I rather have 50k a year in Austria, than 150k in the US. When I get sick, I call my boss, go to the doctor, stay at home as long as the doctor believes is needed. Meanwhile no medical bill, no pay cut from my doctor. When I am sick or have an accident... I dont need additional worries like "Will I be able to afford to not fucking die
My friend experienced this in South Korea. She took an almost 50% pay cut, going from teaching in New Jersey for ~$80k a year to teaching in South Korea for around $45k. In that one year? She saved up 10k, and the quality of food, transport, and health insurance was better. I have no idea why she bothered coming back lol!
@@turuus5215 It depends on where you live mostly if your in the country it's cheaper than in town especially large cities and places like NJ especially
I’m an American living in France and I completely agree! We were a two income family making about $200,000 a year combined income. We were paying for our son’s university but he graduated 2 months before we moved. We now make about €80,000 and the quality of life is MASSIVELY improved. I am newly diagnosed with melanoma and cannot believe the healthcare here.
European healthcare is world's better than the US. Lived in Germany and it was night and day better than the US. I didn't have the stress of worrying about my bill in Germany.
Plus all the subsidized healthcare, unemployment payments, infrastructure, maternity and paternity leave etc. actually allow you to have more of a life and enjoy yourself without feeling like an illness, losing a job or a child can derail your entire life 😊
Children will still plenty change your life. You just get assistance and information beforehand, and money while you have them. Also the ability not to, without a theocrat trying to crawl up your uterus and burn the school library.
@@captain_context9991 as an american i understand fully. thanks to the internet i know what a functional society is supposed to be and i’m aware i’m living in hell instead. you think we like it here?
@@imawakemymindisalive13 I think.... I think Americans FRANTICALLY avoid any hint of this kind of talk because it interfers with their idea of that american dream. I also dont think "America" is about facts, logic, reason, or even about actual reality... Its not about living the american reality of working minimum - or near minimum wages, spending 80% on the insane rent, with zero healthcare, education, rights, freedom, unions, all the things you are well aware of... BEING American is to feel you have been given a lottery ticket. And so nobody seems to want to fix society and make it livable for all, because then their lottery ticket is gone. No, people would rather gamble on that 1 in 10 000 chance that they will make it big and get rich. Thats what America is about. Inspite of often overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Just... Whenever people from Europe come to America to work, they do so with a decent education and solid opportunities already lined up. They dont come to America to take part in the average american struggles. If they need healthcare, they go back home. If they become unemployed, they go back to the country they came from. One thing about America is that its quite easy to get ahead of the curve with a decent European education and set of marketable skills. In a country that is by-and-large uneducated and often spectacularly low on expertise. So yeah. You can always just skip the rent, max out your credit and buy a one-way ticket to Europe.
As a Dane, I pay one of, if not the highest taxes in the world and, honestly, I'd rather pay even higher tax to ensure our education and healthcare stays on the level it is now, than move to a country where I may earn more on paper, but don't have the same safetynets as I have here
Okay, good for you. My take home pay after taxes here in America is over $20,000 USD per month plus I get another 25% cash bonus plus stock and all kinds of insurance and benefits. And I am nothing special and have just a Bachelors degree. I know that kind of take home pay in Scandinavia is extremely rare due to socialism and the extreme taxation, while it is not uncommon in the US. I'd rather have low taxes and control how I spend my money, rather than the government taking it and letting them decide how to spend it.
@@hejiranycwhere do you work? I have "more education" and get paid much less. Still, my effective income tax is around 30%, and with insurance premiums it is over 40%. After the property and sales taxes... Our taxes in the US are not smaller than they are in Europe.
@@jamieboer3466 US also has plenty of "hidden" taxes; so what? I am claiming that the effective tax in the US is not that much smaller compared to an average one in Europe.
Thanks so much for this math! It's even more compelling when you consider how much less stress is involved in supporting a family when basic human needs are covered and time off is a given
don't forget: free education, 30~40 vacation days, unlimited sick days, long maternity leave, parental leave, shorter work hours, less stress at work, better public transportation, safer streets, better infrastructure, shorter commute times, less pollution, more political parties to chose, better democracy, efficient and transparent voting system, better media, less corruption, less crazy people in the streets, better mental health, more trustworthy police, less guns around, being in the centre of Europe and being able to travel to +20 culturally rich countries all less than 3 hours away, and not having to share a country with other americans!
Also the total number doesn't say that: in the US you have to put money away for retirement, college for your kids/ your student loans, taxes, and health care. -in Germany the government has already taken out health care, taxes, retirement funds. Plus you don't need college money.
heavy on the college money the exponentially high fees in the US is crazy and even if you don't go to college if you end up in the hospital for literally anything you are basically in the same kind of debt.... maybe not as much .... but debt nonetheless. even if you are meticulously careful and don't get hurt .... when you have kids the hospital bill would plague you. it also baffles me when Americans reply to the hospital bills issue with 'if you have good insurance you would be fine' ..... why should it be necessary in the first place?!?!?! I understand having insurance cause it is a good thing to have .... but not as a Cushion for wild Healthcare prices. what?
Damn, who could’ve guessed that outsourcing all of our social services to for profit companies would substantially raise the price of every essential service. I never thought I would say this but god I wish we could be more like Germany
Once some guy wanted to make many many people dreams into reality while having fun with Germany and world suddenly didn’t liked it 💀 mein Gott, Decide once for good
@@curtainsfatzke9128 god I wish we got him instead of sleepy joe. It’s so insane to me that the DNC(a convention of our democratic representatives)can choose a candidate to support without us voting. Bernie was more popular but he couldn’t campaign as much because the DNC only funds their chosen candidate. It’s really fucked up and now that Bernie can’t run again we have a real good chance of re-electing trump into office. Please help us
@@jacobbruce1005 bernie is "to left" for the average american...sure he would be nicer form a social persective but he could have lost...you keep forgetting how far to the rigth the US is..... just for comparison there is not a single apsect of bernies policy idea that would not get support by our most far out non extreme rigthwing party the CSU here in germany (the one mroe out the afd = is just hardcore braindead anti migrant anti eu rigthwingers(but even they woudl support all the ideas as long as they only apply to arien germans and not "filthy" foreigners)
The difference is even more drastically clear if something happens to you. German social system was established by miners (those under ground, not kids ;) ), and tbose people had all kinds of accidents and disabilities. Germany has learned what to do and how to deal with such cases. And did I mention this system dates back to the 1200's? Of course not everyone was covered back then, but from the 1860's everyone has had to pay towards disability insurance.
Not to mention the average working hours in Germany are lower due to a combination of a less consumer-centric business culture (there’s no expectation that every business should be open 18 hours a day 7 days a week and always on call), a productivity focus over a time focus (you go to work, get it done, and go home rather than needing to clock 8 hours no matter what plus being available 24/7 via phone. Obviously dependent on the type of job), guaranteed MONTH of vacation days and plenty of sick days. The county’s gdp per worker is a fair bit lower as a result of just plain fewer hours worked, but per hour worked Germany is right on pace with the US. There’s perhaps something to be said for certain luxuries being more accessible to upper middle class incomes here than in Germany, but I’d much prefer to be able to work 400 hours less a year on average and enjoy the fruits of my labors, and know my country takes care of its poor.
You are seriously understating "lower" For a better quality of life the average German works ca 1300 hours per year. The average US American works ca 1700 hours per year. To work as much as US Americans the year would need to be two months longer for Germans. Now, where is that additional value created by that labour going in the USA...? 🤔 Americans are getting screwed.
@@franklinloll2229 german Economy has not been in decline for decates that is not true at all. they are having some dificulties getting back on their feet after the pandemic and the war in the Ukraine made it worse, but that is a fairly new problem. But: even with this they are still doing better then many other countries and still have a higher living standard then the US.
@@franklinloll2229does it actually matter? Decline in comparison to what? People aren't getting poorer, the country is still producing stuff, infrastructure is maintained. Why are you so obsessed about infinite growth? Look at what America has turned into sacrificing everything in the name of growth and profit
Thank you for this. The number of people who do not grasp the importance of assigning monetary value to benefits and other “free” things is too damn high.
Ngl the medical benefits go down the more issued you have. I have a German friend with a lot of health issues and the government is often not very useful with a lot of the things he needs.
@@damuffin91 I don't know your friends issues, so I can not comment on that, but I know for a fact in the US I would be either dead or homeless. Instead I can work again, and never had to worry to be homelees for the last years where I was too ill to work. I am also not in debt. So the German system might not be flawless, but it is just leagues above what the US has to offer.
yes ? AND ? so on average you simply are closer to the bearmoney poaching...variance in a sample doest change the average thats the whole point... @@Marcusus
apparently you dont becasue the deviation of a sample still does NOT change the average what so ever...and this was PURLY about averages so the point stands and its doesnt matter that it varies form location to location as if thats somehow an excuse for the average beeing shit....and btw on a technicality this aint no standart deviation as neither wealth nor living standarts distribution is realy a gausian, and even if you tried to fit a gausian both are heavily positve skwed so the "standartdevition" becomes aworthless measure....@@rainman1242
You comparing a MEDIAN income to an AVERAGE cost of living, this is a big no-no in statistics. The AVERAGE household income in the USA is actually 105,555. The large numbers at the top end make a big difference in the average.
I should send these videos to our politicians here in Oz. They are trying to make us more like the US. I would much rather be like Germany or the Scandinavian countries.
the system is very broken in thr US... and the UK is also doing aspects which are leaning towards the US system which has caused the NHS a lot of money paying for outsourcing they're forced to do due to departments being sold to private companies and then the government also cutting thr funding. its messed up.
The biggest advantage of having a decent healthcare systemen isn´t even the money. It´s the peace of mind of not having to worry about the expenses when you visit a doctor. It makes you take better care of yourself and thus have a better quality of life, especially later on in life.
I heard those lines are super long. I know in Canada no one uses free Healthcare since how long it takes to see the doctor. I don't know if Germany is the same.
@@garrysmith1029 I had to see a doctor a couple weeks ago. Called him and he saw me the same day after work. It al depends on who you need. Eye specialists are harder to find. But if you need urgent help you can go to the emergency room. They´ve got an eye doctor too.
@@garrysmith1029 Specialists can be a problem sometimes in Germany with a few months of waiting, but if you have something serious, you never have to wait.
I can totally see where you're coming from. I was born and raised in Germany and moved to the US 10 yrs ago. I was 25 back then, 20k to our name, worked our butts off, have a 6 figure income, live in California, a home that we call our own (we pay mortgage/hauskredit), drive 2 really nice cars that are paid off. The majority pays rent in Germany, many people cannot afford to buy a home there and renting is much cheaper in germany. Those 2k you're speaking of would probably be eaten up by Grundsteuer & Hauskredit or renovations on the home if they would own it. Disposable income means nothing when you don't own your home and have nothing to your name. My friends back home are struggling, some build their homes and some couldnt even get a Mortgage. They all make more than 60k Euro. Im more financially free than I ever was in Germany.
Plus, you may have a lot of hidden taxes and fees. Germany has one of the highest taxes, but honestly, whenever I see how much I have left I feel like they are exaggerated. They aren't low, sure. But it's reasonable. And as far as I understand the US tax system, states like Texas may have no or little income tax, but they get you in other ways, where it can turn out that you pay more in taxes as compared to states like California with high state income taxes.
Evan Edinger here on YT has done several videos comparing the costs of living U.S. vs. U.K. Grocery-wise pretty much everything was more expensive in the U.S. with quite a few things *400%* more. In fact only locally grown tomatoes were cheaper, by a whole 2%.
The difference would be enormous. But you probably knew that. Having been in the US a bit, I have noticed disabled people often roam the streets in wheelchairs and stuff.
@@captain_context9991 A LOT of disabled ppl are just homebound here in the US, and are often forced to live with family which means being stuck in a room 24/7. That doesn't mean family is helping them, it just means, they have a roof, and often the family might be stealing their disability payments and/or prescriptions. There's no good transportation for ppl with disabilities... as the current new system takes HOURS to go a short distance-- not something a chronically ill person or person in severe pain can manage. If you can drive or are in a city, physically able to take public transport, then there's a chance you can still work outside your home. But there's no guarantee companies will be accommodating... so it may not last long. Work from home opportunities are better suited, but that's a very new phenomenon. And after years and years of being out of work due to disability, it's tough to get hired and it's very high risk to leave your Medicare income & insurance behind if you're not sure the new work situation will pan out.
@@bodyofhope That's wild. In Germany companies will often seek out disabled people that can still do the work because the get a bonus for taking them. Not to mention making everything more accessible.
