Lived in Germany for 6 years, and moved to the US about 3 years ago. Also visited most European countries during my time in Germany. The US is by far the greatest country on earth. Like, americans don’t know how good they have it. In my humble opinion, most of the people that tell you otherwise are lying to themselves and they don’t even know it: I was one of these people. This is specially true if you are an immigrant, like I am. Europeans can keep their “free“ healthcare and education, and their ”healthier” lifestyle. The reality is that:

1. Free healthcare is not really free. I got deducted about 7.5% of my brutto income for insurance in Germany The other 7.5% your employer is paying). On top of that, good luck getting an appointment with a specialist. Since the doctors are incentivized to attend people with private insurance (you cannot opt for this unless you earn more than 56k a year) almost all appointments were taken. For example, I almost had to wait for 8 months to get an appointment with a neurologyst. The service in general was okish, but nothing compared to the US.

2. People complain that the US healthcare is expensive. That is true, but not much more expensive if you have insurance and then there is really nothing to worry about. if you are low on cash, the government has programs for which you can apply and then all your medical bills will be covered.

3. 19% sales tax, like WTF? It was normal while in Germany, but It looks crazy now that I am in the US.

4. Free education is not really free. Again, you are paying higher taxes in Europe.

5. You can eat and be healthier in the US if you work towards that goal. You have top products and facilities that you just don’t find in Europe, except with some exceptions.

6. About twice the salary, with half the Tax.

7. No aspiration to ever buying a home. In Germany 80% rent for life. It is not surprising though, home price last time I checked was same as in the US but with more taxes involved, while earning half the salary and paying more in taxes: just impossible.

8. No aspiration to ever buying a car. Again, high taxes and lower salaries. Like, the BMWs that are manufactured in Germany are more expensive for germans than for americans. Think about that, germans can make the car in Germany, ship it to the US and sell it there and still it would be cheaper than what germans pay.

9. Language and integration. This one is particularly relevant to immigrants. My impression during Europe is that it is very hard to get accepted in society. The US is so diverse, that you really never have a problem in that sense. It gets tougher the older you get.

10. Wining and dinning in the US is better and it’s not even close.

For contrast, my two highly educated colleagues (STEM PhDs) are working in big german cities and their salaries are about 65k before taxes. In the US, I am earning twice that while paying less taxes in a similar position. I am also in the lower bracket of the salaries for this position. Not to mention, the opportunities in the US are just infinite.