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Europe is cheap. And I'm not talking about the current exchange rate.
I'm referring to the "bang-for-buck," "quality of life" value you get for your money from Europe versus places that even come close in the United States.
Superb public transportation, pedestrian zones, urban planning that emphasizes the human over the automobile, low crime, high education of populace, cosmopolitan outlook, more family-friendly culture, less general CNN-like hysteria in the media, greater freedom and true democracy (one person=one vote), more concentration on living than working...all of these things add up.
And if you talk about taxes, Europe gets a bumb wrap compared to the United States (it borders on propaganda). Add up the value of universal health care, state-paid higher education, retraining and retirement benefits, vacation benefits, and the United States starts to look very expensive by comparison.
On almost every level, therefore, I feel that Europe is cheap, even in the most "expensive" places, compared to the U.S. Find a place in the U.S. that offers a quality of life even remotely approaching what you'll find by default in western Europe, and you'll be hit with the kind of cost of living that would allow you to live like two kings in western Europe.
I generally agree with you. The only positive that American cities have going for them is that they have a lower population density and therefore feel less cramped.
I generally agree with you. The only positive that American cities have going for them is that they have a lower population density and therefore feel less cramped.
Depends on which city you are referring too. New York City and San Francisco for example are very dense similar or even more dense than most European large cities. There are cities in Europe with smaller population and less density and more space.
Europe is cheap. And I'm not talking about the current exchange rate.
I'm referring to the "bang-for-buck," "quality of life" value you get for your money from Europe versus places that even come close in the United States.
Superb public transportation, pedestrian zones, urban planning that emphasizes the human over the automobile, low crime, high education of populace, cosmopolitan outlook, more family-friendly culture, less general CNN-like hysteria in the media, greater freedom and true democracy (one person=one vote), more concentration on living than working...all of these things add up.
And if you talk about taxes, Europe gets a bumb wrap compared to the United States (it borders on propaganda). Add up the value of universal health care, state-paid higher education, retraining and retirement benefits, vacation benefits, and the United States starts to look very expensive by comparison.
On almost every level, therefore, I feel that Europe is cheap, even in the most "expensive" places, compared to the U.S. Find a place in the U.S. that offers a quality of life even remotely approaching what you'll find by default in western Europe, and you'll be hit with the kind of cost of living that would allow you to live like two kings in western Europe.
That's why Europe is cheap.
Thoughts?
Yes, Europe have more socialized benefits and generous welfare than the U.S., but that does not mean you are better off living in Europe if you are high income for example. Prices of consumer goods are more expensive by far in most of Europe than in the U.S., as is sales tax significantly higher. Every country and state are different; both places very diverse. Living in New York City and San Francisco is much more expensive than anywhere in Germany for example, while Paris and London are much more expensive than cities like Chicago, Miami and San Diego.
The only positive that American cities have going for them is that they have a lower population density and therefore feel less cramped.
That's true about America as a whole. And indeed lower population density usually, if not often, makes people friendlier. Friendlier people, in turn, may be one of the advantages of the United States if talking about the factors that make up overall quality of life. These things are always complicated, though.
Yes, Europe have more socialized benefits and generous welfare than the U.S., but that does not mean you are better off living in Europe if you are high income for example.
Correct. And I specifically mentioned income as a reason why one may have to stay in the United States (temporarily, with hope) if one has the choice between the two sides of the ocean.
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Prices of consumer goods are more expensive by far in most of Europe than in the U.S.
True. And such prices are important. In fact, they're probably more important than even the most consumer-minded among us would want to admit. After all, the benefits offered by technology are irresistible.
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as is sales tax significantly higher.
Also true. But things like sales taxes and gasoline taxes are easily palatable if you feel that your taxes are actually buying you some very worthwhile benefits (even if not for yourself), such as state-paid higher education and universal health care that is of a generally high quality. Do you know how much a college education for one child costs in the United States? Add up federal, state, and local taxes, and many Americans pay the same rate of taxes as Germans, for example, but they get far, far less for their money.
Agree with OP. USA is more expensive than Europe. Quality of life in Europe is on higher level, just try to take a ride on subway for example in Vienna and New York City. Clean, well organized, accesible versus dirty, rats, no elevators for babies, overcrowded, rude... I wont even mention anything else, just take a ride on U-Bahn and Subway. You'll se the difference.
Agree with OP. USA is more expensive than Europe. Quality of life in Europe is on higher level, just try to take a ride on subway for example in Vienna and New York City. Clean, well organized, accesible versus dirty, rats, no elevators for babies, overcrowded, rude... I wont even mention anything else, just take a ride on U-Bahn and Subway. You'll se the difference.
I can see the argument that with certain professions, it pays to work in America to pile up some money.
I can also see the argument that after that, if you have the choice and all other things being equal (such as no heart interest in Los Angeles, for example), you'd have to be unobjective or a materialist not to prefer even the upper middle life in Europe to the high life in the U.S. In some ways excess money in the U.S. buys you a golden cage. I'd rather get a little dirty once in a while (i.e., live).
Agree with OP. USA is more expensive than Europe. Quality of life in Europe is on higher level, just try to take a ride on subway for example in Vienna and New York City. Clean, well organized, accesible versus dirty, rats, no elevators for babies, overcrowded, rude... I wont even mention anything else, just take a ride on U-Bahn and Subway. You'll se the difference.
You cannot compare New York City with Vienna because New York City has more people than the entire country of Austria alone. Vienna has a population of 1.7 M vs. 8.3 M in NYC (NY Metro over 20 M). You should compare Vienna with a smaller and cleaner U.S. city with similar population. Vienna is not that clean as you may think outside of tourist area.
You cannot compare New York City with Vienna because New York City has more people than the entire country of Austria alone. Vienna has a population of 1.7 M vs. 8.3 M in NYC (NY Metro over 20 M). You should compare Vienna with a smaller and cleaner U.S. city with similar population. Vienna is not that clean as you may think outside of tourist area.
Actually, people can compare anything they want to compare. What's interesting, to my mind, are the points of comparison--or the fact that certain things are compared.
Take your point, for instance. New York has more people than even Austria, let alone Vienna, and yet someone compares New York and Vienna. Why would that be? (The one unacceptable answer is that the comparison reflects a flaw in the comparer.) Would it be because the two are perceived as "big cities" and because the differences in the apparent running and organization of those cities is so stark?
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