I am disabled in Germany. The payments are MUCH less - about €5,200 per YEAR - but I have my health insurance and my housing also covered outside of that pension. I'm in a very unique situation, though, and I get the minimum payment, which the left faction is working very hard to increase (we got 50€/month raise this year). For "Real Germans" (as the government calls them), disability pension can be as much as €2,500 per month. One massive difference is the asset limits. In the US, I couldn't have more than 2k in _total assets_ and state agents came to my house to inspect and make sure I didn't have a diamond ring or nice TV. I had to get special permission to classify my car as a mobility aid or I wouldn't have been allowed to have enough cash to pay my rent. In Germany, it's 25k asset limit and the constitution strictly protects the privacy of the home so no government inspections. The BIGGEST difference, however, is disability rights. The United States has refused to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons. In the US, I was placed in a court ordered conservatorship simply because I needed help with my ADLs. Once they took over, the government had complete control over my medical care and I was subjected to experimental treatments that harmed me and I'm still healing from. At one point I was even held down and injected with medication against my will which is completely legal in the US. Disabled Americans also aren't allowed to leave the country for more than 45 days and in many cases (including mine) cannot freely choose where to live WITHIN THE US. Those are both violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Germany, disabled people are not only subject to the UN Conventions but also the Grundgesetz (the German Constitution) demands disabled people have "equal access to society". No ADA to be making lawsuits over - we're constitutionally protected! That means no "grandfathering in" school buildings that aren't wheelchair accessible, no stopping disabled people from traveling, no "oh I'm sorry, asking a multi-billion dollar corporation to buy a $20 stool is an undue burden". I also have a right to direct my own medical care and refuse any treatments I don't wish to go through. Really, fundamentally, I have a _right to medical care_. I don't think Americans really realize that access to medical care is also mandated by the Universal Declaration... though, the international courts have made the position that "inability to pay is not lack of access" 🙄 Just being able to see a doctor when I have a flare in my symptoms and being able to do physiotherapy (and psychotherapy!!) has improved my life in ways I didn't think was possible in the US. I was essentially bed-bound. When I arrived in Germany, I could only walk 450m, couldn't use stairs, had such problems with my dysautonomia that I was fainting daily, and my mental health was a trash fire. My German insurance card is valid at any public doctor in the entire European Union. Though I have to wait a few months for things like a dermatologist looking at a cyst or getting allergy testing, when I have had issues like kidney pain or a dislocation I can be seen immediately. Berlin is considered to have some of the worst waiting times in Germany, but I used to have to wait 3 weeks to see the only doctor in the county that took Medicaid for acute infections. In the US, I had sepsis twice because of those waits! It is not hyperbole to say I would have died if I stayed in the US. With proper medical care that is practiced along WHO guidelines, rather than practiced for profit margins, my world has totally changed. I can now walk for kilometers at a time, can (painfully) use stairs, am a lot more stable with my heart rate and blood pressure, and for literally the first time ever in my life my therapist has said "I think you're doing well enough that we won't need to see each other for a while"! Because I have been out of work for so long, I'm also getting special help from the Agenteur für Arbeit. There is no pressure for me to get back to work quickly. Unlike in Indiana, disabled people aren't mandated to work in order to get food assistance. Unless I end up totally unable to work in a standard job, I won't be "workshopped" and in a standard job, I won't be paid sub-minimum wage. I also can have up to 6 weeks of medical leave without any consequence and some of it paid which is a huge difference from the 4 days per year unpaid (and you get fired on the 5th) that is standard for US workers. They're putting me through a vocational rehabilitation program to not just help me find an appropriate job, but to first work with my doctors to make sure I'm healthy enough to work. I could just stay on my benefits forever, but since I have the right to travel, buy nice things, and experience the world, I would like to have the extra money to do so! 😊 So... the monthly money isn't a lot - but with _comprehensive_ Healthcare and housing covered, I don't need a lot of money. Maybe it's just the novelty of finally living freely but my teenie pension makes me feel like a king. As a pensioner I also get free entry to museums, discounted Philharmonie and opera, half price sauna (and if I needed assistance, my helper gets in for free!)... on the rare occasions I find myself bored, I pack up a €2 lunch, grab a 75c coffee, and go watch the swans on the canal. No loitering law!! I had the choice to settle in any country I could buy a plane ticket to, and I chose Germany. The protection and equality for disabled people in the Grundgesetz is genuinely the strongest in the world. Yes, there are major differences in how the German states apply those equality mandates and there are still barriers for disabled people... but when it comes to the actual legal rights that we can demand be honored, Germany's are far and away the best!
I live in Greece and have a friend who's a Greek-American. During the economic crisis here in Greece she moved to the USA with her husband and child. She got a well payed job and he also got a job with quite good conditions very quickly. After 3 years they came back to Greece, because they said the quality of life in Greece is so much better. She explained to me exactly what you said: yes, they made so much more money, but they also needed so much more money and they only had the choice of living in a gated community or a dangerous neighborhood and the gated community had so many weird rules, that it didn't feel like a free country, while the dangerous neighbourhood also ment little freedom, because many things you could not do, because you'd not feel safe. So they came back to Greece and say Greece gives them much more freedom, than they had in the USA.
@@helgaioannidis9365 The fact that you're commenting on channel Owned by a blonde haired white woman telling me how great Germany And socialism is I just assume everyone in this fucking comment section is fascist
I just started of overseeing the finances of a factory in the US remotely from Germany. And I was really impressed seeing all the workers having 40 paid leave days. 10 more than I have in Germany. Than I realised: they have 40 HOURS, 5 days... Wtf?
@@pieceofpeace35 The concept of sick days is just dehumanizing. When you're sick on a paid leave day in Germany you call in sick and get your leave day back...
@@dashandtuch7183 this is actually an EU rule that you get back your paid leave days when you fall sick! Still not enforced in all countries but should be soon :) As it should be obviously.
You probably know this better than I do but this "Karenztage"-system in the USA would be criminal here. The French are looking into reimplementing that bullshit again though. One more reason for them to go on the street and burn something down.
This reminds me of a newspaper job I had a while ago On paper, I made way more money a week than I do now, but there was no calling out (contract work 7 days a week), no vacation days (I usually had to pay someone to take my route), no days off, and most of my expenses were spent on my car. I changed my oil and my tires every 3 months. Gas was over $100 a week. It was impossible for me to save anything, and after all my expenses, I had about $20 to my name. And this was back when I lived at home, so my only bills were my car payment and insurance!
As a student I am so glad to study in europe. For the last 6 semesters i only paid around 130€ in total, and that was for my political representation (like an union fee for students).
This is absolutely true for me and my family in Sweden. Before we moved to Sweden, our household income was $155K in Boston. Now living in Sweden, our combined annual income is $85K so about 45% less. Yet at the end of each month, we’re amazed at how much we have left over! It’s truly amazing, all of the extra costs you carry in the US which are not considered a “tax” but in effect really are. Like education and healthcare.
Congratulations on your new venture. Boston area myself and we are finding that even well into 6 figures a year, the quality of life doesn't justify the pay. Sending kids to college, healthcare, and all other basic life expenses, you are earning "a lot" yet living less.
Boston/MA is one of the most commie places in the entire country. If you think thats bad, imagine what it would be like if the entire us went in that direction.
I only thought Germany was better when I first visited and the price on the sticker is what I paid for. I was like "that's all?" And the clerk looked at me like I was an idiot but that's fair.
i’ve never understood why in the US sales tax (what we call VAT- value added tax) isn’t included in the price. it’s such an odd concept to me as a brit (we always include it like germany) like you’re telling me to figure out how much i’m going to spend i’d have to get out a calculator?? how does that make any sense (is it for the psychological effect of thinking you’re spending less so you buy more? idk but sounds like something the US would do lol)
@@jess_hinz ive heard excuses from adults in my life that "it's too difficult to do that for every state and county when you have a nation wide brand" and I'm like. It's really not. All I hear in that argument is that we're bad at math and printing out the right stuff. Although those same adults would easily agree that Germany is Much more organized than here so... Idk what to do with that.
@@jess_hinz they have also a strange tax system. In Germany, it's either 7% or 19% (with some weird exceptions) for every sold good. In USA, there are federal taxes, state taxes and county or city taxes. Depending on where you are. And it shouldn't be that difficult to include tax. If I buy a book online to be sent to an adress in Germany, the site will use 7%, to an adress in Austria 10%. If a calculating programm can be developed to use the specific local federal tax in European countries, so can USA.
That all works when you have people who want to work hard and have a good standard of living. Here in the states that would go down in flames because we have so many people who just love to not work or work very little and game the system. They want to use the social safety net as a hammock.
Most people in America are conditioned to live paycheck to paycheck. No matter how much they make, it will always be a little under or over what they think they need. That's how we have doctors who make $140k per year, who have absolutely zero (or likely negative) net worth, and no room for savings. In 2022, CBS reported roughly 20% of Bank of America clients, who earned $250k or more, spent 15% above what they deposited into their accounts. Of those who made $50k-$100k, 17% of clients spent more than they made. The overall numbers are much worse. For the $50k-$100k cohort, 2/3 lived paycheck to paycheck. For the $100k+ cohort, 51% lived paycheck to paycheck. It really is about cost of living.
Many people in Germany refuse to play the game: "Keeping up with the Joneses". If you need to buy a new car, you think about what you need to do with it (transporting children, buying groceries, driving to work...) and about fuel and maintenance costs. Making your neighbours jealous doesn't come into it. (Most times for most people.)
@Andrea Bartels Good on them. Keeping up with the Joneses is illogical spending to impress people who don't care about you or even think about you. The most people will think about a cool car driven by someone else, is thinking how cool they think THEY would look driving it.
That's what happens when you live beyond your means....no wonder the democrat controlled education system don't teach basic finance.....instead they are teaching kids how to be victims and encouraging mental illness....now few kids are able to read at grade level and can barely do basic add and subtract mathematics.....it's no surprise you get ever increasing poverty, despite the 31 trillion dollars in accumulated debt....most of which was spent on social programs.
@@andreabartels3176 America was built off of the insecurities of it's citizens. Us personally, we look at a new car and think it's not $80k, it's far more due to what investments we would be losing on $80k. We stay with our old vehicles. People are always asking why we just don't buy a new car, and how we could easily afford it, etc. It's the typical mindset in this country. New, bigger, better, more expensive, yet are broke. Then they complain they have to work two jobs to survive. Baffles me.
@@flacadiabla3193 I have never been impressed by an expensive car. For me, a car is a tool to get me from A to B. I take care of my car and since Germany has mandatory technical inspections every two years, even 15 or 20 year old cars are fine, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed on the roads. Sometimes, you will even see vintage cars in use, like a 70 year old Mercedes from 1952. These "Oldtimers" show the dedicated care of their owners, the skill of the mechanic and the craftmanship of the people responsible for design and assembling.
The monthly values not necessarily sum up to the yearly values. Some jobs have an additional payment in Novembe before Christmas time (Weihnachtsgeld / 13. Monatsgehalt) or there is a substantial yearly bonus payment.
That's probably because Europeans live paycheck to paycheck. The dirty secret is that Europeans are in a lot of debt and the savings rate is relatively low due to heavy taxation and the high prices for everything.
While this is entirely true and I agree that most people aren't able to see this as this woman has, but a lot of factors need to be taken into account like where you want to live and what specific job you have etc.
You have explained perfectly the "lie" underneath the "big taxes" in Europe. Yes, we get cut a bigger chunk of our pay than in USA but we get so much free of cost than in average it's much better to live here. And same argument can be done about living in one of the main cities (Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg...) or living in small cities, yeah, the salary is smaller but you get also cheaper living arrangements and services mostly.
Thank you, thank you for laying this out so well. I am in Sweden, and my US friends always mention my "high taxes" My life is so much better I don't know any of my US friends that take a month long vacation and travel.
@@johnclaybaugh9536 I am a US citizen. Met a lot of Americans some of them from the US, some from north America, some from central, and some from south America.
@@shinnam lol. And then there's that person who would rather say united statesian People like you like to tell us things we already know. But I know lots of people who live in the US who take month long vacations and travel.
American propaganda is that other countries actually pay more because of taxes…. Which I find ridiculous that anybody can believe that…. I had a 3 month pregnancy that ended in miscarriage. Without insurance I’d be stuck paying $65k+ for my medical bills….. I’d MUCH rather pay higher taxes and be taken care of than worry about having a job that gets me decent insurance in order to survive. I know a girl with ovarian cancer…she can’t afford her treatments and they won’t help her without $$$$. It’s horrible. 😢
@@johnclaybaugh9536 ok? And in other places the government requires companies to give more vacation days than the average American. Just because your two friends have long vacations doesn’t mean that’s the norm for most Americans. In fact, most Americans aren’t even given 1 vacation day, let alone 30.
It’s just like when people are shocked to hear the average salary in my country is around $500/month (or $6000/year) and then conclude that we must be homeless 😂. I guess they don’t know about purchasing power or how economies differ lol
People definitely forget that. I worked as an accountant at a company that started sending work to Manilla and I looked at the salary there. $6,000 to $10,000 US, and that's a good salary that pays for rent and living expenses. It made sense that they were sending what they could there considering we started at $70,000 in Dallas.
Well, that's fine if all you want to do is live and work in your country and spend money on local things. But your iPhone isn't any cheaper. Your car isn't any cheaper. International travel isn't any cheaper. I would rather have the freedom of having a larger income in a more expensive country, where I can afford to travel to any country and I can afford everything I need/want without having to save up for it.
@@hejiranyc you forget that some people don’t need cars or international travel to function lmao. This is such a weird point it’s like saying to a US middle class person “you only have $10000 in savings? How can you afford your yacht?”
@@hejiranyc also in what world do you live in where America (if that’s what you’re implying here) is a place where most people have the money to travel/buy what/where they want whenever?
@@suppositorylaxative3179 Well, we are talking about the middle class. I consider myself a middle class American (perhaps upper middle class) and having the financial means to travel and buy cars, appliances and electronics is a core aspect of the American middle class. I'm not saying that everybody can afford a $50K Rolex watch. But everyone can afford a $25 no-name watch that does basically the same thing as the Rolex. Sure, most people need to start somewhere and they often are "poor" at some point in their lives. But what is the alternative? Pay everyone the same (low) income and seize property from the wealthy? You do realize they tried that in Cuba and it didn't go so well?
Also in your German payslip is not mentioned the parts of health insurance the employer has to pay, only the part you pay. Altogethe the brutto pay not includes between 60 and over 90% costs for the employer - like payed sick days and holydays (normaly 6 weeks a year). Brutto in US and Brutto in Germany are quite different. Depending of your job the difference is between 40 and 65% just because "brutto" (or "before taxes") has a totally different meaning. Than add the lower cost of living (unless you live in the city of Munich or Frankfurt), for food, housing and transportation - and you have more realy free disposable income.
except in the US we arent forced to pay that much. we have the choice to not spend our money on those things and so we can take home way more of our pay if we want to. then we can take that extra money and invest it, turning ourselves into wealthy people and being able to afford way more than necessary. the idea that having a state forced program that keeps everyone lumped together at the bottom is better than letting each individual person have the right to choose how they will live is the wrong way to do things. each person should pay a flat tax that goes only to the bare minimum necessary for the running of the government and be allowed to do what they want with the rest of their funds. if some people choose to be frugal and invest while others splurge and dont have a nest egg its not the frugal persons job to help the other when medical costs come.
Many people in the United States are actually trapped here. It isn't cheap in general to move abroad and then there is a lot to go through for legal immigration and that isn't cheap either. Personally I would love to get the fuck out of this country but financially I have no way to do so.
