Better living in Europe?

Show all answers

Petra

Thank You Rilll, You are the only one who made sense... Saying Europe is better than America is ignorant.. there are to many variables to ask such a general question. To someone America will be better because of the open spaces and convenience of things but to another Europe with it's culture is better and than even with that America and Europe are both pretty diverse and one person might like Eastern Europe but hate western Europe...same goes for America...I love Eastern Europe and the SW United States but I would not like the NE US or Western Europe....my tastes are different from yours

Steph

Totally, but it depends on what you're looking for...
If you want good money, go to the US, if you want a good LIFE, go to europe, it's more laid back

To the guy under me, I had a ducatti 600, and was paying about 250 euros a year in insurance... And about stress at work about loosing your job ?? lol, france is known for its great healthcare services and once a person gets a job, unless you do something absolutly stupid at work, it's impossible to get fired, due to the power of the unions...
You are totally misinformed about france, or you just want people to be misinformed about it...

â™¥Kely_******â™¥

yea of course lol

Trbld1

im not really qualified to answer terribly well..as i have only ever lived in europe.
But id say everywhere has SOMETHING good about it.
I think Europe does have the highest STANDARDS of living. Nobody is on the povertyline and there is alot of green spaces etc etc. USA certainly has the highest earnings per capita - $40,000 or something.but they earn that kind of money because USA has very few holidays compared to the UK,france and germany...no paternity leave :O

so its a trade off to me...but id rather stay in UK

EU Citizen

Yes i agree have a read here and you will see that Europe excells in more ways then mentioned:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070920/lf_afp/environmentsocialcountries_070920151835

Yeva

It's hard to say. I've lived both in France and US, and both countries have good and bad sides to them. A lot of people in US seem to think that Europe is like paradise. When I was moving to France I got a lot of comments like: "wooooow, I'm sooo envious".
They really should not be envious because living in France is not all about lavender fields, croissants in the morning and trips to great museums on weekends. Now when my American friends complain about bureaucracy problems in US, I can't help but laugh, for they have not had to deal with huge lines and cranky "fonctionnaires" who loose your paperwork and when they don't know the answer to your question they don't say "I don't know let me ask someone who might know" but give you some random answer that doesn't make any sense at all. I have to say I've developed a great skill in France: photocopy, write letters (that you photocopy) and get everything in writing (and then you photocopy it all).
Oh..and lets not forget unemployment! A lot and a lot of unemployment!
In US, on the other hand, people deal with different problems, like no time for family because, you know, you don't have any time! Huge health insurance fees to find out later on that they just won't pay for that arthiritis that you've suddenly developed.
So yes, there are problems everywhere.
But having said all of this, right now I'm living in Montreal and I have to say that so far it seems to be like the best of both worlds combined into one. Of course I've only been here a month, so it's hard to judge at this point.

Rillifane

Such articles are meaningless and are invariably skewed by the political outlook of the people who compile them.

If, for example, you think that any country without socialized medicine is an awful capitalist hellhole then clearly you will immediately strike the United States off your list of best places to live while giving a big plus to Cuba and North Korea.

If you deem so called income disparity as wicked and evil then, again, the United States is a lousy place to live.

If you think government should hand out free opera tickets to senior citizens then France (which does exactly that) gains points.

Some people might think that the fact that Americans live in houses twice as big as Europeans is a good thing. Others, giving heed to ecological concerns, might think not.

You get the idea.

As it happens I have dual USA/UK citizenship and I can live anywhere in the EU I choose or, as I do in the USA. That's my choice and I'm not about to try to convince you that it would be the right choice for you.

Just don't be too sure that you aren't being swayed by the poltical agendas of others when you accept a lisitng such as you describe in your question as having any actual basis in fact.

Mama

As an American who has lived in Germany, France and both coasts of the US, I'd have to say it depends on what you are most interested in.

I prefer the 2 hour lunches, the general ease in the pace of life and the more relaxed mindset of Europe. But, the fact is that there are differences between different countries in Europe and my comments wouldn't tend to be as true for northern European countries as it is in the southern regions. Life in Italy, France and Spain isn't the same as in England or the Netherlands for example. Just as things are drastically different (concerning pace of life and general cultures) between Alabama and California.

But, all things counting, I'd say if you are interested in working hard to build a future for yourself and your family, there is no better place to do so than the US. On the other hand, when you have made that money and want to relax a bit and enjoy it... Europe is a pretty wise choice.

In the end though, the Europe of yesterday (and today) is rapidly changing and may not be where we decide to retire after all. With the incredibly rapid growth in the Muslim population, much of what we enjoy about Europe is soon to change.

bonstermonster20

The best measure of a country is how many people are trying to get in and how many are trying to get out. With that said, I would rather live in the U.S. my whole life and only visit Europe and other countries. America is the land of opportunity.

Space Bluesman

I live in France and lived in France and in the United States for years. So, I have valuable reason to disagree with that statment.

So, about France.

- Very hard to find a job which will be ill-paid if ever you find one.

- Bad ambiance at work.

- High rate of taxes on everything (so, life is expensive and wages do not follow).

- Too many things forbidden or denied, either explicitly or implicitly (ex: assurance for a big motorbike cost about 4000 Euros a year, in France!)

- General sadness and stress overwhelm the whole population (fear to lose one's job, stress at work, wealth and success are perceived as suspect).

Now, if ever you are Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, then things might be much better, of course.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: