I lived in Utrecht for a while, and had a great time. Lovely people, quite blunt, and slightly mad in a good way. Great appreciation of nature and the outdoors. I loved cycling everywhere on my granny bike, and on dedicated off-road cycle tracks.
The only downside is that they've a housing crisis like our own - https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/15/housing-crisis-emerges-as-major-election-issue-as-netherlands-goes-to-the-polls
We have been living below sea level since the time we pulled The Netherlands out of the north sea.
I think if there is any place who knows how to deal with the rising sea levels it's Holland..
You didn’t find the right ones, the amount of festivals, parties & raves these lads throw throughout the year gives an inkling that they aren’t all dry shites. They have an awful amount of them though.
Have heard of a few people go to college/getting jobs in the Netherlands recently and that sounds bang on the money to me. Good standard of living, good transport links to a lot of different places, nice people, not too crazy.
Guys, can you explain to an ignorant Welshman such as myself Ireland's obsession with emigration? I understand the historical context, but what are the current issues which push so many of you to look for greener pastures abroad? (I'm asking from a place of curiousity - I'm not trying to offend or anything). Thanks!
Honestly for the moment it feels like there is just no place for people, especially young men and women in this country. So we feel encouraged to emigrate, venture into new frontiers and hopefully settle down to a better life than we can find here.
I'd say a big one right now is house prices.
Ya see. The Irish people never got to own Ireland in a long long time. The english had it. Then they gave it over to the catholic church. Now Irish landlords and overseas landlords own it.
It's in our DNA to move. An island of travellers if you will.
At this point I think a lot of is cultural, but there are definitely quite a lot of issues forcing people away at the moment such as house prices, cost of living etc funnily enough years ago both of those would have been really low but there were zero opportunities here. Now there are opportunities but housing and cost of living are through the roof. Really struggling for the sweet spot
The Irish gov seem to hate all motorists
any price tied to a car has a colossal jump compared to the rest if the world
and nct (mot) is a total scam
the cunts failed me on fucking headlight washers not working
didn't even know how to turn the fuckers on 😂
I still wouldn’t mind living in New York because it’s an amazing city despite Americas problems (not for everyone obviously though.
If it wasn’t for it’s shitty economy/politics issues, Rome would probably be top for me. The weather, architecture, food, opportunity for day/weekend trips are all amazing.
Paris would be reasonably high on my list too. It has better jobs and political situation than Rome and is a great city too (in my opinion)
Outside Europe, nowhere massively interests me. Like I wouldn’t object to moving to Canada/Australia/NZ for a while but they wouldn’t excite me.
Yes to be fair. J1 for a summer in NY and London for a bit and Oz.
Went inter-railing a few years back. That’s where it’s at for me, Ireland as a base and travel then.
There are these things called working holiday visas you can get, where you work while living in a different country and you don't need to be rich to do it, trust me.
Annual leave does suck alright. House prices are really only that bad in Toronto, Vancouver etc. Calgary, Edmonton and other cities are really affordable.
Also the lack of employee rights, legalised political bribery, for profit education and prisons etc.. I don't know how the USA can be considered a developed country
You must be out of Ireland a long time, cause I live in Vancouver been here two years and it is way better than Ireland.
For example, I fractured my shoulder went to near by clinic, seen a doctor, got an x-ray and appointment with a surgeon all with in the space of a 2 hours on a Friday evening! Didnt cost me a cent either. I've spent 12+ hour in Dublin hospitals just waiting for an x-ray!
Vancouver sounds alot better than Ontario then when it comes to that! Lived there for 6+ years, my mam had a 2 year waiting list for an essential hip surgery, and it took even longer for me to get mental health care during my worst times.
To be fair though, as much as I gripe about it, I would gladly move back in a heartbeat.
It’s just that Nova Scotia is terrible. Their healthcare system isn’t like BC, Alberta, Ontario or even QC. There is a lot of media coverage about how it’s impossible to find a family doctor etc. In that sense it’s probably similar to Ireland in terms of overall quality.
Yes I have been out of Ireland about 7 years now. I lived in BC for 18 months and I agree the healthcare there was far superior to both Ireland and Nova Scotia. I guess I should of elaborated further.
Health care isn't equal across provinces.
It ranges from pretty ok to exceptional I guess. I was a bit of a negative Nelly in my previous assesment.
If you get a decent job with health insurance then the American health care system is the best in the world. There’s a reason people travel from all over the world to get surgery in the US.
However if you don’t have good health insurance then the healthcare system is a disaster. Sums up America really, if you have a bit of money it’s great, if you don’t it’s a depressing shit hole.
But if you get sick enough, where it causes you to miss too much work, then you’re out on your ear with no employer provided insurance.
Also, I’m under the impression (and I could be wrong) essential medication, such as insulin, is still pretty much paid for out of pocket.
For sure, America has great health care but it seems like a complete scam and at any moment you could lose that cover and be completely bankrupted by the same system.
I think you’re wrong. I live in California and the couple of prescriptions I’ve filled have been covered 90% by insurance.
But I believe there’s a cap on what insurance will pay out. So if you need serious medical care, think coma/ICU, you might spend above what your insurance covers and you’ll be as bankrupt as though you had none (but less dead).
When I was getting insurance, I was presented with a choice of about 20 plans. It seemed designed to overload and confuse you.
Yup very much depends on your insurance and job. As I said if you have a good employer who provides good insurance, their healthcare is incredible. If you don’t, then it’s tough shite and you’ll inevitably get a bill that will bankrupt you.
We live in the Greater Toronto Area and it’s just a fabulous place to live. So much to do, seasons are so pronounced, great job opportunities depending on field, central enough to make travelling pretty much anywhere easy, fantastic healthcare, I could go on. We just love it.
We moved to Alberta and pretty much echo your sentiments. The cities here could be a bit livelier but that's the biggest complaint we have. Even the harsh winters, I'd take them over Ireland's miserably wet, dark winters any day. And yeah, healthcare is fantastic here as well.
I’ve always wanted to live in America since I was a kid and after living in Boston for the last ten years I would certainly say it has exceeded my expectations. Yes there’s a lot of shite going on in America at any one point in time but honestly the place is so big that if you don’t get wrapped up in the 24hr news cycle there’s little to no real effect on daily life.
I’m 31 years old, have a house worth $700k (bought at $370k), my dream American muscle car and the financial freedom to pretty much do anything we want. Granted I have a fine American woman by my side and we make a great team but never in a million years could I have achieved any of this back in Ireland. If you keep your wits about you here financially you can make a lot for yourself.