Check German universities… from what I understand, there are degrees 100% taught in English and there are incentives in place to help get students to attend (like a monthly stipend, free dorms, etc). This was pre-pandemic so some current research would be needed, but to graduate from a German college (especially if you can learn German while there) would increase the ability to work/live in the EU Just an idea
@@davidvernon3119 actually I too am referring specifically to the millitary budget... Germany is very rich indeed, but they do not have the money to secure their shipping routes and also rely entirely on imports and exports so they happily allow Americans to do it for them, an attribute that has always been the most costly to any society and one that was among the major drivers behind both world wars for all parties involved... But that isn't a knock on Germany, since world War 2, Americans have paid for ALL countries to access their global market, there being 2 major differences between the American market and the various imperial prewar markets: first, that the pre war markets were exclusive to the empire they served while the American market serves the globe indiscriminately and second, the pre war systems were absolutely necessary to the function of the empire that they were serving while, due to America being the only nation currently existing that does not require imports or exports, the American global market is not beneficial but detrimental to the American system and therefore mostly acts as the largest subsidizing effort in history where money from American taxes allow the much less affluent countries of the world to industrialize and the much more affluent countries of the world (Europe) to divert their funding towards egregious welfare and social programs that otherwise could not exist.. American only put up with this because they are systematically kept ignorant of the way the global system functions, and politicians love the system because as they drain the public coffers, they can line their pockets and the pockets of their industrial complex partners that keep them in office along the way
@@dannytunz6993oh boy, what a load of propaganda drivel. Nothing could be further from the truth. The USA have protected nothing but their own interests in the last 40-50 years. And nearly all wars fought by the USA, either official or proxy wars, have bern for economic reasons. The only war that the USA haven't been involved in directly for economic power gains was in the Balkan wars after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. And even that is a potential arguable war of economic influence.
@@dannytunz6993 how is that Germany’s problem? Providing for your citizens isn’t really a competition. But if it were ig the US would be losing lmao. Like you’re basically getting mad that you’re voluntarily giving money to people 😂
@@dannytunz6993 you know it’s people like you who stand against domestic social programs like those in Europe? God knows the US has the money to implement free healthcare: we spend trillions on the military for far less.
Sources for all my claims can be found in my References document clickable through my main profile 💚 The estimated post-tax median household income in 🇺🇸 is $65,345 and the average expenses in that income category are $54,988. This leaves $10,357 or is about 84% in expenses. The numbers presented here are slightly different because I went with the pre-tax number in 🇺🇸. I did this because the Census Bureau calculates expenses by income category ($x-$x) and $65k-$71k straddles two expense brackets. So, it's arguably more accurate to use the average of the two expense brackets, especially because after-tax income goes up slightly in in the lower income bracket but down by almost 10% in the higher bracket. Nonetheless, the numbers were pretty consistent between the calculations. I just wanted to provide more context here 💚
The menian household in Germany brings in 46 000 dollars? Thats ONE poorly paid job over here in Norway. Thats what you would be making driving a forklift in a warehouse with zero education. It seems kinda low.
If you make 71k pretax in the US and only save 9k, you are terrible with money. Seems to me this is more of a statement of monetary culture and responsibilities between populations.
@TexMex I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here. If this is a statement of class mobility, the United States is still leading Germany in that regard. Low density housing in rural America is not a problem, it's a feature. Hence the car centric infrastructure. And the food we consume is again more of a statement of culture. We import 15% of our food vs Germanys 80% and they are not far behind us on obesity rates. As for healthcare, we are the best by a wide margin. Access, not so much. If you have a job that has good insurance you are golden, but there is a very deep problem between pricing by the hospitals and percentages by insurance companies. Insurance companies will state they will only pay x amount of whatever the hospitals charge, sooo the hospital hikes the price by that much more. There is a drastic difference between price w/insurance and without most people never see.
I dont know about Germany, but in norway and Denmark we get 5-6 weeks payed vacation, where you can choose if you want the money or the vacation for the last week.
@@BootstrapsBootstraps required are 25 days for someone who works 5 days per week and 30 days for 6 days per week, but many if not most companies will give you 30 days with 5 per week
@@Ryan-cb1ei I'm so late to this, but general is either 14 days excluding holidays or you start with none minus holidays which normally grant a bonus pay and earn them up; especially if you're working contract. EU definitely has a better work life balance by default and mandated by law (and Germany has the highest number of paid holidays if I remember correctly).
I work for a company that at the time I was hired, pays into our pension fund, which was changed to a company match 401K later and fully covers insurance for hourly employees. I'm a single guy and have no need to be paying taxes for me to get paid maternity leave as my GF is past that age and no need for me to get paternity leave as well. Also, there are freedoms we enjoy here in the states thar are considered privileges in Germany and other countries in Europe. I'm also getting 20 paid vacation days each year doe to my time with the company as well as getting at least 10 paid holiday days each year
Cost of living depends on the person not the country. You can make a million dollars a year and still be in debt, you can make 30,000$ a year and still make money
The YT-Channel Blackforest Family has a great breakdown on this topic. Actually two videos, one for average people and one for low income workers. Very insightful.
This really depends on WHERE you live on either side of this, especially when it comes to bigger cities. Munich and Frankfurt for example are some of the most expensive cities, meaning your cost of living will be much higher. It also really depends on your profession. There are many professions in Germany that make significantly less in Germany than in the US (e.g. nurses, hair stylists, contractors to name a few). Also, if you are working full-time, there are very few financial supports from the government as opposed to when you're unemployed...Having lived in both countries, I would never move back to Germany.
@sooner1125 18 million millionaires in the US? How many billionaires? What percentage of taxes do they pay? They probably pray daily, out of gratitude, for Reagan and the successors.
@@arnodobler1096 the top 1% pay 42% of the taxes. The top 2-5% of earners pay the next 20%. So nearly 2/3 paid by 5%. The bottom 50% pay 2.3% of the total income tax.
This is exactly why my parents left the US and moved to Germany when they were given the opportunity to. This decision improved my family’s quality of life in so many ways, I’d be here all day listing them
My wife (🇿🇦) and I (🇺🇲) have a dream of moving to Germany some day. We're both software engineers. We work from home in Johannesburg. But the job market is REALLY rough in Jozi and we have very little reason to want to move to the US, especially because of how difficult the process has been for getting her visa in America. My family immigrated to the US from Germany in the early 1900s. I think it's time to return to the motherland.
Just be sure to do your research. As a heads up, Germany is definitely a good place to be a software engineer in, but the US is a better one (for this profession). Kinda moot though that the US gives you a hard time getting a Visa for your wife, that should not happen
@@generalflix Thanks for the encouragement and advice--what makes you say the US is a better place for the software industry right now? I have some friends who are devs in Berlin who have told me the job market is pretty good for software engineers because there's a shortage and visas are easier to get for that professions specifically
@@kaseywahl There is just more money in the industry in the US. Especially for a software engineer though its hairsplitting in the end I'd say, I am pretty sure you would earn (very) good money both in Germany and the US. Comes down to preference in the end.
I am here in Germany, a software engineer or programmer. The profession is very sought after. You can find work. He does not also need to learn the German language. English is sufficient.
And people are better at their jobs since when they were in university they were probably working at least part time. Students in Sweden only work during the summer, many don't work at all
@@shinnamas a Swedish high school student, we earn money by attending lol. We don't need a job to earn money (unless your parents keep the money which in my experience they tend to give to their kid)
That’s actually not true at all. College/university costs money and you get a loan from the state if you’re not coming from a wealthy family. However the max amount loan is 10000 euros. So most students in Germany do work a Mini Job to afford their studies. All in all it’s still way better than in the US.
I live in the us and there aren't jobs near me that pay more than 50k a year without needing some form of degree. As a citizen paying taxes and working hard I would have to pay about a quarter or more of my salary just to go get that degree. Oh did I mention 50k is the gross pay. Maybe I could get lucky and find a job that is commission based and make more than 50 but that might not be stable.
I have a degree I’ve been in the military and I’ve never made any more then around 35,000 a year after taxes, and that’s on the high end. I’ve been job searching lately and most jobs in my area, professional jobs requiring a degree, are paying $15 an hour. Cost of living is lower in this area but it’s still not a lot of money. I’m starting to realize there is likely a major wage gap in the U.S with a disproportionate amount skewed either in the high end or low end on the income spectrum to end up with a 70,000 a year average in the U.S.
@@peter_meyer I understand that! I just recently left a bank job because of the low wage. Even though it was WFH they wanted us to work in multiple different departments for only $14 an hour. I’m currently getting my master degree to see if that will help increase my income potential which I’m luckily able to do mostly for free because of the military. I’m happy to be out the military because that was very demanding work for just as little pay but it has provided me the benefit to go to school for free so I can’t say it was not helpful.
This is what I try to tell people about canadian health care. My friends in the US make the same as me, basically same taxes and then they have to pay for insurance and copays etc. Its like sure you might take home a little bit more than me but I dont ahve to think about if i can afford to go to the doctor. From canada.
Oh my god. I always thought "hey I'm only making about $30.000/year (first year, straight out of college), Americans are telling me I'm poor?" but this made me realize, money just had more "worth" over here
Same. I almost got a little depressed because everyone on Reddit would always say „How do you even want to live with less than 60k a year? That’s the bare minimum“ but then I realized that you can’t compare American salaries with European salaries😅
How much does a 2000sqft townhouse cost in Germany ? In usa a computer engineer earning 100k can easily buy it in Chicago or Texas or Florida. German cars are cheaper in USA than Germany.
As an American who lived in Germany, this is only half true. There are things that cost more in Germany than in the U.S. for instance Gas, Groceries, Electricity, rent etc... Some places in the U.S. are more expensive in isolation, but the majority of places cost significantly less than they do in Germany. Finally on healthcare, yes the U.S. healthcare system is expensive, but the quality and availability of healthcare in Germany isn't perfect either. It's very hard to compare apples and apples.
As someone who has a partner in Germany (looking to move here); this is the correct answer. There IS a huge wealth disparity in the US, but it exists in Germany as well. While the govt in Germany does put away for retirement, it's not as much as many think it is and can make retirement crunched if you don't plan ahead (like in the US). Real estate is also crazy expensive in much of Germany, so saving for a down payment with higher taxes on a lower salary is very, very difficult. They are very different systems with both good and bad things about them.
Yep true. I also lived in Germany. On the whole you are much better off in the USA. I think she is comparing a very expensive area in the USA vs a not so expensive area in Germany. Not comparing apples with apples.
As a German I can confirm. The health care system sucks and you HAVE TO pay in it. We paid already 170k in insurance and everytime we need it we don’t get appointments or doctors dont take new patients or whatever. Its just not working anymore and everyone, even the ones who dont contribute (which are millions) have the same access as you. Its insane.
I would rather have half of that money on the side now for worst case scenario’s, and pay my rate doctor appointments cash. Thats how our friends in Usa do it. They pay for almost everything 200$ a couple of times a year and have an emergency fund. Yet my wife and I have to pay this stupid insurance in Germany which costs 24k a year. By the time we will be 60 we have paid almost 900k !!!
Damn, we have around 8,000€ less than that and we still are able to save lots of money and live very comfortably with several holidays and weekend trips throughout the year.
I'm an American who understands math and I understand she conveniently did not mention the cost of how ownership in Germany. Its rather uncommon to own a home in Germany because its so grossly high. So if you want to have financial security in your residence... its not liable to happen in Germany unless you are exceedingly wealthy. If we want to talk about understanding doing math, then we should talk about assuring all applicable variables are presented appropriately. In this case, they are not.
@@adammiller9029 Lol, "financial security in your residence". That's a good one. You do know that just because you buy a home means you do not securely own it, right? Back in 2008 over 3 million Americans had their homes foreclosed on. The idea that home ownership is more secure than home rental is an American concept only. In countries like Germany (or every wealthy country that isn't America) tenant rights are also much stronger.
These concepts are great in theory. They truly are! But the way the US is today, these concepts wouldn't hold. When it comes to taxes we are being taxed like mad but we never truly know where the money is going. If you moved from here you know this.
That commenter was feeling so smartass 🙄 seriously, every time I hear more about the system in the US and the happier I am that I never lived there. That is not living, that is surviving.
You are hearing the perspective of an ex-American who is a LOSER and was unable to succeed in America due to her own bad decisions, lack of education, or perhaps her smug, toxic personality and attitude made her unemployable. In any case, she is trying to gaslight people outside of the US into believing that America is a hellscape full of sick, poor, overworked, sad people. Sure, America has its problems, a good percentage of them due to the fact that the US is a "melting pot" of diversity... and diversity is not always a good thing (as Germany has been learning with their own "refugee" problem in recent years). But the typical American has a great standard of living and it is particularly great if you are well educated and work in a professional field. Most people have health insurance, send their kids to decent schools and have plenty to eat. No country is perfect and, as Germany becomes more and more diverse, it will also experience its own difficulties as well.
To be fair US is not all bad. Yes in Europe you have better social safety nets, but US offers much more opportunities. If you earn a median income in Europe, probably not a good idea to come here. However if you are in the right field and you are good, you have the opportunity to build wealth very fast in US. I am not saying it’s easy but it’s not uncommon for households where I live to have $M annual income. Yes work life balance can be awful but you can retire early with a very comfortable life ahead of you.
You don’t know what America is really like, you see propaganda videos and comments by people who have never amounted to anything in their life hating the US. Like the one One guy with a college degree 45 years old making less than 40k a year in the US isn’t Americas fault lmao.
Apples and Oranges. In Europe, the services provided by government are competent, bordering on efficient. The civil service doesn’t get unlimited job security-you can get fired for not working to standard. Government services are not (overly) politicized. Not so with the U.S. Take education. Germany has higher standards for education, and by the time most youth graduate, they’ve had exposure to at least two other languages and some form of mathematics. They also have trade schools for those who do not wish to attend college. In America, public schools are awful in comparison. Most government services are of poor quality, and aside from the military, the civil service works are extremely difficult to fire unless there exists a large paper trail of incompetence. If the U.S. could address the incompetence and political indoctrination, go ahead!!!
Yep! I don’t use this phrasing because many disposable income measures don’t calculate several layers of living expenses. And people will run to Google and go “nu uh!” 😂 Many disposal income measures only look at either only post-tax income or post-tax income minus housing + transportation. Instead, I wanted to include the full expense breakdown from each government because some important things (like 🇺🇸 healthcare costs) often get “overlooked.“ Maybe “discretionary” income would work best here.
The cost of living in the US can be different depending on where you live. If you live in a large city it’s outrageous! If you live in a lower population area it’s really not that high. I live in a rural area with a very low cost of living and low crime rate. Life is good!!
