USA vs. Europe (affordable house, to buy, income)

[Phillip S1]

Which is overall better? Lifestyle, education, entertaiment, culture, cost of living, things to do, nicer, to live etc.?

[OyCrumbler]

This is highly dependent on the actual area/city, isn't it? Overall, I guess I'd place Europe in front.

[chelsy35]

I would vote for europe too. I know europe is very different but still in this world I would rather live in Europe than in usa. I admit 40 yrs ago America was dream for anyone- but I think that in these days it is other way around. Maybe today there are no such big differences between usa and states but if i could choose i would always choose europe.

[BigSwede]

This topic sounds familiar....

[bale002]

Originally Posted by Phillip S1

Which is overall better? Lifestyle, education, entertainment, culture, cost of living, things to do, nicer, to live etc.?

Based on the criteria you list above (except cost of living), Europe.

If the criterion is the better place to set up a business, the US.

The cost of living criterion is a bit tricky, as poster 2 mentions, it depends on a lot of variables, including city or country and personal lifestyle.

The "American Dream" was to be able to start your own business with very little capital, keep most of what you earn, and accumulate private wealth. Such opportunities still exist, but it is becoming harder and harder.
In lieu of that, in the past decade or so, the "American Dream" has been to be able to borrow money to buy an overpriced, unaffordable house. How has that worked out?

Not sure what the "European Dream" is, except, maybe, after two brutal industrial civil wars in the early Twentieth Century, in the second half of the century the Europeans have achieved a model of social peace that may indeed be exemplary for the rest of the world.

[City of Rain]

Again, it should be either:

Europe vs North America
or
EU vs USA

Either way, I´d say the European side wins.

Europe has a population of over 730 million, while North America has about 530 million, so obviously there is going to be more to do in Europe than in NA.

Same goes for EU. EU has about 500 million, while little brother USA has a little more than 300 million. Also, EU is growing pretty rapidly as so many want to immigrate there (more so than to the US)

The cities of EU are bigger (except for NYC which is bigger than any city in EU, though not in Europe), and it´s also more interesting because there is soo much variation between the countries of EU (much more than between the states of the US)..

I mean, if you want you can live in freezing cold northern Scandinavia at the border to Russia, or in hot and sunny Cyprus, which is practically right outside of the middle east!! There is soo much diversity.

The standard of living in Western Europe is much higher than in the US (some places, like Scandinavia, the income is generally 30% higher than in the US), but there are some countries which have lower living standards (UK, Spain, Portugal) that drag down the western european standard.

Also, the lifestyle is more chillaxed and europeans actually get real, long holidays every year, which I guess is a plus.

[effie g-tad]

the poll coming with this topic seems a bit unfair concerning europe's unfinished unification and quite uncertain future, imho.

[ChrisC]

Originally Posted by effie briest

the poll coming with this topic seems a bit unfair concerning europe's unfinished unification and quite uncertain future, imho.

But then, the US doesn't really have a certain future either. From my perspective (inside) it just keeps getting worse unless you are profanely wealthy.

Given only the choices of US and Europe, I'd have to go with Europe. But then there is alot more to the world than those two choices. Perhaps another choice altogether would be best? Don't know...

[effie g-tad]

Originally Posted by ChrisC

But then, the US doesn't really have a certain future either. From my perspective (inside) it just keeps getting worse unless you are profanely wealthy.

Given only the choices of US and Europe, I'd have to go with Europe. But then there is alot more to the world than those two choices. Perhaps another choice altogether would be best? Don't know...

it ought to be interesting to notice a glaring difference between self knowledge and self respect on both sides of the atlantic.
i41 came to such a conclusion very (almost too) late in life...

[pigeonhole]

second half of the century the Europeans have achieved a model of social peace that may indeed be exemplary for the rest of the world.

Are you kidding ?
At my workplace (center of Paris), I hear everyday under my office windows angry, noisy, sometimes violent demonstraors yell "WE WANT MONEY" and "**** THE RICH", if that's what you call "model social peace"...