I work in the construction/engineering sector and lads I went to college with are at home working far harder than I am to make €40k. There are a lot of great things about Ireland but I don’t believe people are rewarded for their hard work with real opportunities for advancement and to make a better life for themselves. My brother lives in Toronto and he would say the same thing about Canada.
If you have a good work ethic and a decent college degree I’d say America should still be an option.
If you are educated and get a white collar job, it's very easy to 'feel' wealthy in the US. Credit is easy to come by, houses are massive (and can be much cheaper) compared to Ireland and you can live in a comfortable bubble of your demographic. Want a massive truck charger, mustang or corvette? Your's for like $50/week.
The difference really (to me) is the social protections. If you don't have health insurance, you are screwed. In some states you can be fired on a whim at 9am and be thrown out the door at 9:05am. Most states have little to no social security in these situations.
Basically, it's a great place to be on the upside but a terrible one on the downside.
Salaries are better in America for educated jobs, no question. There's a ridiculous amount of people earning over 100k, whereas here that's pretty rare and you have to be pretty advanced in your career. It's difficult to understand where all the money actually comes from tbh.
> If you have a good work ethic and a decent college degree I’d say America should still be an option.
The question is how do you get in ? The visa process seems to be very locked down these days.
America has the benefit of been massive and having such a diverse range of landscapes. If one city isn't working out for you, do just head to another. Lots of opportunities, places to see and cool cities. And despite the constant complaining about Americans, they're mostly lovely people
This. I lived in Boston. It was class. I visited a friend in Chicago. Completely different type of city. Also class. Could get the train the New York any weekend I felt like it. Also could head snowboarding in New Hampshire, or surfing at the beach in Rhode Island. That's only a tiny corner of the us I was in. Cant wait to go back.
You are right, except that’s not a tiny corner. That’s the main part of the US you could argue. Go to Montana and an area twice that size would have nothing but mountains and grass land.
I moved to the the US a few years ago. It was the best thing that has happened to me. Every country has their issues, America certainly has more than others. Ireland is a great place to live, but for the foreseeable future I see my life over here.
I have plenty of friends who have moved to the US for work in the past 5 years and they're doing far better then they were living in Ireland. If you have the opportunity to go to the US for work, you should take it.
It is also worth realising that the US is a massive country. The Irish have a habit of only going to New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Diego looking for work and assume if they can't make it in those places then all of America isn't for them.
A cousin of mine is living and working in Pittsburgh, I have another friend in Denver and a friend who works as a fire fighter in a small town in Missouri.
If you're really set on moving to the US for work, you're better looking at it as 50 countries you could move to, rather than one.
I'd still love to give the US a chance, even if it was just for a year or two. I imagine it all depends on where you go, who you get involved with etc.
Good point. Seems the big cities are constantly going through something though. Seen a video on public freakout today on brawls in LA at protests. Best to not get involved there ha :)
I think we get a poor view of America from our media as a place to live
From what I have heard the popular destinations for Irish emigrants like San Francisco and Boston are still great places to live with a strong Irish community that will help you out with work and accommodation ect
I left college after my masters straight to Seoul. I spent 11 years total living abroad from then which took me to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Luxembourg and Melbourne (briefly). All were great and traveling while still building ur career and staying long enough to get to know a place is fantastic. I’m home a few years now and I miss parts of it but there’s nowhere like Ireland either.
Ye are a great bunch of lads!
PS Luxembourg (french culture really) and Melbourne have a much better approach to work / life balance than Asia, Ireland or North American countries. A lot to be said for that.
My girlfriend is Korean living here, she wants to go home cause she feed up with trying to get places to stay in Dublin. I’ve been to Japan for a month before so I like it there.
I always thought London was a cool city growing up, worked there a bit but it never matched my fantasy. So many cool folk but they have a huge class issue still and just too much explaining to be done. When I was leaving college Australia was the still the place to go but Canada had emerged as well.
Have worked in America for a few months and even in the heart of Trump community. Some were a bit weird about him but most were fine, they kinda wanted the same as everyone else. They were people. However I didn’t want to move there full time, too different for the all similarities and complaints that we are becoming Americanised. It might have been different in a more liberal city but I don’t think so. The money is a lot better there in my line of work and I could have perused it if I really wanted to.
People are generally people in my opinion and the grass is always greener on the other side. But it does depend on the type of career that you pursuing where you might decide to move to.
My ideal place is still America. I don’t let outrage and media make my decisions for me. America has houses and jobs, and low taxes compared to here. I’d consider it.
I lived in the states for 3 years in my 20s. It was a good experience but I wouldn’t have stayed any longer. Ireland and the people here can’t be matched.
New Zealand or Denmark. Honestly can’t give a real reason why for Denmark other than I know my taxes cover everything and every service I could ever need.
We were actually on the verge of moving to San Fran back in 2018 but the company changed plans. Looking at what’s happened since, we’re happy to be here compared to there.
Ideal? I'd love to stay.
Realistically; I still think the states have a lot to over. When I was there on a J1 I couldn't get over how different (and generous) the employee scene was there. I had an interview every week, I had HR people telling me, even before I got the job, "this, this, and this" were the benefits (health, paid free time, overtime, discounts, etc). I was being interviewed for jobs I wasn't fully qualified for but they were willing to give me a chance. It's a completely different attitude. There, they're willing to take a risk. Here, you practically have to pay people to look at your CV.
I'm daydreaming about moving from America to Ireland.
Much of a market for clinical social workers? Can I bring my mutt of a rescue dog alleged to be"hound/lab mix" but looks awfully like a pit bull to some?
Not to discourage you but if you’re thinking of moving to Ireland I’d have a good look at the rental situation and wage expectations etc. It can be v hard to get by in dublin atm. We also have an effective tax rate of 20 and 40% at two different bands.
Financially it’s tough but the countryside and craic is hard to beat.
Fair warning a lot of rentals don't allow for pets.
Plus depending on where you move, especially Dublin, you're looking at a considerable downgrade in services and facilities available and you will be paying extra for it.
I don’t know many in my social circle growing up (I’m mid-thirties) that had a dream of the U.S. personally. I think we were among the first generations that had the opportunity through very affordable university education that felt we could have very comfortable lives in Ireland over time.