And that’s exactly what a brainwashed American is taught to think. My personal situation is good, so wtf do I care about my fellow Americans. I hope you don’t identify as a Christian. As an American, I moved to Canada. It took a long time to realize how much bs we are fed by school and media to only care about ourselves. You don’t understand your lower cost of living is actually a lie. You do things like shame people for using food stamps without realizing they are a farming subsidy that creates cheaper food (filled with processed chemicals that Americans eat more than other countries). You don’t recognize that your cheap place to live contributes almost ZERO tax dollars to actually repair roads, fund Military and education, etc. Thst low cost of living means there are low opportunities for work for the youth who have to move to bigger cities. Or the work available is usually government based, there to exploit the low wages, or there due to government subsidies… which your area doesn’t pay enough to subsidize. Meanwhile, you don’t even know that countries are starting to turn away from using the US dollar and it will be replaced by a more stable currency like the Japanese Yen. You don’t understand the ramifications that defunding and underfunding the education system that creates huge swaths of uneducated people is doing as India replaces the US as a technological hub. You don’t get that we allow China and India to manufacture the components to meth and fentanyl that is terrorizing the country because we have absolutely no power to tell them to stop anymore. The US is unhappy, unhealthy, and uneducated… but you keep telling yourself whatever lie they want you to believe. The US is failing and most Americans are too brainwashed by The Greatest Nation Ever narrative to understand that it can and will fail due to letting greed and unbridled capitalism rule. You can’t have a country of democracy with just a few wealthy people in charge. The best time in America was full of affordability because of taxes on wealthy and unions to keep it fair for the working class. Read Ray Dalio’s Principles for Dealing with A Changing a New World Order. He’s not a kooky leftist, he’s a billionaire that has seen the insides of the finance industry first hand. If you have or plan to have children and grandchildren that you love… you should give a crap about what is happening to America. Sticking your head in the sand is actually the most anti-American thing you can do. Our founding fathers fought for something and we have let the overlords trick us all back into submission.
But you don't have access to cheap, high quality healthcare or education. Life expectancy in the US is substantially lower than in most European countries.
@@dbarless My healthcare is extremely good. I work as a factory worker btw not some rich guy. My health care comes from a combined insurance policy provided by the company I work for as well as a HSA. The HSA covers all the costs not filled by my subsidized insurance. On top of this my job matches what I put into my HSA. That HSA also works as a tax haven and allows me to invest that money for the future when it's likely needed. The US government very much pushes you to do these things. Many do not though. Free healthcare would reduce my income for worse care.
We shall consider the acquisition capacity of the dollar and euro. A nice system plus a nice value for the money results in a better lifestyle and savings.
Funny how people who have never lived in the USA think they know so much about life here. I lived in Germany for two years and the content maker neglected to mention the VAT that most European countries have. The taxes and price of gasoline, diesel, heating fuel is higher also. Automobile insurance can be substantially higher if you choose to carry comprehensive coverage. If you dine out expect to pay a heavy tax also. How is that new property tax going to work out for Germans who own their homes starting in 2025? As for healthcare, not every European nation has great healthcare. My cousins in England aren’t thrilled with the NHS. Meanwhile I’ve been through cancer here in the USA and my out of pocket expenses were about $8,000 all said and done. I realize that 8k may be a lot of money for some people but considering the level of care, support and service I received it was a bargain. Never a wait for a CT Scan, PET Scan, bloodwork, diagnostics, etc. My health insurance is less than $400 per month for a family of four. That’s $4,800 per year out of my pocket for excellent private healthcare. Germany’s healthcare insurance is 14.6%, half paid by the employer and half paid by the employee. That’s 7.3% I’d be paying on a $150k salary or $11k not the $4,800 I presently pay now. Oh and a spouse can opt out of health insurance here if their partner has health insurance, don’t think that’s an option in Germany.
Other guy who said in the US the income makes a difference. That's the whole point. Everybody have a better quality of life and that your neighborhood can afford the cost of living or can't, like they can go to therapy instead of shooting everyone it is already affecting you too. No matter what neighborhood your are in.
@@johnclaybaugh9536 and if you’re mentally unstable and want a gun to kill people you can easily get one. I suppose thats why you guys have so many shootings 😅
i went on residency to finland a few months back and literally just the cost of housing and groceries was night and day. The cost of living crisis in the US has made the purchasing power of the euro so much stronger in a way that economists don't want to admit
Yeah not sure where she is getting her numbers. 86% of Americans salary goes to expenses? At least provide a source. We aren’t all her students that gobble up whatever she says. Or maybe most are and that’s the problem.
@@PsychiatricnerdHer figures will be legit. It's well known that the cost of living in most of Europe is far lower than in the US. The only things that are more expensive in Europe than in the US are fuel and energy. But everything else, food, health care, education, child care, etc, is far cheaper in most of Europe.
@@ralphtill32 in germany you pay half of your healthcare, the other half gets covert by your employer both are mendatory for both partys. You will not loose coverage if you loose your job, the healthcare will be providet if you don't work or are unable to work. The gouverment also supplements and subsadises healthcare. There are some employers that have theyr own privat health insurance that you can use BUT its mendatory that you have coverage. No all companys have this kind of coverage you say, its not mendatory and can be exployted very easely becouse you can bait people into work with healthcare but this healthcare only works in a network. So if even the surgeon that operates you for an emergency is out of network you'll get billed for it and your provider may or may not reimburst you for it. This does not work in germany, you have healthcare for all of your life everywhere. If i break my leg tomorow while i'm on the other side of the country or even for 10€ a Year on the other side of the planet, i have no fear of ever getting to pay that while in the US its a real possibility that you'll need to pay it. You are not relient on your employer for benefits becouse its mandatory that all employers have it and you'll get covered even if you loose your job. Thats real freedom. Insulin in the us costs 25-100$ per vial Insulin in gernany costs 11-13$ per vial Thanks to the gouvernment
@@ralphtill32 remember oxycodon? The hole crisis that is still going on with fentanyl? Yeah that all happened becouse the company that produces oxy wanted to make more money. You see, if you are poor you don't get to choose a price. You pay what you can, if you don't have enough you are not good enough for the US. There are horrorstorys from the US reguarding the healthcare system that are preventable. Your logic is "it is expensive becouse it is expensive" while ignoring the fakts. Drug costs in the US can be lowered, this is purely a matter of how badly the US wants it. Sad to see people not realise how much freedom you get from a life that involves less problems.
The USA politicians get people to vote for them by promising less taxation. They forgot to tell them that that means the government will do less for them, and that they will use what taxes remain to help ultra-rich people. Turns out that being selfish and greedy means you get poorer. Humanity works better when we are generous to each other. "Give and it shall be given unto you".
My favorite quote for people living with terminal illness in the US (it was in a book with discussion about it) was “it’s tragic how much it costs to stay alive when you’re always dying”
I hope people see this and leave the US to go. I would give up 90% of my income to just have the freedoms that I have in the US that I would not have in Germany or Europe.
@@arnodobler1096 Well if you feel like that, the US might not be for you. But at the same time, if you want to practice religion freely (like not being thrown in jail for wearing a Hijab), be able to teach your own ideologies and not be persecuted for speaking for what you want I couldn’t be prouder to call the US my home and defend.
You are the voice of truth but people programmed too deep will not get it! I’ve traveled and experienced where they have free college education, but it’s an indoctrination at best. It’s “free” except if you want to learn anything outside of what their government wants you to know, then it’s 100% on you. Good luck paying for what you believe in when you’re already paying by force for what you may not believe in as well.
@@arnodobler1096 Germans can’t do anything without getting charged for hate speech lol. A lot of nations don’t allow you to criticize the government. And yes, being armed is a large part of American culture. I can’t help all of Europe’s history is unarmed peasants having to succumb to the will of their own government or survive by the mercy of their invaders.
Less disposable income due to the higher cost of living, despite higher incomes. Well time to do what everybody does and wait for someone else to fix the problem.
"What if I told you [...]?" I'd say it's not surprising. After all, a major reason for the income difference is taxes and most Americans scoff a that while forgetting that those taxes cover a lot of stuff that Americans pay for out of pocket. So in the end, best case scenario for Americans, it should work out to more or less the same.
I trust myself more than the government to build my financial future. America leaves more room for growth versus European countries where you can be stuck economically due to taxes.
Comparing German and American cultures and societies is apples to oranges. Just because something works for a much smaller, largely homogenous nation does not mean it will work for the entirety of the United States. There are too many differing cultures, ethnicities, and ideologies to collectively agree on what basic human needs are, and that’s not even taking into consideration the massive levels of corruption and greed embedded into the standing political parties that make up our government.
Works in the UK - where we still have a national health service. Homogeneity is no impediment - last time I looked we were all part of the same human genome - and Germany is far from being largely monocultural.
If you mean normal rain an lightning, then I would say its similar. But I never witnessed a tornado in Germany and storms/orcanes are maybe once a year and very less damaging than in the US.
I don't know. If it's efficient, I'd be down. Right now the wait times at the VA to see a mental health provider are over a month in some places, even longer in others. I enjoyed your insights.
The peace of mind that comes from living in Norway. The fact that i get great working conditions, free university (+ support), healthcare without insurance, and honestly amazing council resources like free equipment hire for anything under the sun... Yeah, id pay even more in tax to ensure we keep this
You also DON"T save up for children's orthodontist, children's education or your retirement. In Germany you don't need a giant financial portfolio in savings to retire. If your retirement doesn't cover your living expenses you will be subsidized by the government.
I live in germany and get 36 paid vacation days and make 55k befire taxes and this with just 22, i thought about mobing to the us and all the people said when im moving eith this benefits im stupid as fuck. Now i understand that benefits in europe / germany are way better
![Oscar Maydon x Junior H - Volver Al Futuro [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sa52xabMSB8/mqdefault.jpg)
I rather have 50k a year in Austria, than 150k in the US.
When I get sick, I call my boss, go to the doctor, stay at home as long as the doctor believes is needed. Meanwhile no medical bill, no pay cut from my doctor.
When I am sick or have an accident... I dont need additional worries like "Will I be able to afford to not fucking die
Spot on . ..
In Austria you can't stay as much as you want.
@@valentonorma5428 did you read the comment?
@@Sylviusky na ja.
@@valentonorma5428 idk what that means
The fact that most people in Germany have 25-30 PAID vacation days a year, plus unlimited sick days already makes a world of difference
Many other countries have that aswell without being taxed like you own a yacht
@@stepangvardeitsev808where?
@@kruzedarling9347 where I live, Malta.
@@kruzedarling9347pretty much all of Europe
@@stepangvardeitsev808yes please where?
My friend experienced this in South Korea. She took an almost 50% pay cut, going from teaching in New Jersey for ~$80k a year to teaching in South Korea for around $45k. In that one year? She saved up 10k, and the quality of food, transport, and health insurance was better. I have no idea why she bothered coming back lol!
maybe cuz of extreme racsism
@@exoticclouds8707Ooh or maybe it was due to some of the laws like public photography being illegal in S.K.
Family ties are the only logical reason.
Can’t you live cheaply in the US?
@@turuus5215 It depends on where you live mostly if your in the country it's cheaper than in town especially large cities and places like NJ especially
I’m an American living in France and I completely agree! We were a two income family making about $200,000 a year combined income. We were paying for our son’s university but he graduated 2 months before we moved. We now make about €80,000 and the quality of life is MASSIVELY improved. I am newly diagnosed with melanoma and cannot believe the healthcare here.
How did you do it? I'm wanting to move to France from America
European healthcare is world's better than the US. Lived in Germany and it was night and day better than the US. I didn't have the stress of worrying about my bill in Germany.
Plus all the subsidized healthcare, unemployment payments, infrastructure, maternity and paternity leave etc. actually allow you to have more of a life and enjoy yourself without feeling like an illness, losing a job or a child can derail your entire life 😊
Children will still plenty change your life.
You just get assistance and information beforehand, and money while you have them.
Also the ability not to, without a theocrat trying to crawl up your uterus and burn the school library.
All those things are impossible to explain to Americans.
even your basic amenities are lower or stuff like groceries
@@captain_context9991 as an american i understand fully. thanks to the internet i know what a functional society is supposed to be and i’m aware i’m living in hell instead. you think we like it here?
@@imawakemymindisalive13
I think.... I think Americans FRANTICALLY avoid any hint of this kind of talk because it interfers with their idea of that american dream. I also dont think "America" is about facts, logic, reason, or even about actual reality... Its not about living the american reality of working minimum - or near minimum wages, spending 80% on the insane rent, with zero healthcare, education, rights, freedom, unions, all the things you are well aware of...
BEING American is to feel you have been given a lottery ticket. And so nobody seems to want to fix society and make it livable for all, because then their lottery ticket is gone. No, people would rather gamble on that 1 in 10 000 chance that they will make it big and get rich. Thats what America is about. Inspite of often overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Just... Whenever people from Europe come to America to work, they do so with a decent education and solid opportunities already lined up. They dont come to America to take part in the average american struggles. If they need healthcare, they go back home. If they become unemployed, they go back to the country they came from.
One thing about America is that its quite easy to get ahead of the curve with a decent European education and set of marketable skills. In a country that is by-and-large uneducated and often spectacularly low on expertise.
So yeah. You can always just skip the rent, max out your credit and buy a one-way ticket to Europe.
As a Dane, I pay one of, if not the highest taxes in the world and, honestly, I'd rather pay even higher tax to ensure our education and healthcare stays on the level it is now, than move to a country where I may earn more on paper, but don't have the same safetynets as I have here
Okay, good for you. My take home pay after taxes here in America is over $20,000 USD per month plus I get another 25% cash bonus plus stock and all kinds of insurance and benefits. And I am nothing special and have just a Bachelors degree. I know that kind of take home pay in Scandinavia is extremely rare due to socialism and the extreme taxation, while it is not uncommon in the US. I'd rather have low taxes and control how I spend my money, rather than the government taking it and letting them decide how to spend it.
@@hejiranyc Okay, good for you buddy.
I prefer a strong society where everyone can get education and healthcare.
@@hejiranycwhere do you work? I have "more education" and get paid much less. Still, my effective income tax is around 30%, and with insurance premiums it is over 40%. After the property and sales taxes... Our taxes in the US are not smaller than they are in Europe.
@@Nuhopoclik1Europe has a lot of additional taxes you dont directly see
@@jamieboer3466 US also has plenty of "hidden" taxes; so what? I am claiming that the effective tax in the US is not that much smaller compared to an average one in Europe.
Thanks so much for this math! It's even more compelling when you consider how much less stress is involved in supporting a family when basic human needs are covered and time off is a given
don't forget: free education, 30~40 vacation days, unlimited sick days, long maternity leave, parental leave, shorter work hours, less stress at work, better public transportation, safer streets, better infrastructure, shorter commute times, less pollution, more political parties to chose, better democracy, efficient and transparent voting system, better media, less corruption, less crazy people in the streets, better mental health, more trustworthy police, less guns around, being in the centre of Europe and being able to travel to +20 culturally rich countries all less than 3 hours away, and not having to share a country with other americans!
But only Germans read this.
