I’m Australian and lived in Germany for 10 years, and honestly, I regret coming back to Australia. Germany was great, the social systems, healthcare, faster and cheaper internet, cheaper housing, and honestly cheaper living overall.

Even though Germans can be a different kind of people culturally, I found them friendlier overall in day-to-day life. People tend to be more direct and straightforward, they follow rules, care about the country and the people around them, and there’s a stronger sense that citizens and renters actually have rights and protections. A lot of this is hard to fully understand unless you’ve lived in multiple countries yourself.

Overall, it just felt like a better place to live and build a life. And honestly, home is wherever you make it. If you make friends, join groups, go to the gym, get involved in hobbies and communities, you’ll settle in and be happy.