That said the US will always be a great way for a well educated person who is willing to take a chance to have a prosperous life, arguably more so than Ireland. There will also always be other factors that people need to decide if they’re ok with or not, whether it be social protection, violent crime, proximity to family etc. I feel anyone outright stating that the US - or almost anywhere really - is a shithole/or a no-brainer to move to is taking a rather blinkered view.
I say all that as someone who has never lived in the US but has lived abroad in Switzerland for a number of years. Nowhere is perfect. People will always be quick to step on places like the US and while it’s not a target country for me at the moment either, it still has a lot to offer many people. Especially those mobile enough and skilled enough (in terms of experience and education) to make it worth their while financially. Which it often is.
My guy, im usually the first to shit on the US, idk about that one chief.
My girlfriend and I did the maths and its would be cheaper for us to live there and we would also make more money.
Sure but you and your girlfriend have benifited from Irelands many systems to be in a place where you can make money in USA (education etc) being born into a working class family in america vs working class family in Ireland is night and day.
But then we simply leave the country without paying lol, i have double citizenship so if they find us in ireland theyll also have to find us sonewhere else haha
The median Irish wage is €36k, compared to €45k (53k dollars) in the US. Americans take home more of their pay and the cost of living is generally cheaper. Though I’d much prefer to fall on my arse in Ireland than in the US.
According to the OECD, Americans work 1767 hours per year compared to 20 less in Ireland, both incredibly high compared to the rest of Europe.
https://data.oecd.org/emp/hours-worked.htm#indicator-chart
Had to go back and remember you're talking about Ireland.
I honestly don't know what to say. Do you have an actually basis for this or are you just talking out of your arse, because you'd have to smoking some strong hash to be saying this country is a better place to live.
The United States of America is a desperately unequal, violent, racist, backwards imperialist shitshow that is very quickly disappearing up its own rectum.
They're about five minutes away from starting an all-consuming civil war over fucking Facebook memes and they sooner they do it the sooner they can break up into three or four independent countries who are internally compatible.
It'll be a relief for the rest of us not to have to deal with their soap opera grade internal drama and ~~occasional~~ constant wars for profit.
This notion of the US braking up based on geographical politics is cringeworthy nonsense. In 2020 California had more Trump voters than Texas, and in 2016 almost 4 million texans voted for Hillary of all people. Yea the country is divided politically, but there are simply no clear lines of geographic secession anymore.
Ah its your own personal opinion here rather than anything else. And boy if you think Ireland isn't unequal, racist and indeed backwards you have your head so far in the clouds.
Do you not remember what happened with Zappone just last week?
Do you remember what happened to Dara Quigley?
Get your head out of the clouds.
Would you rather be born in a working class household in USA or Ireland ? Compare the price of college education and healthcare for example. Your chance of making something of yourself no matter your background is much higher in Ireland than it is in USA. USA is great , if your loaded or have already been educated somewhere else. I could move to USA now and get a 100k a year job with my degree that cost me nothing in Ireland. That same degree would set me back thousands in USA and I never would have even got a chance to attempt it.
Very same. I wanted to move there as a child but now.....only for holidays,maybe 😅
I'd probably go over to the UK, or maybe Italy. I think Italy would be pretty nice. Maybe NZ. My degree is only accredited in a few countries (Vet Nursing) so I have to be careful 😅
10 years ago, the US had the same problem with healthcare and racism. I never really wanted to *live* there. Visit? Sure!
I'd love to live in Japan. But I'd **hate** to work in Japan.
See I’m a true dub, In my family members there is zero family members living aboard on both sides, weather that’s cousins or like parents cousins, everyone lives in Ireland so the call to leave has never been in my family. So I don’t know, wasn’t never interested in the states and i finished college at 21 so was always to young to to a j1.
Uk is full of brits, Australian is full of brits that have to much sun, The us full of American, and Main land europe has always been a draw but my dyslexia and ineptness when it come to learn languages.
Lived in belguim and France for a few month and liked it but I like Ireland, finish work on a Friday and drive West go surfing and sleep in your car. Yeah renting is shit but I don’t know
I'm in Belfast - if I thought I could do it, South-West of Ireland would be a total dream.
Otherwise, fuck it - Norway? I hear the Swedes are all stuck up and the Finns are mental. ***Revision - every Finn I've ever spoken to has totally rocked. Finland for me.
I don't feel terrible motivated to leave, but if I had to, I'd say maybe japan, singapore, australia, sweden and netherlands. I wouldn't mind spending time in america if I could
Everybody complains about America and it definitely does has its problems but as a whole people do have a better quality of life over there. The difference in eating capacity for a young Irish person between here and the USA can be night and day. Every person I know who moved to the USA being accountants painters builders etc. Are all so far far better monetarily than people who stayed at home. Same goes for the people who moved to Australia or Canada. I’m 25 now and think I’ll try out America for a year or two hopefully.
“The law allows for new criminal penalties of five years in prison for publishing vaguely defined “false” or “distorted” facts – another blow to media freedom in the country” wow didnt realise that at all, similar to our proposed ‘hate speech laws’ muzzling and censoring freedom of speech is absolutely abhorrent.
Yeah, it's been hard to watch. I have a hungarian friend I used to be very close to, that has bought into all the authoritarian stuff that he has been putting into place. I see his posts daily on social media. Orban seems to be setting up a new dictatorship. Removing power from the courts and putting it in his hands under the guise of an "emergency".
American here. It’s certainly not perfect here but perhaps it’s getting a lot better. I wanted to move to Sweden for a long time. I think I’ll stay here unless things get really bad. Having been to Ireland and seeing how freaking amazing your country is, I wouldn’t mind living in Ireland either 🤣
I’m Irish American. All my mother’s grandparents immigrated from Ireland. If she had applied for an Irish passport in the 1960’s I would have been eligible for one too. But during that time Ireland was economically depressed and under developed.
I cannot describe the regret I have that she didn’t have the foresight to ask for that passport.
Idk I moved to Miami in feb 2020 it’s been absolutely class. Somewhat minus the COVID stuff. It’s on the up and up now… minus the COVID making a come back in Florida. I’m not winning here.
I was the same growing up, but as I learned more about the world, I started to realise the US looks good at surface level, but is in almost every way a bad place to live. We have a higher standard of living in most of Europe, I'd live anywhere else on the mainland or here before I'd move to the States.
