Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think that totally depends on your age and situation. There are trade-offs. Some things which are costly here, such as health care, are not as expensive in other countries. Also, this country is very automobile dependent with usable mass transit available really only in big cities.
When we talk with friends in the UK or Europe, they don't seem to feel as freaked out by money as people here. There is a certain amount of security that comes with a safety net that does not exist here and they do not seem to be as focused on buying stuff or houses. When people are one illness away from bankruptcy, and the middle class is disappearing, it is hard to feel secure unless you are fairly well off. Certainly the "happiness" factor is much higher in Europe than the US. They have a wide variety of "climate choices" in the EU as well. It seems that all people here speak about is struggling to survive and living paycheck to paycheck. The economic disparity and stratification of the US is changing the landscape.
The three big high-cost consumer items in the American economy are post-secondary education (namely, college), health care, and child-care. In contrast, real-estate, manufactured goods and daily staples (food, gas, utilities) are comparatively cheap. Young people trying to complete their education, parents juggling child-rearing and career, and persons without good employer-sponsored health coverage, would tend to feel economic stress that Europeans generally don't feel. On the other hand, European engineers, medical doctors, lawyers, senior managers, administrators and the like, would earn less and have far less discretionary purchasing power, than their American counterparts.
The question of "happiness" is befuddling and almost inscrutable. Sometimes poor peasants are happy, despite inadequate sanitation and meager diet, while affluent and urbane city-dwellers are in self-described misery. And sometimes the reverse. It is however worth noting that in modern America it's considered to be OK to whinge about employment insecurity or living paycheck to paycheck or rising prices and stagnant incomes, but not OK to complain about other lifestyle quandaries, such as being unable to find a romantic partner. Americans tend to reduce their problems to the financial. Financial insecurity is only partly financial; it's also partially a surrogate for other forms of insecurity.
The three big high-cost consumer items in the American economy are post-secondary education (namely, college), health care, and child-care. In contrast, real-estate, manufactured goods and daily staples (food, gas, utilities) are comparatively cheap. Young people trying to complete their education, parents juggling child-rearing and career, and persons without good employer-sponsored health coverage, would tend to feel economic stress that Europeans generally don't feel. On the other hand, European engineers, medical doctors, lawyers, senior managers, administrators and the like, would earn less and have far less discretionary purchasing power, than their American counterparts.
While true, we do not compare ourselves to people in a different hemisphere. Our feeling of being well off is in relation to our neighbours and other professions in our home environment. A doctor in Norway has the same relative experience of wealth as one in America.
We also experience less comparative stress, in the same way as the people in more precarious life situations, although perhaps not to the same degree. We also have more freedom, and less stress about crime or medical bankruptcy.
The three big high-cost consumer items in the American economy are post-secondary education (namely, college), health care, and child-care. In contrast, real-estate, manufactured goods and daily staples (food, gas, utilities) are comparatively cheap. Young people trying to complete their education, parents juggling child-rearing and career, and persons without good employer-sponsored health coverage, would tend to feel economic stress that Europeans generally don't feel. On the other hand, European engineers, medical doctors, lawyers, senior managers, administrators and the like, would earn less and have far less discretionary purchasing power, than their American counterparts.
Good post, what I usually see is that Americans automatically assume things are better and cheaper in their country and that is not always the case like you mentioned for health-care, education and child care.
As far as salaries are concerned, I read an article recently that said Dutch doctors by far make the most money even more than American doctors. Which is good for them but not for us as we pay for that through our health insurance. That is also true for certain fields in engineering.
I can see why Americans would want to retire in Southern Europe for example, health care is very cheap compared to the US. Driving is usually not necessary because of dense walkable compact towns and groceries, doctors and pharmacies are available everywhere instead of in far away strip malls or Wall-marts like in the US. In that sense, Europe has its advantages.
Good post, what I usually see is that Americans automatically assume things are better and cheaper in their country and that is not always the case like you mentioned for health-care, education and child care.
As far as salaries are concerned, I read an article recently that said Dutch doctors by far make the most money even more than American doctors. Which is good for them but not for us as we pay for that through our health insurance. That is also true for certain fields in engineering.
I can see why Americans would want to retire in Southern Europe for example, health care is very cheap compared to the US. Driving is usually not necessary because of dense walkable compact towns and groceries, doctors and pharmacies are available everywhere instead of in far away strip malls or Wall-marts like in the US. In that sense, Europe has its advantages.
America's problems monetarily is the shear amount of waste.