"Efficient voting system" - cries in Berlin
I’m sold! 😂 My cousin recently moved there, and I am definitely planning a visit asap.
20-28 sick days in germany. But many americans have a very optimistic imagination
Free education has a cost. Bad teaching
Also the total number doesn't say that:
in the US you have to put money away for retirement, college for your kids/ your student loans, taxes, and health care.
-in Germany the government has already taken out health care, taxes, retirement funds. Plus you don't need college money.
heavy on the college money
the exponentially high fees in the US is crazy
and even if you don't go to college
if you end up in the hospital for literally anything you are basically in the same kind of debt.... maybe not as much .... but debt nonetheless.
even if you are meticulously careful and don't get hurt .... when you have kids the hospital bill would plague you.
it also baffles me when Americans reply to the hospital bills issue with 'if you have good insurance you would be fine' ..... why should it be necessary in the first place?!?!?! I understand having insurance cause it is a good thing to have .... but not as a Cushion for wild Healthcare prices. what?
this should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt. Retirement funds are a huge pain point in german politics at the moment.
If the government is responsible for something, they can take it away whenever they feel like it. I'll keep my dangerous liberty thank you.
….why would you rely on the government for retirement funds?
Not everyone gets to college, but everyone pays for it. Same with many wonderful government benefits that everyone pays, but few benefit.
Damn, who could’ve guessed that outsourcing all of our social services to for profit companies would substantially raise the price of every essential service. I never thought I would say this but god I wish we could be more like Germany
Once some guy wanted to make many many people dreams into reality while having fun with Germany and world suddenly didn’t liked it 💀 mein Gott, Decide once for good
@@Jizzzmani methinks you have a poor understanding of what Jacob Bruce wrote.
Bernie Sanders.... greetings from Hamburg
@@curtainsfatzke9128 god I wish we got him instead of sleepy joe. It’s so insane to me that the DNC(a convention of our democratic representatives)can choose a candidate to support without us voting.
Bernie was more popular but he couldn’t campaign as much because the DNC only funds their chosen candidate. It’s really fucked up and now that Bernie can’t run again we have a real good chance of re-electing trump into office. Please help us
@@jacobbruce1005 bernie is "to left" for the average american...sure he would be nicer form a social persective but he could have lost...you keep forgetting how far to the rigth the US is.....
just for comparison there is not a single apsect of bernies policy idea that would not get support by our most far out non extreme rigthwing party the CSU here in germany (the one mroe out the afd = is just hardcore braindead anti migrant anti eu rigthwingers(but even they woudl support all the ideas as long as they only apply to arien germans and not "filthy" foreigners)
As the old saying goes
"It doesn't matter what your taxes are if you have no money. "
The difference is even more drastically clear if something happens to you.
German social system was established by miners (those under ground, not kids ;) ), and tbose people had all kinds of accidents and disabilities.
Germany has learned what to do and how to deal with such cases.
And did I mention this system dates back to the 1200's? Of course not everyone was covered back then, but from the 1860's everyone has had to pay towards disability insurance.
Not to mention the average working hours in Germany are lower due to a combination of a less consumer-centric business culture (there’s no expectation that every business should be open 18 hours a day 7 days a week and always on call), a productivity focus over a time focus (you go to work, get it done, and go home rather than needing to clock 8 hours no matter what plus being available 24/7 via phone. Obviously dependent on the type of job), guaranteed MONTH of vacation days and plenty of sick days. The county’s gdp per worker is a fair bit lower as a result of just plain fewer hours worked, but per hour worked Germany is right on pace with the US. There’s perhaps something to be said for certain luxuries being more accessible to upper middle class incomes here than in Germany, but I’d much prefer to be able to work 400 hours less a year on average and enjoy the fruits of my labors, and know my country takes care of its poor.
That's why Germany's economy has been in decline for decades
@@franklinloll2229 [Citation needed]
You are seriously understating "lower"
For a better quality of life the average German works ca 1300 hours per year. The average US American works ca 1700 hours per year.
To work as much as US Americans the year would need to be two months longer for Germans.
Now, where is that additional value created by that labour going in the USA...? 🤔
Americans are getting screwed.
@@franklinloll2229 german Economy has not been in decline for decates that is not true at all. they are having some dificulties getting back on their feet after the pandemic and the war in the Ukraine made it worse, but that is a fairly new problem. But: even with this they are still doing better then many other countries and still have a higher living standard then the US.
@@franklinloll2229does it actually matter? Decline in comparison to what? People aren't getting poorer, the country is still producing stuff, infrastructure is maintained. Why are you so obsessed about infinite growth? Look at what America has turned into sacrificing everything in the name of growth and profit
Thank you for this. The number of people who do not grasp the importance of assigning monetary value to benefits and other “free” things is too damn high.
I assign monetary value to how nice my coworkers are. If work drama still bothers me during my free time, you gotta pay me for that too.
Ngl the medical benefits go down the more issued you have. I have a German friend with a lot of health issues and the government is often not very useful with a lot of the things he needs.
I'm still waiting for this propagandist to explain that the usa literally pays for the German system to function....
@@damuffin91 I don't know your friends issues, so I can not comment on that, but I know for a fact in the US I would be either dead or homeless. Instead I can work again, and never had to worry to be homelees for the last years where I was too ill to work. I am also not in debt. So the German system might not be flawless, but it is just leagues above what the US has to offer.
Yep. Like medical care is hella expensive in the US. One emergency and you're screwed.
This greatly depends on where you live in the US. Cost of living varies greatly.
you do udnerstadn how averages work yes ?
yes ? AND ? so on average you simply are closer to the bearmoney poaching...variance in a sample doest change the average thats the whole point... @@Marcusus
@@proxis9980 do you understand what a standard deviation is yes ?
apparently you dont becasue the deviation of a sample still does NOT change the average what so ever...and this was PURLY about averages so the point stands and its doesnt matter that it varies form location to location as if thats somehow an excuse for the average beeing shit....and btw on a technicality this aint no standart deviation as neither wealth nor living standarts distribution is realy a gausian, and even if you tried to fit a gausian both are heavily positve skwed so the "standartdevition" becomes aworthless measure....@@rainman1242
You comparing a MEDIAN income to an AVERAGE cost of living, this is a big no-no in statistics. The AVERAGE household income in the USA is actually 105,555. The large numbers at the top end make a big difference in the average.
median income USA 2022: $74,580
median income Germany 2023: 44.407 Euro ($48,954)
@@peter_meyer yeah I know, I’m talking about the average or mean here because she’s comparing it to average cost of living.
@@SimonBellaMondo Well, are there "median cost of living" numbers available?
By AVERAGE, do you mean MEAN? In the US, that 'mean' is massively skewed by the top 2%, so it makes perfect sense to avoid it.
@@wessexdruid7598 I agree, my point is you have to compare apples to apples. Mean to mean or median to median.
I should send these videos to our politicians here in Oz. They are trying to make us more like the US. I would much rather be like Germany or the Scandinavian countries.
murdoch should be tried for treason and sent on a fleet to great britain
I’m in the US and I wish we weren’t like the US. I wish we were like Germany
the system is very broken in thr US... and the UK is also doing aspects which are leaning towards the US system which has caused the NHS a lot of money paying for outsourcing they're forced to do due to departments being sold to private companies and then the government also cutting thr funding. its messed up.
Its not like this is news to your politicians. They know. They just dont want their people to know.
Whats Oz?
The biggest advantage of having a decent healthcare systemen isn´t even the money. It´s the peace of mind of not having to worry about the expenses when you visit a doctor. It makes you take better care of yourself and thus have a better quality of life, especially later on in life.
I heard those lines are super long. I know in Canada no one uses free Healthcare since how long it takes to see the doctor. I don't know if Germany is the same.
@@garrysmith1029 I had to see a doctor a couple weeks ago. Called him and he saw me the same day after work. It al depends on who you need. Eye specialists are harder to find. But if you need urgent help you can go to the emergency room. They´ve got an eye doctor too.
I've never paid a medical bill. We have insurance and medicaid.
@@johnclaybaugh9536Yes exactly everyone acts like you can't have cheap healthcare in America, they just refuse to learn how to get it
@@garrysmith1029 Specialists can be a problem sometimes in Germany with a few months of waiting, but if you have something serious, you never have to wait.
I can totally see where you're coming from. I was born and raised in Germany and moved to the US 10 yrs ago. I was 25 back then, 20k to our name, worked our butts off, have a 6 figure income, live in California, a home that we call our own (we pay mortgage/hauskredit), drive 2 really nice cars that are paid off.
The majority pays rent in Germany, many people cannot afford to buy a home there and renting is much cheaper in germany. Those 2k you're speaking of would probably be eaten up by Grundsteuer & Hauskredit or renovations on the home if they would own it.
Disposable income means nothing when you don't own your home and have nothing to your name.
My friends back home are struggling, some build their homes and some couldnt even get a Mortgage. They all make more than 60k Euro.
Im more financially free than I ever was in Germany.
Stay healthy
@@arnodobler1096 thank you very much! Hope you do too 🙏🙏
Plus, you may have a lot of hidden taxes and fees.
Germany has one of the highest taxes, but honestly, whenever I see how much I have left I feel like they are exaggerated. They aren't low, sure.
But it's reasonable.
And as far as I understand the US tax system, states like Texas may have no or little income tax, but they get you in other ways, where it can turn out that you pay more in taxes as compared to states like California with high state income taxes.
Actually, not true, taxes in California are way higher than Texas in every area. Don't let the Left fool you.
Evan Edinger here on YT has done several videos comparing the costs of living U.S. vs. U.K. Grocery-wise pretty much everything was more expensive in the U.S. with quite a few things *400%* more. In fact only locally grown tomatoes were cheaper, by a whole 2%.
I straight up snorted when you said 2%
You can also get really solid wine for 2 euros in Aldi or lidil in Germany easily equivalent to a $12-$15 bottle of wine in the US.
Imagine my shock buying a bag of crisps for $5.95 in the US when the same brand costs £1.20 at asda and the aldi version is 75p for the same volume 😅
and most food IS localish aka from EU
Evan Edinger*
Have you done a video on disability payments and support in Germany vs the US? If not I’d love to see a comparison there.
I have a couple, but they’re not a general overview - just my experiences 💚
The difference would be enormous. But you probably knew that.
Having been in the US a bit, I have noticed disabled people often roam the streets in wheelchairs and stuff.
@@captain_context9991 A LOT of disabled ppl are just homebound here in the US, and are often forced to live with family which means being stuck in a room 24/7.
That doesn't mean family is helping them, it just means, they have a roof, and often the family might be stealing their disability payments and/or prescriptions.
There's no good transportation for ppl with disabilities... as the current new system takes HOURS to go a short distance-- not something a chronically ill person or person in severe pain can manage.
If you can drive or are in a city, physically able to take public transport, then there's a chance you can still work outside your home. But there's no guarantee companies will be accommodating... so it may not last long.
Work from home opportunities are better suited, but that's a very new phenomenon. And after years and years of being out of work due to disability, it's tough to get hired and it's very high risk to leave your Medicare income & insurance behind if you're not sure the new work situation will pan out.
@@bodyofhope That's wild. In Germany companies will often seek out disabled people that can still do the work because the get a bonus for taking them. Not to mention making everything more accessible.
I am disabled in Germany. The payments are MUCH less - about €5,200 per YEAR - but I have my health insurance and my housing also covered outside of that pension. I'm in a very unique situation, though, and I get the minimum payment, which the left faction is working very hard to increase (we got 50€/month raise this year). For "Real Germans" (as the government calls them), disability pension can be as much as €2,500 per month. One massive difference is the asset limits. In the US, I couldn't have more than 2k in _total assets_ and state agents came to my house to inspect and make sure I didn't have a diamond ring or nice TV. I had to get special permission to classify my car as a mobility aid or I wouldn't have been allowed to have enough cash to pay my rent. In Germany, it's 25k asset limit and the constitution strictly protects the privacy of the home so no government inspections.
The BIGGEST difference, however, is disability rights. The United States has refused to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons. In the US, I was placed in a court ordered conservatorship simply because I needed help with my ADLs. Once they took over, the government had complete control over my medical care and I was subjected to experimental treatments that harmed me and I'm still healing from. At one point I was even held down and injected with medication against my will which is completely legal in the US. Disabled Americans also aren't allowed to leave the country for more than 45 days and in many cases (including mine) cannot freely choose where to live WITHIN THE US. Those are both violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In Germany, disabled people are not only subject to the UN Conventions but also the Grundgesetz (the German Constitution) demands disabled people have "equal access to society". No ADA to be making lawsuits over - we're constitutionally protected! That means no "grandfathering in" school buildings that aren't wheelchair accessible, no stopping disabled people from traveling, no "oh I'm sorry, asking a multi-billion dollar corporation to buy a $20 stool is an undue burden". I also have a right to direct my own medical care and refuse any treatments I don't wish to go through. Really, fundamentally, I have a _right to medical care_. I don't think Americans really realize that access to medical care is also mandated by the Universal Declaration... though, the international courts have made the position that "inability to pay is not lack of access" 🙄
Just being able to see a doctor when I have a flare in my symptoms and being able to do physiotherapy (and psychotherapy!!) has improved my life in ways I didn't think was possible in the US. I was essentially bed-bound. When I arrived in Germany, I could only walk 450m, couldn't use stairs, had such problems with my dysautonomia that I was fainting daily, and my mental health was a trash fire. My German insurance card is valid at any public doctor in the entire European Union. Though I have to wait a few months for things like a dermatologist looking at a cyst or getting allergy testing, when I have had issues like kidney pain or a dislocation I can be seen immediately. Berlin is considered to have some of the worst waiting times in Germany, but I used to have to wait 3 weeks to see the only doctor in the county that took Medicaid for acute infections. In the US, I had sepsis twice because of those waits! It is not hyperbole to say I would have died if I stayed in the US.
With proper medical care that is practiced along WHO guidelines, rather than practiced for profit margins, my world has totally changed. I can now walk for kilometers at a time, can (painfully) use stairs, am a lot more stable with my heart rate and blood pressure, and for literally the first time ever in my life my therapist has said "I think you're doing well enough that we won't need to see each other for a while"!