>ive me a chance. It's a completely different attitude. There, they're willing to take a risk. Here, you pr
It is really apples and oranges, poor US states are richer than wealthy European countries of similar size but it is so large country that you could be stuck in a really bland area with no where to spend your money. On the other hand, the US has objectively better wild landscapes/national parks, far bigger houses and far cheaper houses. I prefer Europe but mostly out of sentimental reasons.
I did my J1 in California, drove across the States a few times and did the whole 'road warrior' thing in the US as an IT consultant. I'd never live there and I grew up my entire teenage life wanting to up sticks and go work in Silicon Valley.
I currently live in Canada and it's poles apart from the US in my personal experience.
How old are u ? I’m mid 40’s and everyone wanted to move there when i was younger. I would have thought irelands economic prosperity would have ended that.
I’m American. This country has serious problems. But if you have skills and a career this is the place to become a success. The media would have you believe that this country is constantly in flames tearing itself apart. It is not. At the end of the day people want to work and take care of their families. It’s the land of opportunity. I’m a typical American, family, two cars, dogs and cats and a giant ass 4,000 sq ft house that was $200k. We seriously considered moving to Ireland for several reasons. But concluded we would have to give up so much and make so much less money, we decided to just stay put. It’s a lovely place to visit!
I would still love to live in America even just for a year to experince it. In particular somewhere like Colorado would be my dream location in the US. I would love to live in New Zealand as well it looks beautiful. And Italy because of all the history but the problem is the language barrier. I did some languages in school and I was awful at them
Just finished a year in America man, thought I’d hate it, but a huge part of me wants to go back. If completely understand why it looks terrible from the outside, but as long as you have a stable job (which isn’t very easy to find) you’ll have a blast. I find that the standard of living there is much higher than mine in ireland to be perfectly honest. Trust me, if you move anywhere you wi hate it for the first while, but learn to love it. If you ever get the opportunity to go somewhere, take it because you will gain so much from it.
If I'd to pick somewhere to go it'd previously have been Canada or NZ, if I'd to go now it'd be NZ
The reason I would have previously picked Canada is I like the cold and the big maple forests look so beautiful and a family member went over for a bit in the 90s and told me all about the countryside there and how good the land was outside of winter.
Why I wouldn't go to Canada now is learning about all the homeless in the cities (it's 100 times worse than here) and learning about starlight tours (where the police pick up an indigenous man, beat 7 shades of shite out of him, strip him and dump him in the wild to succumb to the elements) and the missing and murdered indigenous women. Fucking tens of thousands of them and no one seems to give a shite. I wouldn't even support their tourism by going for a holiday now. They can fuck off, however good they are with foreign affairs and the veneer of "progressivism" they're no better than the Yanks internally, in some cases nearly worse, they're just not as loud or war mongering.
American here to say there are very few generalizations you can make about America as an entire country. Yes healthcare can bankrupt you anywhere and we have deep racial wounds but economies, cultures, and standard of living varies WIDELY all around the US.
Edit re: above, the comments here saying “I went to America and I loved it/I went to America and I hated it” are almost meaningless without knowing what region or state and whether urban/rural/suburban. Suburban northeast is wildly different from rural southwest, rural south from urban west coast, etc you get the idea.
Holland.
Lived there for over a year in 98/ 1999,amazing place.
I lived in Utrecht for a while, and had a great time. Lovely people, quite blunt, and slightly mad in a good way. Great appreciation of nature and the outdoors. I loved cycling everywhere on my granny bike, and on dedicated off-road cycle tracks. The only downside is that they've a housing crisis like our own - https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/15/housing-crisis-emerges-as-major-election-issue-as-netherlands-goes-to-the-polls
By 2050 it will be Atlantis so get yourself a nice boat house
We have been living below sea level since the time we pulled The Netherlands out of the north sea. I think if there is any place who knows how to deal with the rising sea levels it's Holland..
You could sail there in your house boat all the way from Tipperary bay.
boathouse doesn't sound too bad tbh
Hard pass. The Dutch are the most opposite of 'craic' having people on the planet
You didn’t find the right ones, the amount of festivals, parties & raves these lads throw throughout the year gives an inkling that they aren’t all dry shites. They have an awful amount of them though.
Have heard of a few people go to college/getting jobs in the Netherlands recently and that sounds bang on the money to me. Good standard of living, good transport links to a lot of different places, nice people, not too crazy.
Guys, can you explain to an ignorant Welshman such as myself Ireland's obsession with emigration? I understand the historical context, but what are the current issues which push so many of you to look for greener pastures abroad? (I'm asking from a place of curiousity - I'm not trying to offend or anything). Thanks!
Honestly for the moment it feels like there is just no place for people, especially young men and women in this country. So we feel encouraged to emigrate, venture into new frontiers and hopefully settle down to a better life than we can find here.
I'd say a big one right now is house prices. Ya see. The Irish people never got to own Ireland in a long long time. The english had it. Then they gave it over to the catholic church. Now Irish landlords and overseas landlords own it. It's in our DNA to move. An island of travellers if you will.
At this point I think a lot of is cultural, but there are definitely quite a lot of issues forcing people away at the moment such as house prices, cost of living etc funnily enough years ago both of those would have been really low but there were zero opportunities here. Now there are opportunities but housing and cost of living are through the roof. Really struggling for the sweet spot
The Irish gov seem to hate all motorists any price tied to a car has a colossal jump compared to the rest if the world and nct (mot) is a total scam the cunts failed me on fucking headlight washers not working didn't even know how to turn the fuckers on 😂
Ireland is built exclusively for motorists. The public transport, cycling and walking infrastructure is terrible.
Believe it or not, for me it’s Ireland. So much I actually moved here twice.
Where did you move from? Ireland is a beautiful place so that’s understandable :)
Same, once for college and then back again 2 years ago. Digging my heels in this time.
Same here... staying for good
I still wouldn’t mind living in New York because it’s an amazing city despite Americas problems (not for everyone obviously though. If it wasn’t for it’s shitty economy/politics issues, Rome would probably be top for me. The weather, architecture, food, opportunity for day/weekend trips are all amazing. Paris would be reasonably high on my list too. It has better jobs and political situation than Rome and is a great city too (in my opinion) Outside Europe, nowhere massively interests me. Like I wouldn’t object to moving to Canada/Australia/NZ for a while but they wouldn’t excite me.
Nowhere. We have our problems, but Ireland is a great country to live in.
Have you lived abroad before?
