Leaving the US because it’s just not affordable anymore

[Anonymous]

So here's the prob with living anywhere in US even if a better/lower COL... healthcare.

Apples to apples, it doesn't matter how low your living expenses are in the US, it will ALWAYS still be significantly higher because of privatized healthcare.

Also culturally, around the country, how they dine and live is always less $ than American lifestyles. If you don't live in a major metro city that has a robust public transport system, you're driving a car meaning car insurance + car expenses. It's about the cost of groceries and dining out. In many parts of the world, they aren't set up like our traditional markets where you shop for a week's worth of groceries in a day. The whole culture of dining is different.

Many parts of the world subsidize childcare in one way or another whether daycare or by parental family holiday leave and/or education. I tell you all as the mom of 2 kids- in the US, the cost of raising kids is a deal killer to leave as I'm like a walking ATM for my kids with their school activities, medical appts and follow up (braces, sick visits, anything!) and summer camps. It's just crazy $$$ to have kids in the US. If your kid has any disability incl learning like dyslexia, ADHD, needs more tutoring at school - forget about it!

So it's not an out moving to Indy or Mississippi. It's about leaving the American lifestyle. It's really as simple as that of you look at how much just goes into having a life in US. When you go to any other part of the world, while taxes may take a certain toll, overall, the standard of living is still different enough that you really don't require as much. When Americans talk about how much "better" life is in US because it's a richer country, it's not about being rich as it's about do many opportunities to live a certain lifestyle. It is more convenient to drive, have 50 brands to shop for, go to a big ass grocery store daily and get everything you need for a wk. it's easier having a big house, etc. but it's expensive.

The US is the BEST place to live for the rich because it's the easiest lifestyle to live but being poor in other places is the easiest because it's about a simple lifestyle. You just don't need as much and it'll always be less than what you find in US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The poorest US state (Mississippi) will soon surpass the richest EU country (Germany) in GDP per capita. All other US states are ahead:

https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/01/03/the-poorest-us-state-rivals-germany-gdp-per-capita-in-the-us-and-europe

I've lived in Europe before. There's an old saying: The US is a great place to be rich, and an awful place to be poor. Europe is a great place to be poor, and an awful place to be rich.

Strange. In Germany, there are good schools and good healthcare. I wonder who takes all the money in MS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The poorest US state (Mississippi) will soon surpass the richest EU country (Germany) in GDP per capita. All other US states are ahead:

https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/01/03/the-poorest-us-state-rivals-germany-gdp-per-capita-in-the-us-and-europe

I've lived in Europe before. There's an old saying: The US is a great place to be rich, and an awful place to be poor. Europe is a great place to be poor, and an awful place to be rich.

But that statistic doesn’t address inequality. What is the median wealth/income in both places? America has some extremely wealthy people that mask the huge number of people in poverty doing averages.

also that saying is outdated- any person who earns a wage is better off in any other developed country. I am an expat who is in Central Europe and we have mandatory insurance instead of covered healthcare and we still are better off b/c it's a functioning society and necessities aren't as expensive as the states. I guess if I was budget shopping at Aldi (but we do have Aldi and SPAR !! here) I'd find it super expensive but going from whole foods/MOMS to coop, it's perfectly fine. I have zero desire to move back just because/c I feel like at least I have functioning infrastructure, good schooling and just a less stressful life experience here and we are saving $ b/c we basically only spend on travel. maybe if you are a millionaire it would be harder but honestly- the highest tax brackets in the USA are only a few percentage lower and and you start self-financing stuff like schooling, concierge medicine, private HOA infrastructure for your town/village/gated community etc. and can't really use the government provided stuff b/c it is SO bad in the USA. Here you can utilize the government stuff with self-pay medicine to get in to see a specialist but the municipal pools, schools, hospitals etc are all really good and included in taxes. basically we paid 5% less tax in the US than here BUT we got nothing for our taxes- schools sucked, roads sucked, no pool, bad parks comparatively speaking and had to pay for parking, nonexistent public transport so had drag kids around to activities and they can go by themselves and its completely safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone done this recently and where did you go? I’m born and raised here and I am finding the high cost of living and poor quality of living compared to what it cost to be here unbearable at this point.

What do you have to offer another country?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2,300 people in Europe died in a 2-week span earlier this month, due to heat. Air conditioning is not widespread in many European countries:
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/extreme-heat-kills-at-least-2300-in-european-cities-study-estimates/

This is where things like a higher GDP come into play. In the US, amenities like air conditioning and dishwashers are standard, not a luxury, because people can afford them.

its not just affordability- I have a friend who's husband is the CEO of a very exclusive watch company and we were chatting about the heatwave before it happened and she goes 'oh I like the heart- look fwd to it all winter, we don't have an a/c". They just aren't used to the extreme heat and since the know that a/c makes the general problem worse- they don't realize what wonderful band aid it is. in the really hot countries like Italy and spain- they have a/c. my biggest problem is the lack of screens- is many bugs flying in our house! & touché on the its so great here- why are you wasting time on dcum- a question I ask myself a lot!! but its a bad habit and we are expats, will have to move back eventually bar some really great further opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing of people moving to Portugal. I can't manage to learn any other languages but English, and I'm jewish (and poor), but otherwise I'd leave the US too.

