Western/Northern Europe vs. Canada for lower income (apartment, for rent)
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I've been all over western Europe in places big and small. (Spent much of last summer there in fact.)
Only Spain and Portugal offer any kind of deal overall for Canadians. Everywhere else is more expensive for most anything except maybe for a good bottle of wine.
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Makes sense - I do miss easy access to that cheap Spanish wine at the Supermarcat
In most western European countries social programs (widely defined: including education, training, parental benefits, etc.) tend to be better than in Canada as are working conditions, benefits, holidays, hours, etc. Of course we are talking about different countries but overall I think western Europe is better than us in this respect.
Canada's advantages are that is has a better economy than most places in western Europe and also that cost of living tends to be lower for most things compared to Europe.
Acajack right on money as usual.
COL is cheaper in Canada.
Europe is expensive. Cup of coffee is like $ 4
Gas ...oops...I mean petrol ...is thru the roof.
Need a lot euros to survive there.
Where? Not only what countries, but the city, name of the place, and what kind of coffee, etc.
Point is, it's impossible to say thay all Europeans are spending that much on coffees (or anything else for that matter...), because the average one isn't. There's a whole range of products in every price range everywhere throughout Europe which is the same deal in Canada. I don't get it. Europe isn't more expensive unless you have no idea how to navigate outside a main square or tourist zone. You have to shop on the same wealth totem pole that you sit at back home.
You know what else sells $4 coffees? Starbucks, Second Cup, Costa...
Location: Where Sunday shopping is banned in the USA
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Originally Posted by Jesse44
Where? Not only what countries, but the city, name of the place, and what kind of coffee, etc.
Point is, it's impossible to say thay all Europeans are spending that much on coffees (or anything else for that matter...), because the average one isn't. There's a whole range of products in every price range everywhere throughout Europe which is the same deal in Canada. I don't get it. Europe isn't more expensive unless you have no idea how to navigate outside a main square or tourist zone. You have to shop on the same wealth totem pole that you sit at back home.
You know what else sells $4 coffees? Starbucks, Second Cup, Costa...
What is (more) expensive in Europe:
Restaurant and fast food
Clothes & Shoes and most consumer goods
Gasoline
Cars
Getting your drivers' license
Rent in most major cities
Where? Not only what countries, but the city, name of the place, and what kind of coffee, etc.
Point is, it's impossible to say thay all Europeans are spending that much on coffees (or anything else for that matter...), because the average one isn't. There's a whole range of products in every price range everywhere throughout Europe which is the same deal in Canada. I don't get it. Europe isn't more expensive unless you have no idea how to navigate outside a main square or tourist zone. You have to shop on the same wealth totem pole that you sit at back home.
You know what else sells $4 coffees? Starbucks, Second Cup, Costa...
I've experienced basic living expenses for a family of four in Europe for three of the past four summers. It's an awesome place, I'd go live there in a minute and the people there get by of course, but there aren't many bargains there for Canadians who would want to maintain a similar lifestyle as back home. Not even in the smaller cities.
Sure, if you want to live in a town of 200 people in a declining and isolated region of central France, you can get an old farmhouse for a steal...
Europe is expensive. Cup of coffee is like $ 4
Gas ...oops...I mean petrol ...is thru the roof.
Need a lot euros to survive there.
Prices for a cup of coffee maybe range from 0.50 Euro to 10 Euro in Europe. I know that a package of coffee in Germany is much cheaper than in the US, and I am sure that coffee prices in Canada not that different from that in the US. I am sure that the average cup of coffee in Germany is cheaper than in Canada.
Gas ist more expensive in Germany than in Canada or the US. But the average spendings for gas is by a good margin lower in Germany than in Canada or the US. Distances in Germany and most other european countries are much smaller.
The average american household spends 2,756 USD (2012), 2,655 USD (2011) per year for gasoline. The average size of an american household is 2,5 persons. They spend 542 USD (2012), 516 USD (2011) on public and other transportation.
The average german household (2.0 persons) spend 100 Euro (2011) per month for gas (Kraftstoffe und Schmiermittel ;-). They spend 35 Euro (2011) per month for public transportaion (Personenbeförderung, Verkehrsdienstleistungen). For one year and converted in USD (1 Euro=1,38 USD). The average german household spends 1,656 USD for gas and 580 USD for public transportation. 1000 USD less than in the USA, surprise, surprise. It's completely nonsense that costs for transportation are lower in the US or Canada than in Europe, at least not lower than in Germany.