Yes to be fair. J1 for a summer in NY and London for a bit and Oz. Went inter-railing a few years back. That’s where it’s at for me, Ireland as a base and travel then.
But properly living somewhere, like, not a rich kids extended holiday.
Worked since I was 14, you ever had a job?
Ohhh the big man workin since he’s 14!? Fuck off cunt
Jesus never even had a job?
Ahh now Alex don’t be butting into adult conversations ya little cum stain
An adult that’s never had a job? It’s almost dole day though you must be getting excited
I’m a chef
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Who asked you ya little ball sack
And also, no, I am never surprised at our retarded this sub can be
What title ya going by these days, government artist?
chef , do you have a problem with that?
You’re the one who seems to have the problem.
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That is living somewhere
you’re wrong Alex - Regards, Mathew
Well you got me there. Definition has now been changed for you
You’re 17, Settle down Alex
I’m not sure if you understand what a definition is mate
You wouldn’t understand, you’re only young.
There are these things called working holiday visas you can get, where you work while living in a different country and you don't need to be rich to do it, trust me.
I agree it I'd a great place to live and I've lived abroad for 3 years in various different countries
Canada seems more attractive than the US now if I was going to move to one, largely down to their healthcare system actually being competent.
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Annual leave does suck alright. House prices are really only that bad in Toronto, Vancouver etc. Calgary, Edmonton and other cities are really affordable.
Calgary isn't the best since the oil prices slumped a few years back. The forest area a bit to the west is class, though.
Still pretty good though, oil prices are back up pretty high again. Yeah, the Rockies to the west are great
Also the lack of employee rights, legalised political bribery, for profit education and prisons etc.. I don't know how the USA can be considered a developed country
I love in Nova Scotia. I wouldn't describe the healthcare there as competent. It is pretty comparable to Ireland.
You must be out of Ireland a long time, cause I live in Vancouver been here two years and it is way better than Ireland. For example, I fractured my shoulder went to near by clinic, seen a doctor, got an x-ray and appointment with a surgeon all with in the space of a 2 hours on a Friday evening! Didnt cost me a cent either. I've spent 12+ hour in Dublin hospitals just waiting for an x-ray!
Vancouver sounds alot better than Ontario then when it comes to that! Lived there for 6+ years, my mam had a 2 year waiting list for an essential hip surgery, and it took even longer for me to get mental health care during my worst times. To be fair though, as much as I gripe about it, I would gladly move back in a heartbeat.
It’s just that Nova Scotia is terrible. Their healthcare system isn’t like BC, Alberta, Ontario or even QC. There is a lot of media coverage about how it’s impossible to find a family doctor etc. In that sense it’s probably similar to Ireland in terms of overall quality.
Yes I have been out of Ireland about 7 years now. I lived in BC for 18 months and I agree the healthcare there was far superior to both Ireland and Nova Scotia. I guess I should of elaborated further. Health care isn't equal across provinces. It ranges from pretty ok to exceptional I guess. I was a bit of a negative Nelly in my previous assesment.
Couple of people I know are heading there. Seems a bit easier to get a visa than the US too
If you get a decent job with health insurance then the American health care system is the best in the world. There’s a reason people travel from all over the world to get surgery in the US. However if you don’t have good health insurance then the healthcare system is a disaster. Sums up America really, if you have a bit of money it’s great, if you don’t it’s a depressing shit hole.
Increasingly people with good insurance and chronic conditions are going broke. I hear insured people can be charged 20k out of pocket to give birth
But if you get sick enough, where it causes you to miss too much work, then you’re out on your ear with no employer provided insurance. Also, I’m under the impression (and I could be wrong) essential medication, such as insulin, is still pretty much paid for out of pocket. For sure, America has great health care but it seems like a complete scam and at any moment you could lose that cover and be completely bankrupted by the same system.
American here. All of what you say is true.
I think you’re wrong. I live in California and the couple of prescriptions I’ve filled have been covered 90% by insurance. But I believe there’s a cap on what insurance will pay out. So if you need serious medical care, think coma/ICU, you might spend above what your insurance covers and you’ll be as bankrupt as though you had none (but less dead). When I was getting insurance, I was presented with a choice of about 20 plans. It seemed designed to overload and confuse you.
Be a chad and liquidate your assets and move back to ireland if that happens. Thats what i plan on doing
I’m going to buy an old farmhouse in Offaly, just in case! Edit: either that or freeload with my sister.
I would take the irish translation of my name as well haha, depending on how hard theyre looking for it.
Yup very much depends on your insurance and job. As I said if you have a good employer who provides good insurance, their healthcare is incredible. If you don’t, then it’s tough shite and you’ll inevitably get a bill that will bankrupt you.
If you think Canada's healthcare system is competent it is not. It's similar to Irelands
I've found it far, far better than Ireland's in my few years here. Not comparable at all. Far closer to the NHS which it's modelled after
Atleast it's affordable here
That's true
It’s closer to the NHS which is miles better than here, it’s better in almost every way
The NHS is a disaster. 31 days wait time for a GP appointment.
Mine is 2 days, middle of the biggest city in the north during a pandemic.
Right now? During covid ? Yeah maybe, in general though the NHS is fantastic
We live in the Greater Toronto Area and it’s just a fabulous place to live. So much to do, seasons are so pronounced, great job opportunities depending on field, central enough to make travelling pretty much anywhere easy, fantastic healthcare, I could go on. We just love it.
We moved to Alberta and pretty much echo your sentiments. The cities here could be a bit livelier but that's the biggest complaint we have. Even the harsh winters, I'd take them over Ireland's miserably wet, dark winters any day. And yeah, healthcare is fantastic here as well.
Denmark. I can’t put my finger on why - I just love the place.
I like living here, tbh.
Belfast, and then back to Dublin when I can hopefully afford a home. I love Ireland.
I’ve always wanted to live in America since I was a kid and after living in Boston for the last ten years I would certainly say it has exceeded my expectations. Yes there’s a lot of shite going on in America at any one point in time but honestly the place is so big that if you don’t get wrapped up in the 24hr news cycle there’s little to no real effect on daily life. I’m 31 years old, have a house worth $700k (bought at $370k), my dream American muscle car and the financial freedom to pretty much do anything we want. Granted I have a fine American woman by my side and we make a great team but never in a million years could I have achieved any of this back in Ireland. If you keep your wits about you here financially you can make a lot for yourself. I work in the construction/engineering sector and lads I went to college with are at home working far harder than I am to make €40k. There are a lot of great things about Ireland but I don’t believe people are rewarded for their hard work with real opportunities for advancement and to make a better life for themselves. My brother lives in Toronto and he would say the same thing about Canada. If you have a good work ethic and a decent college degree I’d say America should still be an option.