Because I have been out of work for so long, I'm also getting special help from the Agenteur für Arbeit. There is no pressure for me to get back to work quickly. Unlike in Indiana, disabled people aren't mandated to work in order to get food assistance. Unless I end up totally unable to work in a standard job, I won't be "workshopped" and in a standard job, I won't be paid sub-minimum wage. I also can have up to 6 weeks of medical leave without any consequence and some of it paid which is a huge difference from the 4 days per year unpaid (and you get fired on the 5th) that is standard for US workers. They're putting me through a vocational rehabilitation program to not just help me find an appropriate job, but to first work with my doctors to make sure I'm healthy enough to work. I could just stay on my benefits forever, but since I have the right to travel, buy nice things, and experience the world, I would like to have the extra money to do so! 😊
So... the monthly money isn't a lot - but with _comprehensive_ Healthcare and housing covered, I don't need a lot of money. Maybe it's just the novelty of finally living freely but my teenie pension makes me feel like a king. As a pensioner I also get free entry to museums, discounted Philharmonie and opera, half price sauna (and if I needed assistance, my helper gets in for free!)... on the rare occasions I find myself bored, I pack up a €2 lunch, grab a 75c coffee, and go watch the swans on the canal. No loitering law!!
I had the choice to settle in any country I could buy a plane ticket to, and I chose Germany. The protection and equality for disabled people in the Grundgesetz is genuinely the strongest in the world. Yes, there are major differences in how the German states apply those equality mandates and there are still barriers for disabled people... but when it comes to the actual legal rights that we can demand be honored, Germany's are far and away the best!
Using Median income, then average expenses, is intellectually dishonest. Use the average of both or the median for both.
I live in Greece and have a friend who's a Greek-American. During the economic crisis here in Greece she moved to the USA with her husband and child. She got a well payed job and he also got a job with quite good conditions very quickly.
After 3 years they came back to Greece, because they said the quality of life in Greece is so much better. She explained to me exactly what you said: yes, they made so much more money, but they also needed so much more money and they only had the choice of living in a gated community or a dangerous neighborhood and the gated community had so many weird rules, that it didn't feel like a free country, while the dangerous neighbourhood also ment little freedom, because many things you could not do, because you'd not feel safe.
So they came back to Greece and say Greece gives them much more freedom, than they had in the USA.
I'm pretty sure they're avid golden dawn members
@@ronniehopper2726 golden dawn doesn't even exist today. What made you think my friends are fascists?
@@helgaioannidis9365 The fact that you're commenting on channel Owned by a blonde haired white woman telling me how great Germany And socialism is I just assume everyone in this fucking comment section is fascist
They couldve moved to rural America. Thats actually the majority of America, sorry they missed it, its everywhere.
@@christinewheeler2814 no they couldn't, because they couldn't find jobs there.
I just started of overseeing the finances of a factory in the US remotely from Germany. And I was really impressed seeing all the workers having 40 paid leave days. 10 more than I have in Germany. Than I realised: they have 40 HOURS, 5 days... Wtf?
And those are your sick days too for many jobs
@@pieceofpeace35 The concept of sick days is just dehumanizing. When you're sick on a paid leave day in Germany you call in sick and get your leave day back...
@@dashandtuch7183 I agree. Enjoy it and fight to keep it, my friend
@@dashandtuch7183 this is actually an EU rule that you get back your paid leave days when you fall sick! Still not enforced in all countries but should be soon :) As it should be obviously.
You probably know this better than I do but this "Karenztage"-system in the USA would be criminal here.
The French are looking into reimplementing that bullshit again though. One more reason for them to go on the street and burn something down.
This reminds me of a newspaper job I had a while ago
On paper, I made way more money a week than I do now, but there was no calling out (contract work 7 days a week), no vacation days (I usually had to pay someone to take my route), no days off, and most of my expenses were spent on my car. I changed my oil and my tires every 3 months. Gas was over $100 a week. It was impossible for me to save anything, and after all my expenses, I had about $20 to my name. And this was back when I lived at home, so my only bills were my car payment and insurance!
As a student I am so glad to study in europe. For the last 6 semesters i only paid around 130€ in total, and that was for my political representation (like an union fee for students).
This is absolutely true for me and my family in Sweden. Before we moved to Sweden, our household income was $155K in Boston. Now living in Sweden, our combined annual income is $85K so about 45% less. Yet at the end of each month, we’re amazed at how much we have left over! It’s truly amazing, all of the extra costs you carry in the US which are not considered a “tax” but in effect really are. Like education and healthcare.
Congratulations on your new venture.
Boston area myself and we are finding that even well into 6 figures a year, the quality of life doesn't justify the pay. Sending kids to college, healthcare, and all other basic life expenses, you are earning "a lot" yet living less.
So you lived in Boston an expensive Democrat City and your surprise by a lack of money
@@mattlane2282
The South is no better.
Boston/MA is one of the most commie places in the entire country. If you think thats bad, imagine what it would be like if the entire us went in that direction.
@@flacadiabla3193 yes the southern Democrat states are crappy too.
I only thought Germany was better when I first visited and the price on the sticker is what I paid for. I was like "that's all?" And the clerk looked at me like I was an idiot but that's fair.
Yes the VAT is included. 7% for food stuff, books and flowers, 19% for everything else. With some exceptions.
7% taxes for BEER 😊 You know where you are where beer is a "Gundnahrungsmittel" meaning "Basic needs food"
i’ve never understood why in the US sales tax (what we call VAT- value added tax) isn’t included in the price. it’s such an odd concept to me as a brit (we always include it like germany)
like you’re telling me to figure out how much i’m going to spend i’d have to get out a calculator?? how does that make any sense
(is it for the psychological effect of thinking you’re spending less so you buy more? idk but sounds like something the US would do lol)
@@jess_hinz ive heard excuses from adults in my life that "it's too difficult to do that for every state and county when you have a nation wide brand" and I'm like. It's really not. All I hear in that argument is that we're bad at math and printing out the right stuff. Although those same adults would easily agree that Germany is Much more organized than here so... Idk what to do with that.
@@jess_hinz they have also a strange tax system. In Germany, it's either 7% or 19% (with some weird exceptions) for every sold good. In USA, there are federal taxes, state taxes and county or city taxes. Depending on where you are. And it shouldn't be that difficult to include tax. If I buy a book online to be sent to an adress in Germany, the site will use 7%, to an adress in Austria 10%. If a calculating programm can be developed to use the specific local federal tax in European countries, so can USA.
I already knew this. Quality of life is generally better than the US. They have longer paid vacation. Cities are much safer too.
That all works when you have people who want to work hard and have a good standard of living. Here in the states that would go down in flames because we have so many people who just love to not work or work very little and game the system.
They want to use the social safety net as a hammock.
A funny thing that happens when the system respects and supports people is that people end up respecting and supporting the system. And vice versa.
Most people in America are conditioned to live paycheck to paycheck. No matter how much they make, it will always be a little under or over what they think they need. That's how we have doctors who make $140k per year, who have absolutely zero (or likely negative) net worth, and no room for savings.
In 2022, CBS reported roughly 20% of Bank of America clients, who earned $250k or more, spent 15% above what they deposited into their accounts. Of those who made $50k-$100k, 17% of clients spent more than they made.
The overall numbers are much worse.
For the $50k-$100k cohort, 2/3 lived paycheck to paycheck.
For the $100k+ cohort, 51% lived paycheck to paycheck.
It really is about cost of living.
Many people in Germany refuse to play the game: "Keeping up with the Joneses". If you need to buy a new car, you think about what you need to do with it (transporting children, buying groceries, driving to work...) and about fuel and maintenance costs. Making your neighbours jealous doesn't come into it. (Most times for most people.)
@Andrea Bartels Good on them. Keeping up with the Joneses is illogical spending to impress people who don't care about you or even think about you. The most people will think about a cool car driven by someone else, is thinking how cool they think THEY would look driving it.
That's what happens when you live beyond your means....no wonder the democrat controlled education system don't teach basic finance.....instead they are teaching kids how to be victims and encouraging mental illness....now few kids are able to read at grade level and can barely do basic add and subtract mathematics.....it's no surprise you get ever increasing poverty, despite the 31 trillion dollars in accumulated debt....most of which was spent on social programs.
@@andreabartels3176
America was built off of the insecurities of it's citizens.
Us personally, we look at a new car and think it's not $80k, it's far more due to what investments we would be losing on $80k. We stay with our old vehicles. People are always asking why we just don't buy a new car, and how we could easily afford it, etc. It's the typical mindset in this country. New, bigger, better, more expensive, yet are broke. Then they complain they have to work two jobs to survive. Baffles me.
@@flacadiabla3193 I have never been impressed by an expensive car. For me, a car is a tool to get me from A to B. I take care of my car and since Germany has mandatory technical inspections every two years, even 15 or 20 year old cars are fine, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed on the roads. Sometimes, you will even see vintage cars in use, like a 70 year old Mercedes from 1952. These "Oldtimers" show the dedicated care of their owners, the skill of the mechanic and the craftmanship of the people responsible for design and assembling.
I'm Swedish and we almost never talk about how much we are paid per year. It's usually per month.
Same in Germany. she probably calculated her yearly income from the monthly to make it clear for americans.
The monthly values not necessarily sum up to the yearly values. Some jobs have an additional payment in Novembe before Christmas time (Weihnachtsgeld / 13. Monatsgehalt) or there is a substantial yearly bonus payment.
@@joachimfrank4134yeah, Italy does a double income month for December
@@joachimfrank4134 yes but usually U know how much the Weihnachtsgeld will be and can still calculate with the numbers you have.
That's probably because Europeans live paycheck to paycheck. The dirty secret is that Europeans are in a lot of debt and the savings rate is relatively low due to heavy taxation and the high prices for everything.
While this is entirely true and I agree that most people aren't able to see this as this woman has, but a lot of factors need to be taken into account like where you want to live and what specific job you have etc.
You have explained perfectly the "lie" underneath the "big taxes" in Europe. Yes, we get cut a bigger chunk of our pay than in USA but we get so much free of cost than in average it's much better to live here. And same argument can be done about living in one of the main cities (Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg...) or living in small cities, yeah, the salary is smaller but you get also cheaper living arrangements and services mostly.
We spent 700 billion on illegals,how much to Ukraine,Weapons to Israel,UN.The US tax payer funds the world it seems.Benefits others not the taxpayer.
Thank you, thank you for laying this out so well. I am in Sweden, and my US friends always mention my "high taxes" My life is so much better I don't know any of my US friends that take a month long vacation and travel.
Meh. You haven't met a lot of Americans.
@@johnclaybaugh9536 I am a US citizen. Met a lot of Americans some of them from the US, some from north America, some from central, and some from south America.
@@shinnam lol. And then there's that person who would rather say united statesian
People like you like to tell us things we already know.
But I know lots of people who live in the US who take month long vacations and travel.
American propaganda is that other countries actually pay more because of taxes….
Which I find ridiculous that anybody can believe that….
I had a 3 month pregnancy that ended in miscarriage.
Without insurance I’d be stuck paying $65k+ for my medical bills…..
I’d MUCH rather pay higher taxes and be taken care of than worry about having a job that gets me decent insurance in order to survive.
I know a girl with ovarian cancer…she can’t afford her treatments and they won’t help her without $$$$.
It’s horrible. 😢
@@johnclaybaugh9536 ok? And in other places the government requires companies to give more vacation days than the average American. Just because your two friends have long vacations doesn’t mean that’s the norm for most Americans. In fact, most Americans aren’t even given 1 vacation day, let alone 30.
It’s just like when people are shocked to hear the average salary in my country is around $500/month (or $6000/year) and then conclude that we must be homeless 😂. I guess they don’t know about purchasing power or how economies differ lol
People definitely forget that. I worked as an accountant at a company that started sending work to Manilla and I looked at the salary there. $6,000 to $10,000 US, and that's a good salary that pays for rent and living expenses. It made sense that they were sending what they could there considering we started at $70,000 in Dallas.
Well, that's fine if all you want to do is live and work in your country and spend money on local things. But your iPhone isn't any cheaper. Your car isn't any cheaper. International travel isn't any cheaper. I would rather have the freedom of having a larger income in a more expensive country, where I can afford to travel to any country and I can afford everything I need/want without having to save up for it.
@@hejiranyc you forget that some people don’t need cars or international travel to function lmao. This is such a weird point it’s like saying to a US middle class person “you only have $10000 in savings? How can you afford your yacht?”
@@hejiranyc also in what world do you live in where America (if that’s what you’re implying here) is a place where most people have the money to travel/buy what/where they want whenever?
@@suppositorylaxative3179 Well, we are talking about the middle class. I consider myself a middle class American (perhaps upper middle class) and having the financial means to travel and buy cars, appliances and electronics is a core aspect of the American middle class. I'm not saying that everybody can afford a $50K Rolex watch. But everyone can afford a $25 no-name watch that does basically the same thing as the Rolex. Sure, most people need to start somewhere and they often are "poor" at some point in their lives. But what is the alternative? Pay everyone the same (low) income and seize property from the wealthy? You do realize they tried that in Cuba and it didn't go so well?
Also in your German payslip is not mentioned the parts of health insurance the employer has to pay, only the part you pay. Altogethe the brutto pay not includes between 60 and over 90% costs for the employer - like payed sick days and holydays (normaly 6 weeks a year). Brutto in US and Brutto in Germany are quite different. Depending of your job the difference is between 40 and 65% just because "brutto" (or "before taxes") has a totally different meaning.
Than add the lower cost of living (unless you live in the city of Munich or Frankfurt), for food, housing and transportation - and you have more realy free disposable income.
except in the US we arent forced to pay that much. we have the choice to not spend our money on those things and so we can take home way more of our pay if we want to. then we can take that extra money and invest it, turning ourselves into wealthy people and being able to afford way more than necessary. the idea that having a state forced program that keeps everyone lumped together at the bottom is better than letting each individual person have the right to choose how they will live is the wrong way to do things. each person should pay a flat tax that goes only to the bare minimum necessary for the running of the government and be allowed to do what they want with the rest of their funds. if some people choose to be frugal and invest while others splurge and dont have a nest egg its not the frugal persons job to help the other when medical costs come.
US tax = military
Freedom isn’t in their vocabulary and they can not understand true choice when they haven’t had it.
Many people in the United States are actually trapped here. It isn't cheap in general to move abroad and then there is a lot to go through for legal immigration and that isn't cheap either. Personally I would love to get the fuck out of this country but financially I have no way to do so.
😢 i feel this on every level.
Check German universities… from what I understand, there are degrees 100% taught in English and there are incentives in place to help get students to attend (like a monthly stipend, free dorms, etc). This was pre-pandemic so some current research would be needed, but to graduate from a German college (especially if you can learn German while there) would increase the ability to work/live in the EU
Just an idea
@@seitanbeatsyourmeat666 but what if I’m already 35? 😅
@Ashlee Cameron , I have the same question! Looking into this now!
