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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Everytime I visit I am in awe and get depressed going back to the US.

Same goes for when I travel elsewhere in Europe like Spain and Portugal. The food, weather, beautiful people, work-life balance, cost of living. [/quote]

The cost of living is low because the salaries are low. The average salary in Italy is 1200€/month for a professional with experience. My friend is a teacher and hasn’t had a raise in 19 years.

I’ll take any Weatern European country over the US, but all the countries have their own issues. You just need to pick the issues as they align with your must/nice to haves.

The US is highly individualist and it’s very hard for most of them to be happy in more collectivist societies. There are a lot of sacrifices to be made in the name of the well-being of the group. [/quote]

Yes, the wages and salaries are ridiculously low.

We spent a few weeks traveling all over Italy last summer and had some rather candid discussions with locals (think: spending the day with a private driver/tour guide). While we assumed the salaries would be low, we were shocked by what we discovered.

There’s a reason people drive scooters or walk: practically nobody can afford a car and insurance costs more than housing does (which gets you to another conversation about crime).

Nonetheless, our time in Italy was magical—and we were there during the very warm summer alongside tons of other tourists. Nonetheless, it was amazing. The food, the atmosphere, and the warm summer nights wandering around cities, villages, and coastal towns were amazing.

Can’t wait to go back (summer 2026 can’t come fast enough!)…but I wouldn’t want to live there.

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