Is Italy a better place to live than the US? (buying a house, neighborhood)
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I am Italian and all four of my grandparents are native Sicilians who migrated to the US back in the 1950's. Naturally, I wonder about if they made the right decision and if times have changed and maybe nowadays Italy is a better place to live than the United States. After all, practically no one migrates from Italy to the US anymore, so there must be a good reason for that. Therefore, is modern day Italy a better country to live in than the US?
I spent an enormous amount of time on Google looking at street views all over the country and am fascinated at how amazing the cities are and the scenery. It looks exactly like California, too. It looks like most people live in small apartments though and drive subcompact cars, if driving at all. Italy is also the #1 country in the world for health index and they have a longer life expectancy than Americans. They are also the 9th largest economy in the world. They also get 7 weeks of mandatory vacation time and have full healthcare coverage, which the US embarrassingly lacks. And the quality of healthcare in the US is subpar and super expensive (what a joke).
I am gay, however, and noticed that Italy does not have same sex marriage; only civil unions. So they're behind other EU countries and the US in that regard. But I can't imagine Italy is an anti-LGBT country in general.
I'm sure the food is amazing, too. I like space and love driving a car everywhere, but would be willing to adapt. I only speak English. I am 34, single and currently have a master's degree in accounting with 10 years of experience.
So...is Italy a better place to live? Why or why not?
I am American, living in Italy. To answer your question: NO! America is much better, by far. In America you have higher salaries, you don't have to put up with the crap bureaucracy system and healthcare, it can be an extremely stressful country to live in. There are upsides though: the beauty, the food, the art.
Not only in Italy but almost the entire EU offers less salary than the US. Then the tax is enormous too.
I would just travel to Italy but I'll stay in the US.
My husband was born in Sicily and we have been to Italy eight times and to the US six times. I think the cultures are very different, Italy being an enmeshed culture where the family has to take on roles which it may not in the US and indeed Australia. Corruption is still rampant in Italy and the unemployment rate is very high. Which is partly why many people are openly racist.
Much as we feel very much at home in Italy we would not want to live there (though to be honest the only country we would have liked to live for some time is the UK) My husband is a golf tragic and it is a pretty minor sport there (he has played there several times) I am not fluent in Italian and would not care to live as a foreigner.
Nevertheless, the food is excellent though it lacks the variety found in many other western countries. The proximity to the rest of Europe would be a big plus for travellers and the climate is not too bad. Though we spent a fortune in tolls this year and I do not drive there as automatics are more expensive.
I guess when people are looking to move to another country they need to weigh up what they are trying to get away from and what they want to gain. That would be quite individual.
I'm Sicilian by birth and I lived in North America since 1999, my family is still there and I visit sometimes more than once a year.....to the OP question...it all depends.
In the US is definitely easier to make more money and the job market is much more fluid but Italy QOL can in many cases top the US.
If you have a good job (which in Italy comes with much more benefits compared to the US like vacation time) and you do not care about owning a big car (car maintenance costs are definitely higher in Italy or all of Europe for that matter) than living in Italy can be better under many aspects than living in the US.
For example, if you just have a "regular job" I can think of so many Italian cities with a better QOL than San Francisco....
I lived in Italy (Sicily) for 2 years and I was happy to come back to the United States after that. Italy was borderline 3rd world for me and I had to experience a lot of things you don't have to worry about in the US, so as a two week long gas strike. I'm just used to conveniences and living a somewhat routine based lifestyle in the States. In Italy you have to be a lot more flexible and patient which I'm not. Things in Italy are not reliable and do not occur on any time of schedule. The word "domani" which literally translates as "tomorrow" really means "whenever they feel like it", and I'm the type of person that needs things to happen yesterday.
Now, Germany on the other hand I could live in. The culture and society is more similar to what I was used to in Japan as far as promptness and efficiency.
I lived in Italy (Sicily) for 2 years and I was happy to come back to the United States after that. Italy was borderline 3rd world for me and I had to experience a lot of things you don't have to worry about in the US, so as a two week long gas strike. I'm just used to conveniences and living a somewhat routine based lifestyle in the States. In Italy you have to be a lot more flexible and patient which I'm not. Things in Italy are not reliable and do not occur on any time of schedule. The word "domani" which literally translates as "tomorrow" really means "whenever they feel like it", and I'm the type of person that needs things to happen yesterday.
Now, Germany on the other hand I could live in. The culture and society is more similar to what I was used to in Japan as far as promptness and efficiency.
Where Italy is definitely not a bureaucratic paradise (especially Sicily) there are some aspects of US that would appear third world to an Italian....just to say....
Where Italy is definitely not a bureaucratic paradise (especially Sicily) there are some aspects of US that would appear third world to an Italian....just to say....
My friend went to Athens, GA and he enjoyed the small town.
There's also a Rome, GA. Athens is nice though (both of them).
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