History. Jews always need to be thinking of the next place to go. How about Canada?

Canada is cutting back on immigration. People who are already here may not get their PR status.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Inflation heading up up up.
Thanks MAGA cult of can not do math, understand econ or live in reality. This is your fault don't you dare complain about how the economy is going to tank to the likes of the great depression, food scarcity is coming and healthcare and jobs will be destroyed by 2026. It is all your fault 100%

While you may be right, blame the democrats for destroying education in the US and then allowing US corporations that US graduates are not qualified to work in tech and other fields. (Dismantling DoEd is a different issue and doesn’t explain why schools are not preparing students from childhood to young adulthood.)

Work visas are also supported by Rs. https://migrantinsider.com/p/lawmakers-urge-state-department-to

NAFTA was started by Reagan. https://www.heritage.org/trade/report/the-north-american-free-trade-agreement-ronald-reagans-vision-realized

Bush Jr started No Child Left Behind. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/no-child-left-behind-an-overview/2015/04

Nixon started the EPA. https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/history/origins-epa_.html

Reagan and Bush both provided amnesty. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/reagan-bush-family-fairness-chronological-history/

Now we have MAGAs who:

1. don't want any foreign workers because they think Americans will fill all those jobs, including the harsh farm jobs
2. want isolationism and hate free trade
3. hate higher ed and want everyone to be blue collar workers
4. deny climate change and want to rape the land
5. want to deport even law abiding visa holders because they think, again, America is for Americans (mostly white), and medicaid recipients should be able to do the jobs that foreigners and other Americans don't want to do

Not to mention that Rs just ballooned the deficit to an all time high, on the backs of the poorest of the poor.

I left the R party during the debacle of the Iraq war, but I don't even recognize this party anymore.

Dem president's have deported more than Republican ones

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things are ridiculously priced here.

We just got back from visiting friends working in Japan. Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo all had considerably less costly drinks, restaurants, groceries, train tickets, site admissions, etc. than in DC and other cities here in America.

We were getting three course meals for lunch in a Saturday in Tokyo for $12 all in.

The Japanese yen is at an all-time low against the USD,so it was cheap for you. Now compare those costs to a typical Japanese salary.

No it wasn’t. And isn’t

[Anonymous]

To live what used to be a middle class lifestyle 20 years ago you need to make at least $250k now. The cities look like garbage and almost everywhere looks the same with the same stop mall stores. People are becoming angrier and more aggressive and I’ve never seen so many homeless people begging in my life. The birth rate in the us is plummeting. That’s not a sign of a healthy society. People aren’t having kids because it will financially crush them. The us is on track to make the movie idiocracy a reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To live what used to be a middle class lifestyle 20 years ago you need to make at least $250k now. The cities look like garbage and almost everywhere looks the same with the same stop mall stores. People are becoming angrier and more aggressive and I’ve never seen so many homeless people begging in my life. The birth rate in the us is plummeting. That’s not a sign of a healthy society. People aren’t having kids because it will financially crush them. The us is on track to make the movie idiocracy a reality.

You need to watch Idiocracy again. You didn't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Inflation heading up up up.
Thanks MAGA cult of can not do math, understand econ or live in reality. This is your fault don't you dare complain about how the economy is going to tank to the likes of the great depression, food scarcity is coming and healthcare and jobs will be destroyed by 2026. It is all your fault 100%

While you may be right, blame the democrats for destroying education in the US and then allowing US corporations that US graduates are not qualified to work in tech and other fields. (Dismantling DoEd is a different issue and doesn’t explain why schools are not preparing students from childhood to young adulthood.)

Work visas are also supported by Rs. https://migrantinsider.com/p/lawmakers-urge-state-department-to

NAFTA was started by Reagan. https://www.heritage.org/trade/report/the-north-american-free-trade-agreement-ronald-reagans-vision-realized

Bush Jr started No Child Left Behind. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/no-child-left-behind-an-overview/2015/04

Nixon started the EPA. https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/history/origins-epa_.html

Reagan and Bush both provided amnesty. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/reagan-bush-family-fairness-chronological-history/

Now we have MAGAs who:

1. don't want any foreign workers because they think Americans will fill all those jobs, including the harsh farm jobs
2. want isolationism and hate free trade
3. hate higher ed and want everyone to be blue collar workers
4. deny climate change and want to rape the land
5. want to deport even law abiding visa holders because they think, again, America is for Americans (mostly white), and medicaid recipients should be able to do the jobs that foreigners and other Americans don't want to do

Not to mention that Rs just ballooned the deficit to an all time high, on the backs of the poorest of the poor.

I left the R party during the debacle of the Iraq war, but I don't even recognize this party anymore.

Dem president's have deported more than Republican ones

Well, it’s mostly due to how they count “deportations”, and they certainly let a ton more in though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing of people moving to Portugal. I can't manage to learn any other languages but English, and I'm jewish (and poor), but otherwise I'd leave the US too.

History. Jews always need to be thinking of the next place to go. How about Canada?

Canada is cutting back on immigration. People who are already here may not get their PR status.

They stopped recruiting or hiring highly skilled migrants in 2023. Ask me how my Toronto headhunter and I found out mid-process.