The prioritization for food isn't for healthy, it is for fast and satisfying now - not in a day, month or ten years from now.
The question isn't whether money can buy happiness, but rather, how much money is required to buy it. The amount will change from person to person, but several studies have looked at this and the answer seems to be consistently,
More than most people have.
I can't agree more with your thoughts. Our internal moral system ends up limiting us and leading us to the quick, unthinking response that money doesn't bring happiness, but it's certainly a response from someone who has the comfort of having some money so they don't have to think about what they're going to put on the table for dinner that day, and how they're going to pay the electricity and gas bills to keep the house warm, or even pay for petrol to get to work. Of course, as you say, it is possible to make a living with little money, but it reduces the possibilities of choice, and the slack we have in terms of time and life options. A huge majority survive on much less than what we consider essential.
Interestingly, I wrote a much more humble post on the subject a few days ago.
https://peakd.com/hive-126152/@xrayman/whats-enough-o-que-e-suficiente-en-pt
And then, the same person in the next breath might be complaining about not having enough money.
And when hungry, tired, worried - do we perform at our potential?
Never. Just like you told, the struggle is real. The better job opportunities come with far more better life conditions and comfort