I like Germany and think it’s better than the US in a lot of ways for example the work culture, walkable cities, safety, EU food regulations, etc. BUT one thing I find frustrating about it here is the lack of full acceptance. I will never be considered part of the “in group”. I’ll always be the American guy. Even if I speak perfect German, get citizenship, and take part in all of the cultural traditions. The same can be said for anyone who grows up here if both parents aren’t ethnically German. I’ve met lots of people who grew up in Germany and have one parent from another country and they talk about how they aren’t considered German by society. Due to my American upbringing I find that sad and don’t want that for my daughter so I’m always on the fence about leaving here.

Also I miss the sun. It’s something I never thought of living in the states but November to March is depressing when almost everyday is cloudy, rainy, or snowy (though I do love those days).

Salaries for my field are better in the US as well.

I’ve heard Zurich is a nice place to live but never once heard it described as fun.

Without knowing the languages you speak I think it will be hard for people to give good recommendations. In general I’d say it will be hard to beat NYC (where you already live). What about London?

Safety for kids. Public transportation. Walkable cities. There are some things money can’t buy. The family from the Our Rich Journey YouTube Channel falls into the top 5% bucket and those are some of the reasons they listed.

Both. I prefer to walk, bike, or take public transportation.

Having to drive everywhere.

The difference in sunshine hours will be a shock to OP. Not sure where in South Texas OP lives but Dallas gets ~2800 hours per year and Amsterdam gets ~1800.

The only dual citizen job I can think of would be for the US Embassy in Zagreb or the State Department (not sure what kind of presence they have in Croatia). Frankly though I wouldn’t move to Croatia to live in Zagreb. The coast and the mountains are the beauty of the country not the “big city”.

I worked at a hostel.

I don’t know anything about film related jobs in Croatia so I can’t comment about that.

Overall I think it’s a good place to raise a kid since it’s incredibly safe and kids are given much more freedom by parents than is typical in the US. The lack of job prospects is a legitimate worry and the country has been hit by two brain drains (the civil war and joining the Schengen zone). I assume your daughter is also a dual citizen so she’d be able to move to the US or anywhere in the EU for work so she’d have a lot of good options. I guess the big question (it’s also the one my wife and I are asking ourselves a lot as her parents live in Croatia) is are you okay raising a kid knowing they likely will have to leave their home country to go abroad for work.

I think it mainly depends on your work situation. Most of my friends back in the US signed contracts for 40 hours a week but some work 60+ hours a week and others work 20 hours a week.

Croatia felt to me like both a fast and slow paced country, especially if you work in tourism. During the high season you work long hours but once the tourists slow down for the year it really turns into a slow paced country. I’d say it’s a slow paced country for the people who don’t work in tourism, e.g government or office jobs.

Canada doesn’t have anywhere near the gun violence issue the US does but just fyi guns are very much legal in Canada. In fact, Canada has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world.