Almost all Americans and Canadians in this forum claims, that gas prices in europe are a big concern. But that's not true. If you wan't to lower your gasoline spendings, come to europe ;-)))
I am sure that prices and spendings in Canada are not that different from what they are in the US. Off course transportation is cheeper in Germany and probably in most other european countries than in Canada.
I bet, that you need at least 50% more money in Canada than in Germany for a similiar living.
I've experienced basic living expenses for a family of four in Europe for three of the past four summers. It's an awesome place, I'd go live there in a minute and the people there get by of course, but there aren't many bargains there for Canadians who would want to maintain a similar lifestyle as back home. Not even in the smaller cities.
That's sounds like nonsense. If you compare rents in Canada by: Apartments for Rent: Find rentals in Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver and compare these by: Immobilien, Wohnungen und Häuser bei ImmobilienScout24 mieten, kaufen, inserieren for Germany. Of course rents in Germany are cheaper in Germany than in Canada. In Toronto I have found only one small flat for about 800 CDN-$. In Berlin you will find hundreds of flats for under 500 Euro. Rents in bigger german Cities are even cheaper than in London (ON) or Kitchener (ON). Even appartements in small cities like Brantford are much more expensive than appartements in Berlin, Cologne or Düsseldorf.
You are from Gatineau near Ottawa. There are some appartement blocks at Rue Bedard or at Rue Radisson. Rents starts at 575 CDN-$ and range to 900 CDN-$ for just these tiny flats. This is far more expensive than rents in Germany. Please don't think that rents in Paris, London or Brussel are normal for Europe.
Obviously not if a certain percentage of Germans feel unsafe.
I am sure that you understand, that there is a huge difference between the reality and that what people feel. If you ask the average german how many people are murdered in Germany every year, they will probably answer several thousands per year. If you ask are there more murders today than 20 years ago, probably more than 90% of the Germans will say, yes of course. The people are sure that there is so much more crime today than in the past. Like in all other western countries, the homicide rate falls, also in Germany. But people don't understand it. I am sure, that Americans are by far not that out of touch with the reality than Germans are. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of Americans know that the homicide rate is falling.
25 years ago, when I was at school, there was so much more violence at school than today. Every injury that happens at school must be reportet to the statutory health insurance. So the statistics are very reliable and all these statistics show a strong decline at school violence. But the vast majority of Germans, especially the older ones, believe that there is so much more crime and violence at school, than it was 20 years ago. Germans often thinks that there are smarter than people from other countries. But most of them don't realize how stupid they are. Sometimes I think the Germans must be the most stupid nation on earth. But probably every country has such a stupid majority of about 80%.
I have now a more accurat second view on this OECD Index. They ask the people, wether they are assaulted or mugged over the past 12 months. In Germany 3,6% reported that they are assaulted or mugged. That are almost 3 Mil. people. That's completely bull****. In the US the number is "only" 1,5%, but I am sure, that these number is also way to high. I am sure that a lot of people in Germany have fun to claim that they are a victim of a crime. Americans are very good when it comes to smalltalk. Germans are mostly unable to do that. I think some germans like to weave a story about crime, so they have a topic to talk about. Even when there would be really no crime in Germany, most Germans would be feel unsafe. It's enough if elderly people watch only one thriller on TV or watch a false report over violence at school. They would immediately think that the whole country sinks into crime.
The intention of the OECD to ask the people what they think and what they feel, is at a first glance a good one. But they misjudge the different mentality of the people in each country.
Restaurant and fast food
Clothes & Shoes and most consumer goods
Gasoline
Cars
Getting your drivers' license
Rent in most major cities
What do you mean? Europe is a continent. It depends. In cities like London they will always be more expensive. But my problem here is that all of the Canadians are making it sound like everything in Europe is always more expensive, when in my experience of spending time there as more than a gawking tourist, spread out across many regions of Europe, that day-to-day life, with some exceptions, is cheaper in the non supremely important cities, of which this country has far less of. There is nothing in Canada on the level of Paris, London or any exceptions like Swiss cities or small states like Luxembourg. But for the average person between Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Austria etc. Groceries, fast food and going to an actual restaurant is cheaper. Products could be more expensive, unless locally produced. And rent seems to to be about the same. Further East, it's considerably cheaper than in Canada. No idea about the cost of a license, and many point out that cars are more redundant in Europe and they spend less on their maintenance even though fuel costs more, as a result.
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