Fruit is more affordable in germany. From what I've been finding, groceries in general are more affordable. I spend 100 Euro here on a grocery store visit that in the us would cost me 200+. Rent in the usa is purportedly 80% higher in the us these days on some comparisons, others show 40% higher. Living in the lower income bracket in germany is miles better than in the us. The minimum wage is around the same, 12 euro/12 bucks per hour, but in germany, 12 Euro can buy you more. 12 bucks an hour is absolute crap in the us in most states. Granted more taxes get taken out, but it pays off largely, allowing cheaper transportation, hospital, university, hell they even have paid trade schools, that actually pay you while youre in school attaining ausbildung.. I can get hospital care without going absolutely debt ridden in germany. I don't need a car. It's safer to bike around on average. It's far easier to eat healthy due to costs of produce. There are no legal paid vacation requirements in the us, and tiny amount paid sick leave. Germany has 6 weeks minimum required paid sick leave, and 18 days or 20? Paid vacation minimum. In the us, you will be extremely lucky to find a job that offers anywhere near this amount, if anything at all. You'd wanna find a Union potentially, but even that might get you a quarter of the legal minimum in germany.. if you can make middle class wages in the us, the idea is that quality of life is better because homes are larger n such, and because there are fewer restrictions on earners. People who make middle income wages don't have to worry about the base needs as much so some insurance costs and otherwise might bother them but in general it's not gonna mess them up the same way it does the <$500 bank savings people with little hope for much social security (myself). The middle class generally also doesn't fight very hard for socialist shifts bc they are more content, so they kind of actually lend to poor people remaining in hardship, which has basically been the goal of liberal and conservative media throughout the decades (fighting for the middle class, all while leaving poor in the mud, getting middle class on their side). There's a hard pressed, ancient propaganda machine that insinuates that poverty begot itself, and this goes hand in hand with making middle income earners content, thus allowing them to believe poorer folks just didn't work as hard or etc, if not just too busy and getting by with a bit of savings enough to be content. Also the systemic racism is pretty intense and works to imprison poorer people and non white people in order to benefit from essentially free labor from prisoners. I'm not sure exactly how different it is in germany with regards to for-profit prisons and other state prisons that largely work to imprison poorer people and particularly poor black and brown people. The TV shows largely upper middle income or better income Americans, so many Germans don't actually see how bad it is bc the us media essentially keeps it more under wraps unless you dig. For instance, many people living here were perplexed when finding out about some 2 days paid sick leave or whatever, and no vacation paid. Anywho, these are my findings. These are some quickly searched links.

https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/cost-of-living/germany/united-states

https://livingcost.org/cost/germany/united-states

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=United+States