While I do agree with your sentiment regarding the necessity of fees and money, I think it is incredibly difficult to define what freedom is on an objective scale because it is closely tied to an individual's unique character and life experiences. If someone grew up on a rice farm in Bangladesh, their sense of freedom in a particular life situation would differ from someone who grew up on the 80th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper.
I think a question more actionable to ask regarding this topic is - what is freedom to you? What specifically makes you feel free? If the question is not worded in a very particular way there probably isn't a satisfying or actionable answer for it, which arguably makes the question futile to ponder over in the first place.