to get there.