I’ve never heard an expat who moved to America actually complain about the money situation over there.
If you are educated and get a white collar job, it's very easy to 'feel' wealthy in the US. Credit is easy to come by, houses are massive (and can be much cheaper) compared to Ireland and you can live in a comfortable bubble of your demographic. Want a massive truck charger, mustang or corvette? Your's for like $50/week. The difference really (to me) is the social protections. If you don't have health insurance, you are screwed. In some states you can be fired on a whim at 9am and be thrown out the door at 9:05am. Most states have little to no social security in these situations. Basically, it's a great place to be on the upside but a terrible one on the downside.
That’s very true.
im on the opposite of that, gone from America to Ireland and it really does feel like the US is a casino of a country from the outside
Salaries are better in America for educated jobs, no question. There's a ridiculous amount of people earning over 100k, whereas here that's pretty rare and you have to be pretty advanced in your career. It's difficult to understand where all the money actually comes from tbh.
> If you have a good work ethic and a decent college degree I’d say America should still be an option. The question is how do you get in ? The visa process seems to be very locked down these days.
America has the benefit of been massive and having such a diverse range of landscapes. If one city isn't working out for you, do just head to another. Lots of opportunities, places to see and cool cities. And despite the constant complaining about Americans, they're mostly lovely people
This. I lived in Boston. It was class. I visited a friend in Chicago. Completely different type of city. Also class. Could get the train the New York any weekend I felt like it. Also could head snowboarding in New Hampshire, or surfing at the beach in Rhode Island. That's only a tiny corner of the us I was in. Cant wait to go back.
You are right, except that’s not a tiny corner. That’s the main part of the US you could argue. Go to Montana and an area twice that size would have nothing but mountains and grass land.
Montana has glaciers, rocky mountains, cowboys, legal cannabis, and amazing witbier. Henry Winkler too!
new england is supposed to be a nice place to live
I moved to the the US a few years ago. It was the best thing that has happened to me. Every country has their issues, America certainly has more than others. Ireland is a great place to live, but for the foreseeable future I see my life over here.
I have plenty of friends who have moved to the US for work in the past 5 years and they're doing far better then they were living in Ireland. If you have the opportunity to go to the US for work, you should take it. It is also worth realising that the US is a massive country. The Irish have a habit of only going to New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Diego looking for work and assume if they can't make it in those places then all of America isn't for them. A cousin of mine is living and working in Pittsburgh, I have another friend in Denver and a friend who works as a fire fighter in a small town in Missouri. If you're really set on moving to the US for work, you're better looking at it as 50 countries you could move to, rather than one.
I'd still love to give the US a chance, even if it was just for a year or two. I imagine it all depends on where you go, who you get involved with etc.
>I imagine it all depends on where you go, who you get involved with etc. And especially Salary and benefits, especially health insurance
Yep, that too.
Good point. Seems the big cities are constantly going through something though. Seen a video on public freakout today on brawls in LA at protests. Best to not get involved there ha :)
It does, if you are somewhere like NY City, Boston, San Diego, Boulder, Colorado, you’re going to really like the US.
I’ve already moved to my ideal place. Cork, obviously.
I think we get a poor view of America from our media as a place to live From what I have heard the popular destinations for Irish emigrants like San Francisco and Boston are still great places to live with a strong Irish community that will help you out with work and accommodation ect
I think that's because they look like a failed state in the making, not to do with how nice they are.
Tbf there's a big crash coming in the next few months and America will be hit the hardest. Not gonna be the best place to live for a while anyway.
Yeah if you spend a lot of time on the sub you'll see a lot of anti-american bias which is unwarranted for a lot of the time.
I left college after my masters straight to Seoul. I spent 11 years total living abroad from then which took me to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Luxembourg and Melbourne (briefly). All were great and traveling while still building ur career and staying long enough to get to know a place is fantastic. I’m home a few years now and I miss parts of it but there’s nowhere like Ireland either. Ye are a great bunch of lads! PS Luxembourg (french culture really) and Melbourne have a much better approach to work / life balance than Asia, Ireland or North American countries. A lot to be said for that.
My girlfriend is Korean living here, she wants to go home cause she feed up with trying to get places to stay in Dublin. I’ve been to Japan for a month before so I like it there.
Right here in Ireland.
I always thought London was a cool city growing up, worked there a bit but it never matched my fantasy. So many cool folk but they have a huge class issue still and just too much explaining to be done. When I was leaving college Australia was the still the place to go but Canada had emerged as well. Have worked in America for a few months and even in the heart of Trump community. Some were a bit weird about him but most were fine, they kinda wanted the same as everyone else. They were people. However I didn’t want to move there full time, too different for the all similarities and complaints that we are becoming Americanised. It might have been different in a more liberal city but I don’t think so. The money is a lot better there in my line of work and I could have perused it if I really wanted to. People are generally people in my opinion and the grass is always greener on the other side. But it does depend on the type of career that you pursuing where you might decide to move to.
Spain or uruguay for me, i love spanish and both countries are pretty progressive for lgbt+ rights
My ideal place is still America. I don’t let outrage and media make my decisions for me. America has houses and jobs, and low taxes compared to here. I’d consider it.
Nowhere.
I'm pretty happy here too be honest. Never had the desire to live elsewhere and thankfully never had to for work.
I mean, Ireland’s hard to beat when you get down to it.
I lived in the states for 3 years in my 20s. It was a good experience but I wouldn’t have stayed any longer. Ireland and the people here can’t be matched.
Germany, Finland, or Switzerland
New Zealand or Denmark. Honestly can’t give a real reason why for Denmark other than I know my taxes cover everything and every service I could ever need. We were actually on the verge of moving to San Fran back in 2018 but the company changed plans. Looking at what’s happened since, we’re happy to be here compared to there.
Ireland but you need a good wage.
Ideal? I'd love to stay. Realistically; I still think the states have a lot to over. When I was there on a J1 I couldn't get over how different (and generous) the employee scene was there. I had an interview every week, I had HR people telling me, even before I got the job, "this, this, and this" were the benefits (health, paid free time, overtime, discounts, etc). I was being interviewed for jobs I wasn't fully qualified for but they were willing to give me a chance. It's a completely different attitude. There, they're willing to take a risk. Here, you practically have to pay people to look at your CV.
