I think that the general way of life in other places is attractive for many (not driving everywhere for example, guns, easy access to healthcare, fresher food, more relaxed culture, less focus on consumerism) & the ability to be near more structural beauty. The US is pretty ugly in many cities imo
I am blown away that people are suggesting the US. Idk if these ppl work in STEM, or they are young or something? but I am in my 30s and my entire (very big) family have STEM degrees or work in science besides me.
STEM degree in the US is not some cake walk that people make it seem. It is really hard still… and you may have to be willing to move to really frankly boring like Missouri or Iowa… there is of course stem in big cities but big cities like NY/SF and Seattle are run off of capitalist stuff -aka selling ppl things- aka the arts and business. A lot of the science I. The US is happening in smaller cities and more conservative places. 75% of ppl with a STEM degree in the US don’t go into working in STEM bc there are not as many jobs as ppl make it out to be. I learned about this in a class in depth a few years back. We have double the amount of STEM graduates as we have available jobs in the US.
Also loneliness is rampant in the US… I wouldn’t go there personally
It depends what kind of vibe you like- but I enjoy Athens! Warm ocean, mountains, big city perks, international airport, warm weather, amazing food, voted the most walkable city in Europe.
A lot of people are moving to Athens from Berlin to the point where people are saying “Athens is the new Berlin” and then rolling their eyes because they are sick of everyone saying it lol. It absolutely has that berlin artsy alternative vibe right now- but If that isn’t your scene you might not love it as much?
The people are super nice, the food is AMAZING, and the art scene is incredible. I love it because I came from a medium west coast city and that was impossible to afford- this place has everything and more of what I had back home but I can actually afford a nice life. I feel 100% safe walking around at night- similar to how I felt when living in NYC because there are always people everywhere.
I second London for ease of travel back home. We moved abroad with the intention of going back home regularly… but it’s just too much time and energy to want to do it often (Greece to west coast). If you like warm weather I’d also consider some Caribbean islands. I lived on one (that absolutely does not fit your other criteria) and there was a small lgbtq culture in the locals, and I had some same sex hookups with other expats- so they aren’t as backwards as ppl make them out to seem.