Np one has ever described a better place for me to live. So there is that.
So you mean you actually get something for your taxes? Unheard of!
They also get a lot more from Americans taxes that are sent overseas
@@davidvernon3119 actually I too am referring specifically to the millitary budget... Germany is very rich indeed, but they do not have the money to secure their shipping routes and also rely entirely on imports and exports so they happily allow Americans to do it for them, an attribute that has always been the most costly to any society and one that was among the major drivers behind both world wars for all parties involved... But that isn't a knock on Germany, since world War 2, Americans have paid for ALL countries to access their global market, there being 2 major differences between the American market and the various imperial prewar markets: first, that the pre war markets were exclusive to the empire they served while the American market serves the globe indiscriminately and second, the pre war systems were absolutely necessary to the function of the empire that they were serving while, due to America being the only nation currently existing that does not require imports or exports, the American global market is not beneficial but detrimental to the American system and therefore mostly acts as the largest subsidizing effort in history where money from American taxes allow the much less affluent countries of the world to industrialize and the much more affluent countries of the world (Europe) to divert their funding towards egregious welfare and social programs that otherwise could not exist.. American only put up with this because they are systematically kept ignorant of the way the global system functions, and politicians love the system because as they drain the public coffers, they can line their pockets and the pockets of their industrial complex partners that keep them in office along the way
@@dannytunz6993oh boy, what a load of propaganda drivel. Nothing could be further from the truth. The USA have protected nothing but their own interests in the last 40-50 years. And nearly all wars fought by the USA, either official or proxy wars, have bern for economic reasons. The only war that the USA haven't been involved in directly for economic power gains was in the Balkan wars after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. And even that is a potential arguable war of economic influence.
@@dannytunz6993 how is that Germany’s problem? Providing for your citizens isn’t really a competition. But if it were ig the US would be losing lmao. Like you’re basically getting mad that you’re voluntarily giving money to people 😂
@@dannytunz6993 you know it’s people like you who stand against domestic social programs like those in Europe? God knows the US has the money to implement free healthcare: we spend trillions on the military for far less.
Great video 🇩🇪 so true
Great explanation! I've tried many times to get statesiders to understand this. Now i can start them with your video!
Sources for all my claims can be found in my References document clickable through my main profile 💚 The estimated post-tax median household income in 🇺🇸 is $65,345 and the average expenses in that income category are $54,988. This leaves $10,357 or is about 84% in expenses. The numbers presented here are slightly different because I went with the pre-tax number in 🇺🇸. I did this because the Census Bureau calculates expenses by income category ($x-$x) and $65k-$71k straddles two expense brackets. So, it's arguably more accurate to use the average of the two expense brackets, especially because after-tax income goes up slightly in in the lower income bracket but down by almost 10% in the higher bracket. Nonetheless, the numbers were pretty consistent between the calculations. I just wanted to provide more context here 💚
The menian household in Germany brings in 46 000 dollars? Thats ONE poorly paid job over here in Norway. Thats what you would be making driving a forklift in a warehouse with zero education.
It seems kinda low.
If you make 71k pretax in the US and only save 9k, you are terrible with money. Seems to me this is more of a statement of monetary culture and responsibilities between populations.
@TexMex I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here. If this is a statement of class mobility, the United States is still leading Germany in that regard. Low density housing in rural America is not a problem, it's a feature. Hence the car centric infrastructure. And the food we consume is again more of a statement of culture. We import 15% of our food vs Germanys 80% and they are not far behind us on obesity rates.
As for healthcare, we are the best by a wide margin. Access, not so much. If you have a job that has good insurance you are golden, but there is a very deep problem between pricing by the hospitals and percentages by insurance companies. Insurance companies will state they will only pay x amount of whatever the hospitals charge, sooo the hospital hikes the price by that much more. There is a drastic difference between price w/insurance and without most people never see.
@@ethanmoore9306 Germany is leading the U.S. in social mobility and I’ll have a video on it soon.
@@usa.mom.in.germany then you are using the wrong metrics.
Edit: nope I lied. you are right.
AND you get paid vacation ❤❤❤
I dont know about Germany, but in norway and Denmark we get 5-6 weeks payed vacation, where you can choose if you want the money or the vacation for the last week.
@@BootstrapsBootstraps required are 25 days for someone who works 5 days per week and 30 days for 6 days per week, but many if not most companies will give you 30 days with 5 per week
I got paid vacation when I worked full time. I also don't care because I take off any time I want.
No one has described a better place to me.
Wait who doesn’t get paid vacation in the US? Isn’t 21 days pretty standard?
@@Ryan-cb1ei I'm so late to this, but general is either 14 days excluding holidays or you start with none minus holidays which normally grant a bonus pay and earn them up; especially if you're working contract. EU definitely has a better work life balance by default and mandated by law (and Germany has the highest number of paid holidays if I remember correctly).
Everyone who seems to know about microeconomics in america always forgets that America is FUCKING HUGE. The economy varies BY AREA
I work for a company that at the time I was hired, pays into our pension fund, which was changed to a company match 401K later and fully covers insurance for hourly employees. I'm a single guy and have no need to be paying taxes for me to get paid maternity leave as my GF is past that age and no need for me to get paternity leave as well. Also, there are freedoms we enjoy here in the states thar are considered privileges in Germany and other countries in Europe. I'm also getting 20 paid vacation days each year doe to my time with the company as well as getting at least 10 paid holiday days each year
Cost of living depends on the person not the country. You can make a million dollars a year and still be in debt, you can make 30,000$ a year and still make money
The YT-Channel Blackforest Family has a great breakdown on this topic. Actually two videos, one for average people and one for low income workers. Very insightful.
actually it's two 2-part videos
I will go and look at that now. Thanks.
This really depends on WHERE you live on either side of this, especially when it comes to bigger cities. Munich and Frankfurt for example are some of the most expensive cities, meaning your cost of living will be much higher. It also really depends on your profession. There are many professions in Germany that make significantly less in Germany than in the US (e.g. nurses, hair stylists, contractors to name a few). Also, if you are working full-time, there are very few financial supports from the government as opposed to when you're unemployed...Having lived in both countries, I would never move back to Germany.
What an interesting take. Why wouldn't you move back to Germany?
German income tax rates
24%-42% 16,000-62,809
42% 62,810-277,825
Yuck. I guess it’s ok for lower income folks and terrible for higher income earners.
Tax the Rich
@@arnodobler1096 define rich
@sooner1125 18 million millionaires in the US? How many billionaires? What percentage of taxes do they pay? They probably pray daily, out of gratitude, for Reagan and the successors.
@@arnodobler1096 the top 1% pay 42% of the taxes. The top 2-5% of earners pay the next 20%. So nearly 2/3 paid by 5%. The bottom 50% pay 2.3% of the total income tax.
America is the greatest country on the planet, no matter what.
This is exactly why my parents left the US and moved to Germany when they were given the opportunity to. This decision improved my family’s quality of life in so many ways, I’d be here all day listing them
If they moved there just become citizens there renounce your citizenship here I can't stand expats
Where's the free transportation, the free recreation? Lol.
My wife (🇿🇦) and I (🇺🇲) have a dream of moving to Germany some day. We're both software engineers. We work from home in Johannesburg. But the job market is REALLY rough in Jozi and we have very little reason to want to move to the US, especially because of how difficult the process has been for getting her visa in America.
My family immigrated to the US from Germany in the early 1900s. I think it's time to return to the motherland.
Just be sure to do your research. As a heads up, Germany is definitely a good place to be a software engineer in, but the US is a better one (for this profession). Kinda moot though that the US gives you a hard time getting a Visa for your wife, that should not happen
@@generalflix Thanks for the encouragement and advice--what makes you say the US is a better place for the software industry right now? I have some friends who are devs in Berlin who have told me the job market is pretty good for software engineers because there's a shortage and visas are easier to get for that professions specifically
@@kaseywahl There is just more money in the industry in the US. Especially for a software engineer though its hairsplitting in the end I'd say, I am pretty sure you would earn (very) good money both in Germany and the US. Comes down to preference in the end.
I am here in Germany, a software engineer or programmer. The profession is very sought after. You can find work. He does not also need to learn the German language. English is sufficient.
But but bigger number better 🤪
Greets from Stuttgart ✌️
Love socialized countries
There is no socialist country since the 90's in Europe
Also in Germany you don't have to pay for college. So you don't rack up student debt.
And people are better at their jobs since when they were in university they were probably working at least part time. Students in Sweden only work during the summer, many don't work at all
@@shinnamas a Swedish high school student, we earn money by attending lol. We don't need a job to earn money (unless your parents keep the money which in my experience they tend to give to their kid)
@@shinnam Sweden is %99 white people
@@plant_12 you can't buy the experience lol
That’s actually not true at all. College/university costs money and you get a loan from the state if you’re not coming from a wealthy family. However the max amount loan is 10000 euros. So most students in Germany do work a Mini Job to afford their studies. All in all it’s still way better than in the US.
I live in the us and there aren't jobs near me that pay more than 50k a year without needing some form of degree. As a citizen paying taxes and working hard I would have to pay about a quarter or more of my salary just to go get that degree. Oh did I mention 50k is the gross pay. Maybe I could get lucky and find a job that is commission based and make more than 50 but that might not be stable.
I have a degree I’ve been in the military and I’ve never made any more then around 35,000 a year after taxes, and that’s on the high end. I’ve been job searching lately and most jobs in my area, professional jobs requiring a degree, are paying $15 an hour. Cost of living is lower in this area but it’s still not a lot of money. I’m starting to realize there is likely a major wage gap in the U.S with a disproportionate amount skewed either in the high end or low end on the income spectrum to end up with a 70,000 a year average in the U.S.
@@la-ariemartinez3184 $15/h? A craftsman in germany wouldn't even get out of bed for that.
@@peter_meyer I understand that! I just recently left a bank job because of the low wage. Even though it was WFH they wanted us to work in multiple different departments for only $14 an hour. I’m currently getting my master degree to see if that will help increase my income potential which I’m luckily able to do mostly for free because of the military. I’m happy to be out the military because that was very demanding work for just as little pay but it has provided me the benefit to go to school for free so I can’t say it was not helpful.
Thank you Deutschland America needs good advice.
Dont forget that you need to pay very much for gas, electric and gasolin. Thats very cheap in America
This is what I try to tell people about canadian health care. My friends in the US make the same as me, basically same taxes and then they have to pay for insurance and copays etc. Its like sure you might take home a little bit more than me but I dont ahve to think about if i can afford to go to the doctor. From canada.
Brainwashing works in US Inc.
Your Healthcare is shit and takes forever to get treatment for serious medical conditions.
Oh my god. I always thought "hey I'm only making about $30.000/year (first year, straight out of college), Americans are telling me I'm poor?" but this made me realize, money just had more "worth" over here
Same. I almost got a little depressed because everyone on Reddit would always say „How do you even want to live with less than 60k a year? That’s the bare minimum“ but then I realized that you can’t compare American salaries with European salaries😅
How much does a 2000sqft townhouse cost in Germany ? In usa a computer engineer earning 100k can easily buy it in Chicago or Texas or Florida. German cars are cheaper in USA than Germany.
Never knew trade could be so challenging!
Kept running back to these RUclips videos
to learn more about this your video is indeed hopefully thanks.
Living expenses are not cheaper. WGS sind teuer, Wohnungen sind teuerer, Häuser sind ausschließlich nur für reiche. Auto? Tja
As an American who lived in Germany, this is only half true. There are things that cost more in Germany than in the U.S. for instance Gas, Groceries, Electricity, rent etc... Some places in the U.S. are more expensive in isolation, but the majority of places cost significantly less than they do in Germany. Finally on healthcare, yes the U.S. healthcare system is expensive, but the quality and availability of healthcare in Germany isn't perfect either. It's very hard to compare apples and apples.
As someone who has a partner in Germany (looking to move here); this is the correct answer. There IS a huge wealth disparity in the US, but it exists in Germany as well. While the govt in Germany does put away for retirement, it's not as much as many think it is and can make retirement crunched if you don't plan ahead (like in the US). Real estate is also crazy expensive in much of Germany, so saving for a down payment with higher taxes on a lower salary is very, very difficult. They are very different systems with both good and bad things about them.
Yep true. I also lived in Germany. On the whole you are much better off in the USA. I think she is comparing a very expensive area in the USA vs a not so expensive area in Germany. Not comparing apples with apples.
Genau!!! Exactly… until you live in Germany then you will understand. You are not comparing apples and apples
As a German I can confirm. The health care system sucks and you HAVE TO pay in it. We paid already 170k in insurance and everytime we need it we don’t get appointments or doctors dont take new patients or whatever. Its just not working anymore and everyone, even the ones who dont contribute (which are millions) have the same access as you. Its insane.
I would rather have half of that money on the side now for worst case scenario’s, and pay my rate doctor appointments cash. Thats how our friends in Usa do it. They pay for almost everything 200$ a couple of times a year and have an emergency fund. Yet my wife and I have to pay this stupid insurance in Germany which costs 24k a year. By the time we will be 60 we have paid almost 900k !!!
Damn, we have around 8,000€ less than that and we still are able to save lots of money and live very comfortably with several holidays and weekend trips throughout the year.
Yeah, works quite good!
German employers pay a large part of the social expenses. I am not into the details. It can be one of the reasons for this oddity.
The high taxes buy you peace of mind. Less anxiety over unforseen circumstances.
Not worth it
@@sooner1125That sounds like something someone would say who had never experienced true hardship in their life.
If Americans understood math, America wouldn't be like this in the first place.
I'm an American who understands math and I understand she conveniently did not mention the cost of how ownership in Germany. Its rather uncommon to own a home in Germany because its so grossly high. So if you want to have financial security in your residence... its not liable to happen in Germany unless you are exceedingly wealthy.
If we want to talk about understanding doing math, then we should talk about assuring all applicable variables are presented appropriately. In this case, they are not.
If Americans knew math, they wouldn't need the government to make decisions for them.
@@adammiller9029 Lol, "financial security in your residence". That's a good one.
You do know that just because you buy a home means you do not securely own it, right? Back in 2008 over 3 million Americans had their homes foreclosed on. The idea that home ownership is more secure than home rental is an American concept only. In countries like Germany (or every wealthy country that isn't America) tenant rights are also much stronger.
These concepts are great in theory. They truly are! But the way the US is today, these concepts wouldn't hold. When it comes to taxes we are being taxed like mad but we never truly know where the money is going. If you moved from here you know this.