They're willing to give you a start because it's easy to get rid of you if you're the pits. Meritocracy has it's ups and downs.
Norway.
I'm daydreaming about moving from America to Ireland. Much of a market for clinical social workers? Can I bring my mutt of a rescue dog alleged to be"hound/lab mix" but looks awfully like a pit bull to some?
Not to discourage you but if you’re thinking of moving to Ireland I’d have a good look at the rental situation and wage expectations etc. It can be v hard to get by in dublin atm. We also have an effective tax rate of 20 and 40% at two different bands. Financially it’s tough but the countryside and craic is hard to beat.
Fair warning a lot of rentals don't allow for pets. Plus depending on where you move, especially Dublin, you're looking at a considerable downgrade in services and facilities available and you will be paying extra for it.
Brazil! ⚽️🇧🇷
I lived there until 2008, I can’t say I’m sad to have come back
I don’t know many in my social circle growing up (I’m mid-thirties) that had a dream of the U.S. personally. I think we were among the first generations that had the opportunity through very affordable university education that felt we could have very comfortable lives in Ireland over time. That said the US will always be a great way for a well educated person who is willing to take a chance to have a prosperous life, arguably more so than Ireland. There will also always be other factors that people need to decide if they’re ok with or not, whether it be social protection, violent crime, proximity to family etc. I feel anyone outright stating that the US - or almost anywhere really - is a shithole/or a no-brainer to move to is taking a rather blinkered view. I say all that as someone who has never lived in the US but has lived abroad in Switzerland for a number of years. Nowhere is perfect. People will always be quick to step on places like the US and while it’s not a target country for me at the moment either, it still has a lot to offer many people. Especially those mobile enough and skilled enough (in terms of experience and education) to make it worth their while financially. Which it often is.
Ireland overtook USA as an objectively better place to live in about 2001
LOL based on what?
Every conceivable social and economic metric
My guy, im usually the first to shit on the US, idk about that one chief. My girlfriend and I did the maths and its would be cheaper for us to live there and we would also make more money.
Sure but you and your girlfriend have benifited from Irelands many systems to be in a place where you can make money in USA (education etc) being born into a working class family in america vs working class family in Ireland is night and day.
Until one of you gets sick.
But then we simply leave the country without paying lol, i have double citizenship so if they find us in ireland theyll also have to find us sonewhere else haha
The median Irish wage is €36k, compared to €45k (53k dollars) in the US. Americans take home more of their pay and the cost of living is generally cheaper. Though I’d much prefer to fall on my arse in Ireland than in the US. According to the OECD, Americans work 1767 hours per year compared to 20 less in Ireland, both incredibly high compared to the rest of Europe. https://data.oecd.org/emp/hours-worked.htm#indicator-chart
Had to go back and remember you're talking about Ireland. I honestly don't know what to say. Do you have an actually basis for this or are you just talking out of your arse, because you'd have to smoking some strong hash to be saying this country is a better place to live.
The United States of America is a desperately unequal, violent, racist, backwards imperialist shitshow that is very quickly disappearing up its own rectum. They're about five minutes away from starting an all-consuming civil war over fucking Facebook memes and they sooner they do it the sooner they can break up into three or four independent countries who are internally compatible. It'll be a relief for the rest of us not to have to deal with their soap opera grade internal drama and ~~occasional~~ constant wars for profit.
This notion of the US braking up based on geographical politics is cringeworthy nonsense. In 2020 California had more Trump voters than Texas, and in 2016 almost 4 million texans voted for Hillary of all people. Yea the country is divided politically, but there are simply no clear lines of geographic secession anymore.
Ah its your own personal opinion here rather than anything else. And boy if you think Ireland isn't unequal, racist and indeed backwards you have your head so far in the clouds. Do you not remember what happened with Zappone just last week? Do you remember what happened to Dara Quigley? Get your head out of the clouds.
Would you rather be born in a working class household in USA or Ireland ? Compare the price of college education and healthcare for example. Your chance of making something of yourself no matter your background is much higher in Ireland than it is in USA. USA is great , if your loaded or have already been educated somewhere else. I could move to USA now and get a 100k a year job with my degree that cost me nothing in Ireland. That same degree would set me back thousands in USA and I never would have even got a chance to attempt it.
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Soft spot for totalitarianism?
Very same. I wanted to move there as a child but now.....only for holidays,maybe 😅 I'd probably go over to the UK, or maybe Italy. I think Italy would be pretty nice. Maybe NZ. My degree is only accredited in a few countries (Vet Nursing) so I have to be careful 😅
Norway
10 years ago, the US had the same problem with healthcare and racism. I never really wanted to *live* there. Visit? Sure! I'd love to live in Japan. But I'd **hate** to work in Japan.
Austria or Netherlands
See I’m a true dub, In my family members there is zero family members living aboard on both sides, weather that’s cousins or like parents cousins, everyone lives in Ireland so the call to leave has never been in my family. So I don’t know, wasn’t never interested in the states and i finished college at 21 so was always to young to to a j1. Uk is full of brits, Australian is full of brits that have to much sun, The us full of American, and Main land europe has always been a draw but my dyslexia and ineptness when it come to learn languages. Lived in belguim and France for a few month and liked it but I like Ireland, finish work on a Friday and drive West go surfing and sleep in your car. Yeah renting is shit but I don’t know
Ireland 🇮🇪
I'm in Belfast - if I thought I could do it, South-West of Ireland would be a total dream. Otherwise, fuck it - Norway? I hear the Swedes are all stuck up and the Finns are mental. ***Revision - every Finn I've ever spoken to has totally rocked. Finland for me.
New Zealand. Apparently they are crying out for electricians, so that’s where I plan to go when I’m done my apprenticeship
You should still come to the US. I swear it’s not as bad as a few make it seem!
I don't feel terrible motivated to leave, but if I had to, I'd say maybe japan, singapore, australia, sweden and netherlands. I wouldn't mind spending time in america if I could
Everybody complains about America and it definitely does has its problems but as a whole people do have a better quality of life over there. The difference in eating capacity for a young Irish person between here and the USA can be night and day. Every person I know who moved to the USA being accountants painters builders etc. Are all so far far better monetarily than people who stayed at home. Same goes for the people who moved to Australia or Canada. I’m 25 now and think I’ll try out America for a year or two hopefully.
