Hello!

I’ve seen a few posts praising the US and I can’t deny that I’ve also had a very concrete goal of moving permanently to the US eventually. I’m from the EU so the “reality” that I have of the US comes mainly from the media. With this being said, I’d like the brutally honest opinions of those that experienced the US first-hand, whether you’re American, have always lived in the US and absolutely hate it, or if you moved from the EU to the US and are loving the experience.

  • As expats, I think we’re all running from something from our home country (work conditions, family situations, etc). What made you move to/out of the US?
  • Do you feel your QoL (quality of life) has improved with your move to/out of the US?
    • If so, would you attribute this to working conditions/salary? Or living conditions such as more free time, good pension/retirement, etc
  • Do you plan on going back to your home country? If so, what is the main driver of that decision?

Last, but not least, for those living in the US, do you believe that the pros of having more/better career opportunities (at least for skilled labor/PhD level) in the US outweigh the cons of living there, namely:

  • poor/expensive healthcare
  • extremely high tuition fees for colleges
  • high crime rates (naturally highly dependent on the place you live)
  • small amount of time for maternity leave (I don’t mind the small amount for paternity leave, but in Scandinavian countries mothers can have up to a year of maternity leave which I believe is very beneficial for the kids. I do value countries that value and protect the family structure)
  • … and a general low work-life balance? (This last bullet point is not as important to me as I do like and appreciate the hustle culture of the US which makes effort/skills be more appreciated and compensated)

Thank you all! Apologies in advance if this has been asked multiple times before, but I’d like to condensate different perspectives in a single thread if possible as it might be helpful for others as well! :)

  • Minute-Masterpiece98@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    America is the best place to live period…providing you have a high income.

    Anything close to average and it’s not worth it.

    • ericds1214@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      This question comes up so often and it really should be mandatory to include your career field, the answer to “which is better?” Depends entirely on how much $£€ you take home a year.

    • EagleAncestry@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Many people would think so based on ignorance. No matter how much money you have, you are stuck with US cities, urban design, car dependency and the problems with those, like homeless people, crime, traffic, etc.

      No matter how much money you make, you won’t be able to bike ride everywhere, to work, to anywhere, like in some countries. Instead you will be in traffic.

      You will be forced to drive your kids everywhere until they are old enough to drive themselves, where in other countries kids can be independent at 7 years old, they can bike themselves anywhere, it’s all close by.

      You won’t be able to work part time and maintain career progression.

      You won’t be able to have weekend trips to other countries for cheap.

      Etc

      US is the best car/suburbs style place to live. Compared to countries where everything is also car based and there isn’t really walkable city centre like in Europe, then yes, US is better for most if you have a high income.