Time off and a healthy lifestyle are driving some young Americans to Europe: 'You are a person first and a worker 2nd'
Time off and a healthy lifestyle are driving some young Americans to Europe: 'You are a person first and a worker 2nd'
Work-life balance in the US is just nonexistent after experiencing work-life balance in Europe, a 27-year-old American expat in Europe said.
Some young American workers are moving to Europe in hopes of a healthier and happier life.
You're viewing a single thread.
IDK, does the salary deficit makes up for it?
Depends entirely on your values and perspective
If you're coming from the upper echelons of US income then it might not.
Otherwise you'll potentially find the increase in quality of life to be significant.
Americans work too much, commute to much and don't take enough holidays. Europeans work significantly less hours day to day, have significantly shorter commutes on average and have legally required and protected minimum annual leave that vastly outstrips US workers.
E.g. Take myself and a US friend in a very similar job into account. Yes he earns roughly double what I do.
- However I average 10-15 hours less work a week than he does.
- My commute is half what his is and I have actual public transport options that aren't trash if my car broke down.
- I get 38 days of paid leave a year. 8 national holidays and the time between Christmas and Jan 1st by default.. That leaves me with 27 days to use with some degree of freedom. He's lucky if he takes ten days total per year.
- I get private healthcare but also know that if that was removed from my benefits I'd have access to state healthcare without the risk of bankruptcy.
Those listed things are just employment based. Culture is also a factor. I've never once worried about being shot in my entire life. Our food quality standards are higher whilst also costing significantly less. We don't have the institutionalised national self delusion of tipping culture. Our religious and crazy right wing aren't politically powerful enough to be dragging us kicking and screaming inti the 18th century like the US is. We aren't completely and utterly dependent on cars, so being car free is a viable way to live.
My final note is this. I'm not some US hating zealot. I literally booked flights for a two week holiday in the US yesterday. I adore the NBA and find American people to be absolutely lovely on average. But I couldn't live the way most Americans do.
What always seemed strange to me: Every single US-American I've ever personally met (in Europe or the US) has always been nothing but polite, helpful and friendly. But 300 million of them (mayby together with historcal ballast) create this political system that seems to be rather counterproductive for raising the average standard of living (emphasis on average, if you are in the top 10%, USA seems to be a nice place to be).
I do concede, that the average standard of living is still impressive, but the continual improvement of the 50s and 60s seems to have stopped
look at it this way, necessities in USA are largely out of reach (health care, education, housing, funded retirement) and luxaries are easy to come by (phones, sneakers, branded clothing, streaming etc).
Whereas in Europe, the necessities are much more attainable for the population at any income bracket. Do you have much more "free cash"? No. Do you need it? No, you have a social safety net.
Even vacas in Europe are cheaper bc for an American to travel to Europe is very expensive by means of airplane. In Europe you can take a high speed train and be in any climate.
On the topic of trains, Public transit is more efficient there than it is to drive cars in the states. Imagine not having to buy a ~$30k car every 10 years? Not to mention fuel and maintain it.
Without an atom of doubt. I've experienced both, and I will make the choice of paycut again a hundred times if I had to choose again.
I cannot speak to what working in Europe is like, but as someone who works in the public sector in a very blue state, the work/life balance and benefits are unmatched. Yes, the pay is slightly less, but it is more than worth it imo if it means I only have to work 4 days and 35 hours a week, and not 6 days and 70 hours a week.
Coders in the US can make six figures easy. In Spain it's like 20-40k, 60kish un Luxembourg if you're a specialist and got a masters degree, etc. I've looked at the tech jobs in Europe in general and I'm unimpressed.
Wages in general are much better in the US. But then expenses also tend to be higher, not only health, even the tipping gets crazy expensive. But in the end it's very personal, what makes you happy? Is it money? Being close to family? Being in your own country? For most people the move would be too troublesome to be worth it, I guess.
The way I do it is I put a price tag to any benefits I get. I'm currently in Europe but working remotely for Americans. But let's say I were in the US. Let's say I'm making six figures. Rent in Madrid or Paris is 1-2.6k for a flat. Rent in the US is maybe 3-4k for a flat. But in Madrid coding jobs are 1.5k-2.5k a month. In the US you get 7-12k a month with the same job. In Madrid you're left with 500-1500 to live with and in California you're left with 3-7k a month to live with. Let's say your expenses are double, or even triple, in California than in Madrid. Let's say you live in luxury, you spend 1k on food, 500 on clothes and 500 on transport and other expenses in California. You're still left with 1-5k a month for savings. In Madrid you're left with 0-900.
Even making a top salary and living frugally in Madrid won't net you as much in savings as working in a us capital. And then when you want to retire your savings are worth the same anywhere in the world. You can go and retire in a Madrid town if you want. Your degree of comfort before may be the same, but you can save so much that I don't see how it's worth it to work for European companies if you're able to work for American companies, whether living in Europe or in the US.
If you work for European countries you're usually entitled for retirement money so you don't have to save a huge amount (although the more the better obviously). I'm a programmer and I've stayed in many countries and travelled even more as some kind of a digital nomad. I'm about to move to spain because it's just an awesome county with very nice people. Even though US companies are the top paying one, I'd never work for one as long as I can't do it 100% remotely from Europe. I like travelling to the US a lot but I'm also very happy when I'm back in Europe.
Rookie mistake is to look for coding jobs in Luxembourg, you earn 68k as a elementary school teacher
Yeah but I don't have a uni degree or any credentials for anything. I currently get 84k just making websites. I don't wanna stop everything I'm doing to go get a degree to them work for less iykwim
Wages in general are much better in the US. But then expenses also tend to be higher, not only health, even the tipping gets crazy expensive. But in the end it's very personal, what makes you happy? Is it money? Being close to family? Being in your own country? For most people the move would be too troublesome to be worth it, I guess.
Wages in general are much better in the US. But then expenses also tend to be higher, not only health, even the tipping gets crazy expensive. But in the end it's very personal, what makes you happy? Is it money? Being close to family? Being in your own country? For most people the move would be too troublesome to be worth it, I guess.