Germany is the american dream americans keep talking about 😂
A living wage would be nice.
That commenter was feeling so smartass 🙄 seriously, every time I hear more about the system in the US and the happier I am that I never lived there. That is not living, that is surviving.
You are hearing the perspective of an ex-American who is a LOSER and was unable to succeed in America due to her own bad decisions, lack of education, or perhaps her smug, toxic personality and attitude made her unemployable. In any case, she is trying to gaslight people outside of the US into believing that America is a hellscape full of sick, poor, overworked, sad people. Sure, America has its problems, a good percentage of them due to the fact that the US is a "melting pot" of diversity... and diversity is not always a good thing (as Germany has been learning with their own "refugee" problem in recent years). But the typical American has a great standard of living and it is particularly great if you are well educated and work in a professional field. Most people have health insurance, send their kids to decent schools and have plenty to eat. No country is perfect and, as Germany becomes more and more diverse, it will also experience its own difficulties as well.
The amount that I can do in the states far surpasses just comfortably living as a mindless drone in europe.
Okay, sweetie, be a proud American, I'm not taking that away from you.
To be fair US is not all bad. Yes in Europe you have better social safety nets, but US offers much more opportunities. If you earn a median income in Europe, probably not a good idea to come here. However if you are in the right field and you are good, you have the opportunity to build wealth very fast in US. I am not saying it’s easy but it’s not uncommon for households where I live to have $M annual income. Yes work life balance can be awful but you can retire early with a very comfortable life ahead of you.
You don’t know what America is really like, you see propaganda videos and comments by people who have never amounted to anything in their life hating the US.
Like the one One guy with a college degree 45 years old making less than 40k a year in the US isn’t Americas fault lmao.
KEEP PREACHING THE TRUTH!!!! We need this in the USA!!! Proof that a nation can function with a social safety net!!
Apples and Oranges. In Europe, the services provided by government are competent, bordering on efficient. The civil service doesn’t get unlimited job security-you can get fired for not working to standard. Government services are not (overly) politicized.
Not so with the U.S. Take education. Germany has higher standards for education, and by the time most youth graduate, they’ve had exposure to at least two other languages and some form of mathematics. They also have trade schools for those who do not wish to attend college. In America, public schools are awful in comparison. Most government services are of poor quality, and aside from the military, the civil service works are extremely difficult to fire unless there exists a large paper trail of incompetence.
If the U.S. could address the incompetence and political indoctrination, go ahead!!!
'Disposable income' is the phrase you're looking for!
Yep! I don’t use this phrasing because many disposable income measures don’t calculate several layers of living expenses. And people will run to Google and go “nu uh!” 😂 Many disposal income measures only look at either only post-tax income or post-tax income minus housing + transportation. Instead, I wanted to include the full expense breakdown from each government because some important things (like 🇺🇸 healthcare costs) often get “overlooked.“ Maybe “discretionary” income would work best here.
The cost of living in the US can be different depending on where you live. If you live in a large city it’s outrageous! If you live in a lower population area it’s really not that high. I live in a rural area with a very low cost of living and low crime rate. Life is good!!
And that’s exactly what a brainwashed American is taught to think. My personal situation is good, so wtf do I care about my fellow Americans. I hope you don’t identify as a Christian.
As an American, I moved to Canada. It took a long time to realize how much bs we are fed by school and media to only care about ourselves. You don’t understand your lower cost of living is actually a lie. You do things like shame people for using food stamps without realizing they are a farming subsidy that creates cheaper food (filled with processed chemicals that Americans eat more than other countries). You don’t recognize that your cheap place to live contributes almost ZERO tax dollars to actually repair roads, fund Military and education, etc. Thst low cost of living means there are low opportunities for work for the youth who have to move to bigger cities. Or the work available is usually government based, there to exploit the low wages, or there due to government subsidies… which your area doesn’t pay enough to subsidize.
Meanwhile, you don’t even know that countries are starting to turn away from using the US dollar and it will be replaced by a more stable currency like the Japanese Yen. You don’t understand the ramifications that defunding and underfunding the education system that creates huge swaths of uneducated people is doing as India replaces the US as a technological hub. You don’t get that we allow China and India to manufacture the components to meth and fentanyl that is terrorizing the country because we have absolutely no power to tell them to stop anymore. The US is unhappy, unhealthy, and uneducated… but you keep telling yourself whatever lie they want you to believe.
The US is failing and most Americans are too brainwashed by The Greatest Nation Ever narrative to understand that it can and will fail due to letting greed and unbridled capitalism rule. You can’t have a country of democracy with just a few wealthy people in charge. The best time in America was full of affordability because of taxes on wealthy and unions to keep it fair for the working class.
Read Ray Dalio’s Principles for Dealing with A Changing a New World Order. He’s not a kooky leftist, he’s a billionaire that has seen the insides of the finance industry first hand.
If you have or plan to have children and grandchildren that you love… you should give a crap about what is happening to America. Sticking your head in the sand is actually the most anti-American thing you can do. Our founding fathers fought for something and we have let the overlords trick us all back into submission.
But you don't have access to cheap, high quality healthcare or education. Life expectancy in the US is substantially lower than in most European countries.
@@dbarlessHealthcare is worthless until you’re old, and education can easily be supplemented with the internet.
@@dbarless My healthcare is extremely good. I work as a factory worker btw not some rich guy. My health care comes from a combined insurance policy provided by the company I work for as well as a HSA. The HSA covers all the costs not filled by my subsidized insurance. On top of this my job matches what I put into my HSA. That HSA also works as a tax haven and allows me to invest that money for the future when it's likely needed. The US government very much pushes you to do these things. Many do not though. Free healthcare would reduce my income for worse care.
@@badger_ninja8681that's YOUR OWN case
We shall consider the acquisition capacity of the dollar and euro. A nice system plus a nice value for the money results in a better lifestyle and savings.
Funny how people who have never lived in the USA think they know so much about life here. I lived in Germany for two years and the content maker neglected to mention the VAT that most European countries have. The taxes and price of gasoline, diesel, heating fuel is higher also. Automobile insurance can be substantially higher if you choose to carry comprehensive coverage. If you dine out expect to pay a heavy tax also. How is that new property tax going to work out for Germans who own their homes starting in 2025? As for healthcare, not every European nation has great healthcare. My cousins in England aren’t thrilled with the NHS. Meanwhile I’ve been through cancer here in the USA and my out of pocket expenses were about $8,000 all said and done. I realize that 8k may be a lot of money for some people but considering the level of care, support and service I received it was a bargain. Never a wait for a CT Scan, PET Scan, bloodwork, diagnostics, etc. My health insurance is less than $400 per month for a family of four. That’s $4,800 per year out of my pocket for excellent private healthcare. Germany’s healthcare insurance is 14.6%, half paid by the employer and half paid by the employee. That’s 7.3% I’d be paying on a $150k salary or $11k not the $4,800 I presently pay now. Oh and a spouse can opt out of health insurance here if their partner has health insurance, don’t think that’s an option in Germany.
If the education system was better they'd understand what those numbers were and might get angry.
I understand what the numbers are.
But enjoying free medical, free transportation, and free recreation means I'll never want to move.
Other guy who said in the US the income makes a difference. That's the whole point. Everybody have a better quality of life and that your neighborhood can afford the cost of living or can't, like they can go to therapy instead of shooting everyone it is already affecting you too. No matter what neighborhood your are in.
If people in the US want to go to therapy they can. It's weird that people say differently.
@@johnclaybaugh9536 and if you’re mentally unstable and want a gun to kill people you can easily get one. I suppose thats why you guys have so many shootings 😅
That medium 46k after taxes sounds sketchy... I believe it is less than that
i went on residency to finland a few months back and literally just the cost of housing and groceries was night and day. The cost of living crisis in the US has made the purchasing power of the euro so much stronger in a way that economists don't want to admit
Please post all expenses for both sides. This sounds very slanted
Yeah not sure where she is getting her numbers. 86% of Americans salary goes to expenses? At least provide a source. We aren’t all her students that gobble up whatever she says. Or maybe most are and that’s the problem.
@@PsychiatricnerdHer figures will be legit. It's well known that the cost of living in most of Europe is far lower than in the US. The only things that are more expensive in Europe than in the US are fuel and energy. But everything else, food, health care, education, child care, etc, is far cheaper in most of Europe.
Having worked in both, I found I had a better life in the US, as a single person, my US company paid 100% of my medical, matched my 401k
But isn't it strange that you need to relie on you employer for insurance?
Nope, I find it strange that government provides health care, in the US most people get free or reduced health care, supplemented by the government,
@@ralphtill32 in germany you pay half of your healthcare, the other half gets covert by your employer both are mendatory for both partys. You will not loose coverage if you loose your job, the healthcare will be providet if you don't work or are unable to work.
The gouverment also supplements and subsadises healthcare. There are some employers that have theyr own privat health insurance that you can use BUT its mendatory that you have coverage.
No all companys have this kind of coverage you say, its not mendatory and can be exployted very easely becouse you can bait people into work with healthcare but this healthcare only works in a network. So if even the surgeon that operates you for an emergency is out of network you'll get billed for it and your provider may or may not reimburst you for it. This does not work in germany, you have healthcare for all of your life everywhere. If i break my leg tomorow while i'm on the other side of the country or even for 10€ a Year on the other side of the planet, i have no fear of ever getting to pay that while in the US its a real possibility that you'll need to pay it. You are not relient on your employer for benefits becouse its mandatory that all employers have it and you'll get covered even if you loose your job. Thats real freedom.
Insulin in the us costs 25-100$ per vial
Insulin in gernany costs 11-13$ per vial
Thanks to the gouvernment
@@ZetsubenSama it's thanks to higher drug costs in the US,
@@ralphtill32 remember oxycodon? The hole crisis that is still going on with fentanyl? Yeah that all happened becouse the company that produces oxy wanted to make more money.
You see, if you are poor you don't get to choose a price. You pay what you can, if you don't have enough you are not good enough for the US. There are horrorstorys from the US reguarding the healthcare system that are preventable.
Your logic is "it is expensive becouse it is expensive" while ignoring the fakts.
Drug costs in the US can be lowered, this is purely a matter of how badly the US wants it. Sad to see people not realise how much freedom you get from a life that involves less problems.
The USA politicians get people to vote for them by promising less taxation.
They forgot to tell them that that means the government will do less for them, and that they will use what taxes remain to help ultra-rich people.
Turns out that being selfish and greedy means you get poorer. Humanity works better when we are generous to each other. "Give and it shall be given unto you".
My favorite quote for people living with terminal illness in the US (it was in a book with discussion about it) was “it’s tragic how much it costs to stay alive when you’re always dying”
I hope people see this and leave the US to go. I would give up 90% of my income to just have the freedoms that I have in the US that I would not have in Germany or Europe.
To carry a gun and insult other ppl? I can't think of anything else about US "freedom" cough
@@arnodobler1096 Well if you feel like that, the US might not be for you. But at the same time, if you want to practice religion freely (like not being thrown in jail for wearing a Hijab), be able to teach your own ideologies and not be persecuted for speaking for what you want I couldn’t be prouder to call the US my home and defend.
@@adammohiuddin6173 Yes if I'm a pseudo priest or sect leader 💵 💵, USA is the place to be! US Inc.
You are the voice of truth but people programmed too deep will not get it!
I’ve traveled and experienced where they have free college education, but it’s an indoctrination at best. It’s “free” except if you want to learn anything outside of what their government wants you to know, then it’s 100% on you. Good luck paying for what you believe in when you’re already paying by force for what you may not believe in as well.
@@arnodobler1096 Germans can’t do anything without getting charged for hate speech lol. A lot of nations don’t allow you to criticize the government. And yes, being armed is a large part of American culture.
I can’t help all of Europe’s history is unarmed peasants having to succumb to the will of their own government or survive by the mercy of their invaders.
Less disposable income due to the higher cost of living, despite higher incomes. Well time to do what everybody does and wait for someone else to fix the problem.
"What if I told you [...]?"
I'd say it's not surprising. After all, a major reason for the income difference is taxes and most Americans scoff a that while forgetting that those taxes cover a lot of stuff that Americans pay for out of pocket. So in the end, best case scenario for Americans, it should work out to more or less the same.
I trust myself more than the government to build my financial future. America leaves more room for growth versus European countries where you can be stuck economically due to taxes.
Yeah but you can fall harder too.
👍🏼Absolutely; when need are covered, Quality of life is more important to bad people here in the states don’t get it!
Free transportation, free recreation, no medical bills.
Hobbies, vacations, and a savings.
Make better choices.
Comparing German and American cultures and societies is apples to oranges. Just because something works for a much smaller, largely homogenous nation does not mean it will work for the entirety of the United States. There are too many differing cultures, ethnicities, and ideologies to collectively agree on what basic human needs are, and that’s not even taking into consideration the massive levels of corruption and greed embedded into the standing political parties that make up our government.
Every other OECD country can do it, even many that are not developed, just not the USA Inc.!!!
And nothing the us does work so they either can break down in many countries or be socialist
Works in the UK - where we still have a national health service. Homogeneity is no impediment - last time I looked we were all part of the same human genome - and Germany is far from being largely monocultural.
German homogenous?😅 dude, germans are almost minority in Germany. USA is more homogenous than most (not all!!) European countries.
@@StuartDixon-vq9spwouldn’t work in the USA as corruption is fully legal, as much as I wish it would.
I know this is super off topic, but its important to me. Are there very many thunderstorms in germany?
Not absurdly more then in the US i suppose.
If you mean normal rain an lightning, then I would say its similar. But I never witnessed a tornado in Germany and storms/orcanes are maybe once a year and very less damaging than in the US.
I don't know. If it's efficient, I'd be down. Right now the wait times at the VA to see a mental health provider are over a month in some places, even longer in others. I enjoyed your insights.
America .....
The arms dealer running a health insurance scam.
The peace of mind that comes from living in Norway. The fact that i get great working conditions, free university (+ support), healthcare without insurance, and honestly amazing council resources like free equipment hire for anything under the sun...
Yeah, id pay even more in tax to ensure we keep this
You also DON"T save up for children's orthodontist, children's education or your retirement.
In Germany you don't need a giant financial portfolio in savings to retire.
If your retirement doesn't cover your living expenses you will be subsidized by the government.
I live in germany and get 36 paid vacation days and make 55k befire taxes and this with just 22, i thought about mobing to the us and all the people said when im moving eith this benefits im stupid as fuck. Now i understand that benefits in europe / germany are way better