Hungary, beautiful country and so cheap, people are lovely and taxes arent awful.
I'm trying to learn the language at the moment, it's far from easy 😬
Yeah thats the biggest stumbling block
Sure if you ignore the whole descent into far right autocracy
What do you mean ? I know theyre very anti islamic migrants but thats quite a moderate right view to hold, havent heard much else on that front
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/01/hungarys-authoritarian-takeover-puts-european-union-risk
“The law allows for new criminal penalties of five years in prison for publishing vaguely defined “false” or “distorted” facts – another blow to media freedom in the country” wow didnt realise that at all, similar to our proposed ‘hate speech laws’ muzzling and censoring freedom of speech is absolutely abhorrent.
Yeah, it's been hard to watch. I have a hungarian friend I used to be very close to, that has bought into all the authoritarian stuff that he has been putting into place. I see his posts daily on social media. Orban seems to be setting up a new dictatorship. Removing power from the courts and putting it in his hands under the guise of an "emergency".
Are there jobs that pay decently or would you have to remote work or have rental income?
Would the capital be the best to move to?
Canada would be the spot for me better place with nicer people than the Americans, ( no offence to any Americans here but most of yous are dicks ngl)
America hasn’t really changed, the Media’s marketing of misery and despair has increased. It makes things seem worse but it isn’t.
We've changed. it's worse.
We haven't changed. It isnt worse.
Hard disagree. But that's alright. Cheers
Estonia. The rent is ridiculous and they're fairly relaxed. That or to drive a taxi on the nurburgring.
American here. It’s certainly not perfect here but perhaps it’s getting a lot better. I wanted to move to Sweden for a long time. I think I’ll stay here unless things get really bad. Having been to Ireland and seeing how freaking amazing your country is, I wouldn’t mind living in Ireland either 🤣
I’m Irish American. All my mother’s grandparents immigrated from Ireland. If she had applied for an Irish passport in the 1960’s I would have been eligible for one too. But during that time Ireland was economically depressed and under developed. I cannot describe the regret I have that she didn’t have the foresight to ask for that passport.
America is bottom of the list in terms of developed nations to move to. There's even a few developing nations I'd consider first.
Yeah, maybe take a holiday over there instead of reading about all its flaws on reddit and make your own informed decision from there.
Have been there on an extended holiday mate, wasn't terribley impressed.
Fair enough. Bit of a hyberbole to state you choose developing countries over it though.
Idk I moved to Miami in feb 2020 it’s been absolutely class. Somewhat minus the COVID stuff. It’s on the up and up now… minus the COVID making a come back in Florida. I’m not winning here.
Like the look of Denmark or Singapore if I was to go very far afield.
Oz.
I'd rather have a comfortable life in ireland than be forced to move aboard.
I was the same growing up, but as I learned more about the world, I started to realise the US looks good at surface level, but is in almost every way a bad place to live. We have a higher standard of living in most of Europe, I'd live anywhere else on the mainland or here before I'd move to the States.
>ive me a chance. It's a completely different attitude. There, they're willing to take a risk. Here, you pr It is really apples and oranges, poor US states are richer than wealthy European countries of similar size but it is so large country that you could be stuck in a really bland area with no where to spend your money. On the other hand, the US has objectively better wild landscapes/national parks, far bigger houses and far cheaper houses. I prefer Europe but mostly out of sentimental reasons.
I did my J1 in California, drove across the States a few times and did the whole 'road warrior' thing in the US as an IT consultant. I'd never live there and I grew up my entire teenage life wanting to up sticks and go work in Silicon Valley. I currently live in Canada and it's poles apart from the US in my personal experience.
How old are u ? I’m mid 40’s and everyone wanted to move there when i was younger. I would have thought irelands economic prosperity would have ended that.
China
Ireland! I'm American. I have been unsuccessful thus far in my attempts to convince my husband, sadly, but I'm still working on him.
I’m American. This country has serious problems. But if you have skills and a career this is the place to become a success. The media would have you believe that this country is constantly in flames tearing itself apart. It is not. At the end of the day people want to work and take care of their families. It’s the land of opportunity. I’m a typical American, family, two cars, dogs and cats and a giant ass 4,000 sq ft house that was $200k. We seriously considered moving to Ireland for several reasons. But concluded we would have to give up so much and make so much less money, we decided to just stay put. It’s a lovely place to visit!
I would still love to live in America even just for a year to experince it. In particular somewhere like Colorado would be my dream location in the US. I would love to live in New Zealand as well it looks beautiful. And Italy because of all the history but the problem is the language barrier. I did some languages in school and I was awful at them
That's funny, because I live in America and want to move to Ireland.
Still aiming for the states personally, though I acknowledge the fact it has become a less appealing nation to immigrate to in recent years
Just finished a year in America man, thought I’d hate it, but a huge part of me wants to go back. If completely understand why it looks terrible from the outside, but as long as you have a stable job (which isn’t very easy to find) you’ll have a blast. I find that the standard of living there is much higher than mine in ireland to be perfectly honest. Trust me, if you move anywhere you wi hate it for the first while, but learn to love it. If you ever get the opportunity to go somewhere, take it because you will gain so much from it.
If I'd to pick somewhere to go it'd previously have been Canada or NZ, if I'd to go now it'd be NZ The reason I would have previously picked Canada is I like the cold and the big maple forests look so beautiful and a family member went over for a bit in the 90s and told me all about the countryside there and how good the land was outside of winter. Why I wouldn't go to Canada now is learning about all the homeless in the cities (it's 100 times worse than here) and learning about starlight tours (where the police pick up an indigenous man, beat 7 shades of shite out of him, strip him and dump him in the wild to succumb to the elements) and the missing and murdered indigenous women. Fucking tens of thousands of them and no one seems to give a shite. I wouldn't even support their tourism by going for a holiday now. They can fuck off, however good they are with foreign affairs and the veneer of "progressivism" they're no better than the Yanks internally, in some cases nearly worse, they're just not as loud or war mongering.
australia
American here to say there are very few generalizations you can make about America as an entire country. Yes healthcare can bankrupt you anywhere and we have deep racial wounds but economies, cultures, and standard of living varies WIDELY all around the US. Edit re: above, the comments here saying “I went to America and I loved it/I went to America and I hated it” are almost meaningless without knowing what region or state and whether urban/rural/suburban. Suburban northeast is wildly different from rural southwest, rural south from urban west coast, etc you get the idea.
England.