Look at defense spending. Navy doesn't want ships, congress says they can have them anyways.
Army doesn't want chest plates from a manufacturer in Michigan, the local congress members still make them buy them. They go from the manufacturer to a warehouse with no intention of being used. F-35... Nuff said there.
We spend 25% of our public school spending on special education, probably an equal or greater amount on administration (less than 1% for gifted individuals). 1950s saw a national average of 240ish teachers to 100 non-teachers. My state for 2008: 140 non-teachers for every 100 teachers. One would think the invention of computers would cause it to go the opposite direction.
We already spend more public dollars on health care per person than many of these foreign countries, and still have to pay for it all over again out of pocket. Local doctor stopped accepting insurance and cut his rates 50%.
America has the potential to be better at everything. Currently it's bogged down by waste.
I emigrated from the US to Denmark almost 20 years ago. One of my sons emigrated to the UK around 5 years ago.
I think the reasons don't re-settle is: less opportunity for job mobility and wage growth, except in multi-national firms, strict immigration (residence and job requirements) and high(er) personal income and consumption taxes.
In my case, the benefits were greater than the costs, but that goes without saying. It took me 3 years of networking and 6 trips at my expense to land a job i wanted. My son was viewed as a rising star in his line of work and already worked in the US for a UK company.
I think that totally depends on your age and situation. There are trade-offs. Some things which are costly here, such as health care, are not as expensive in other countries. Also, this country is very automobile dependent with usable mass transit available really only in big cities.
When we talk with friends in the UK or Europe, they don't seem to feel as freaked out by money as people here. There is a certain amount of security that comes with a safety net that does not exist here and they do not seem to be as focused on buying stuff or houses. When people are one illness away from bankruptcy, and the middle class is disappearing, it is hard to feel secure unless you are fairly well off. Certainly the "happiness" factor is much higher in Europe than the US. They have a wide variety of "climate choices" in the EU as well. It seems that all people here speak about is struggling to survive and living paycheck to paycheck. The economic disparity and stratification of the US is changing the landscape.
If you're unhappy where you are, why don't you move to this nivana you have made up in your mind. I think you'll find that you can't escape you no matter where you go and you'll hear dissatisfaction from people anywhere you go.
I've lived and worked all over the world for a long period of time and have seen things I like better about European cities with good subway and train travel, etc. Our health costs or exorbitant on the world scale which is why I'm so disappointed in Obamacare which did nothing but increase already sky high costs. Still our housing costs are much lower, food much cheaper, consumer good such as electronics and cars much cheaper and average incomes in the USA are much higher than such countries as Germany, Japan, UK, France.
But if you think you can have a better life elsewhere, please leave and experience life there. Don't just be a complainer, do something about it.
Our health costs or exorbitant on the world scale which is why I'm so disappointed in Obamacare which did nothing but increase already sky high costs. Still our housing costs are much lower, food much cheaper, consumer good such as electronics and cars much cheaper and average incomes in the USA are much higher than such countries as Germany, Japan, UK, France.
Well, housing costs vary a lot in every country. And things like the cost of food, electronics, cars and other consumer goods...in the developed world, they hit the point of diminishing returns quite quickly.
If you're well below average income, things like free health care, college etc. matters a lot more than being able to get this years phone. If you're above average income, being able to buy another phone, more food, or a new big-screen TV has less and less impact on your lifestyle. In the western world, the economic distance from covering your physical needs to having adequate consumer goods just isn't that far. And sure, beyond adequate it is nice to have more features on your phone, more inches to your TV or more horsepower in your car, but it doesn't massively improve your life.
On the other hand, things like a 5+ weeks vacation, a year off when you have a child, being able to make life decisions without worrying about health insurance, less worries about crime, being able to take time off for personal development, 40 hour workweeks as the norm etc, -well, the distance to the point of diminishing returns for these things vary massivly in the developed world. Some countries are better on these things than others and they can affect your life satisfaction a lot.
But I work in the legal field and could not get the same type of job in Spain or anywhere else in Europe. We do plan on moving in the future though.
I knew an American lady lawyer who lived in London and did all her legal cases remotely. She would travel to California a few time a year for court cases, etc. A lot of lawyers from different countries work in the financial/banking legal fields.
Having an law office these days is hardly worth the expense. Almost all the federal courts operate on-line 24/7; and court appearances can be arranged telephonically. In the last years of my practice, almost all my client contacts were by email. It's a different world today; I do everything myself, although sometimes I long for the luxury of having a secretary
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
