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However, it is indisputable that Oslo is so much more expensive than Houston. For example:
It costs $50 for 2 person to have a three course meal in a midrange restaurant, in Oslo, it costs $97.4;
A beer (0.5 liter draught) costs $3.75 in Houston and $9.13 in Oslo;
One litre of milk is $0.98 in Houston and $1.92 in Oslo;
One kilo of chicken breast is $8.7 in Houston and $13.3 in Oslo
Gas is $0.62 per litre in Houston and $1.76 in Oslo;
A pair of Levis jeans is $39 in Houston and $104 in Oslo (really? )
One the other hand, average monthly disposal income is $3,139 in Houston and $3,373 in Oslo, only slightly higher. You can't blame him for thinking living in Oslo is hard.
I have not seen that income data for Oslo before. Did you get your stats from SSB?
Do people buy Levi's anymore? I thought they went out style in the 90s. Foreign brands, like Diesel, are quite expensive in the US.
My friend went to Oslo for a year and at the end of the term couldn't wait to get back to Texas, because he thinks life is miserable in Nordic countries: everything is too expensive to the extent you need to consider how much beef you can afford, winter is so long and day time is so short, plus there are simply too few people to feel like you are in the middle of something. The high tax rate surely doesn't help unless you have half a dozen kids to benefit from that.
No, I'd rather live in Singapore, or HongKong than anywhere in Scandinavia.
Your efforts warrant admiration, but ultimately you are making the classic mistake of using logic and reason when dealing with brainwashed euro-boosters.
Don't know about Houston and Oslo but Norway has higher disposable income than USA. Also in America you really need that income to cover numerous things that those high taxes pay for in Norway So your comparison really doesn't make sense.
In wealth USA doesn't rank so well either:
Your chart doesn't really help with the ongoing argument for several reasons:
1) The numbers represent "wealth", not disposable income. Wealth include houses. For example, Canada ranks higher than the US, and I would think it is largely because of the fact that houses in Canada are substantially more expensive than in the US. The same house in Norway may cost $500k in Oslo while $150k in Houston. Yes, the Norwegian is house richer but what can he do about it? He doesn't have higher spending power. And that $500k house is probably smaller and older than in $150k one in Houston.
2) the US has disproportionately poorer people while in Norway it is more even. So yes, if you are poor, great, it is better to be in Norway because you get all sorts of perks subsidized by other taxpayers, but if you are educated, skilled, that's a different story.
3) Regarding "numerous things", I assume you are talking about healthcare. Massachusetts also has universal healthcare for years. And as you can see, even a very expensive city like Boston is cheaper than Oslo (despite much higher rent). Interestingly, rents in Boston is about 80% higher but purchase price is half of Oslo's (this goes back to point 1: most of the wealth is associated with an expensive house). After tax income in Boston is higher too.
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In general, Nordic countries are simply not the paradise people think they are. Quality of life is not that fantastic as the media claims it to be, and spending power is pretty low. Also you have to suffer the bad weather in the entire region.
I am not bashing these countries, they are still great places, better than most countries probably, just not that magically GREAT. I myself would choose muggy Los Angeles over any Scandinavian cities any time.
Your efforts warrant admiration, but ultimately you are making the classic mistake of using logic and reason when dealing with brainwashed euro-boosters.
Bull****. He said one of his friends went to Norway and didn't like it and he said that he probably wouldn't like living there either, which is pretty reasonable; however when some say that they enjoy their lives in Norway/Denmark/Sweden/Finland and all of a sudden they are "brainwashed Euro-boosters"? That's some perfect logic.
Btw, Numbeo's credibility is about as high as my chances of conceiving a baby.
At least in Finland you get more than you pay for I think Norway has a similar system.
How much is 100% health care coverage in Houston?
Seriously, how is it possible to get more than one pays for in general? It is either paid for by you, or other taxpayers.
And we are pretending no Americans have healthcare and all expenses come out of their own pockets. The truth is, the majority of people do. It is simply provided by employers, not the state.
If you are poor and unemployed in the US, that's bad, but why would we compare quality of life of jobless people? How good can their life be without a job and stable income? I can't care less.
Seriously, how is it possible to get more than one pays for in general? I
It's easy in a place like Norway with massive oil reserves, a collective mindset, sovereign wealth fund and a small population.
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I think Norway has a similar system.
