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Ok, low class USA vs middle class Europe. This comparison does not hold even in poorer countries of Europe, even less so taking an average European middle class person...
Would someone care to tell people on Skid Row or the homeless in Seattle and SF that they are better off than European middle class?
What is European middle class anyway? Europe has both the richest countries in the world like Switzerland, Norway, and Luxembourg and some of the poorest like Albania. The US deserves credit for this, they have a more equal income distribution than Europe when comparing European countries to US states.
It depends on what part of the US and Europe. In general if you are poor/low income you are much better off living in Europe, and very high income in the US. Middle class in Europe work less / more leisure/free time/vacations.
Being Middle Class in Europe is better in my lifestyle and liking
Middle class American: Huge house, three gigantic cars, a household filled with useless plastic appliances they are too busy to use because they are working extra time to be able to afford all that, plus they have to worry about health insurance and not losing their jobs so that they do not lose their middle class status. Their isolated mcmansions are located in depressing suburbias lacking in character and where the only thing to do is drive to the shopping mall.
Working class Europeans: Live in a more modest way, but does not have to worry about health care, losing his/her job is not a worry either because they have a social safety net, they work less than the middle class Americans, and have paid vacations during summer and Christmas. They do not have five cars and a fully air conditioned wooden overpriced mansion but they live in a much more sustainable appartment in a vibrant city full of cultural offerings.
I rather be a working class European than a Middle class American.
In America you’re practically required to have a personal vehicle or two, in Europe, not so much. Same goes for housing benefits, less taxes, government assistance, minimal wage hikes, etc. there is a reason America has millions of immigrants from Europe each year and not the other way around.
In America you’re practically required to have a personal vehicle or two, in Europe, not so much. Same goes for housing benefits, less taxes, government assistance, minimal wage hikes, etc. there is a reason America has millions of immigrants from Europe each year and not the other way around.
This doesn't make any sense! Are we seriously supposed to believe that poor people in the US are somehow still richer than middle class people in Europe!? That's nonsense, like everywhere else there is real poverty in the USA, are Europe's middle classes pushing shopping trolly's and living under bridges!? Poor is poor it doesn't make ANY difference whether you are poor on the streets of Bulgaria or Las Vegas.
Interesting question, but Germany and Romania are both in EU so it is hard to answer the question
He said most people in Europe, so I am thinking he included a whole bunch of Germans, Scandinavians, French, people living in Dennemark, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Holland, England, Iceland etc.
In America you’re practically required to have a personal vehicle or two, in Europe, not so much. Same goes for housing benefits, less taxes, government assistance, minimal wage hikes, etc. there is a reason America has millions of immigrants from Europe each year and not the other way around.
Are you sure the USA gets "millions of immigrants from Europe" each year?
It is also an error to compare just money.
A person with 20k in the USA can be more miserable than a person with 20k in Spain for example. Because maybe for getting those 20k he has to work 2 jobs so maybe 12 hours working + 2 hours commuting + paying gas&car bills + paying healthcare, while in Spain with 20k you have your 9 to 5 work, you maybe don't own a car and you live like 20 mins walk from your office, and you don't have to pay for healthcare because it's already paid thru taxes...
What I am trying to say is that 20k number is not important. The important number is the amount of money you get to have at the end of the month after having to pay all your "musts" (housing, gas, cars, healthcare, education, etc) ---> And I think at that point, low class Americans get much less money than middle class Europeans, which was the original question.
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