COST OF LIVING COMPARISON GERMANY vs USA | RENT, FOOD, UTILITIES, TRANSPORTATION & MORE

[@HayleyAlexis]

I think I did not specify that the rent price is for Mike and I both. I do not pay xxxx€ a month by myself 😂 and probably could not afford that amount by myself!

[@Angy2we.]

130 euros grocery are you trying to make the German government wipe out a family trying to survive??? With 600 euros with one son, we hardly make it through the month in Germany 600 euros is 1200 Deutsche Mark which by these terror prices families are struggling. in the USA you go buy one get one free, Crazy couponing, or do Pantry you could make it through 3 months on 720 Dollars for example in Alaska. people in Germany are struggling like hell right now. what did you eat??? studenten futter like nuts and berries??? You are an influencer and could cause more harm than good through such videos. please do not forget the German government might calculate your groceries and it would harm Families way more.

[@Angy2we.]

and please do not forget the Germans want rents like in New York, wages like in Russia, and food prices like in the states of the USA but their concept is completely messed up, a lot is hidden, and Confusion just not to worsen it. I think if you bring up not to compare Mother with child, or not to compare to parents with two children, Cause it does skyrocket once you pay groceries for a family which forces one to do a pantry. These are Germans you are talking to they are not like us Americans and I think you should be more careful when it comes to Groceries.

[@papuii8949]

Wow! The cost of living in Munich is very high. I'm in shock! I live since 10 years in Braunschweig, only 5min by walking from city center and I pay for my rent including bills ( 55m2, 2 people)- 750eur. Definitely less than in the southern part of Germany, although my city is not the smallest (population of 250.000)

[@beldin2987]

55m2 for 550€ in Bremen, so for me those numbers are even more absurd high.

[@HayleyAlexis]

That is amazing! Hold on to that apartment forever!!

[@tasminoben686]

@@HayleyAlexis hey, guten Rutsch! Komm mit deiner Familie gut ins neue Jahr! Grüße aus Hamburg, Ben❤

[@aurelije]

I am moving to my new flat recently reconstructed around 100 square meters, 4 rooms (by German counting, 3 rooms by normal counting) 2230 euros warm + 1 garage place + rent for kitchen. It is in Unterhaching a plece by which München has grown. Poor Germans, they will have to move out of Unterhaching to München and further

[@nette1703]

I live 1 hour outside of Munich and it is almost impossible to find a 3 room apartment for less than 1500 kalt. Because of a "Eigenbedarfskündigung" we have to move now... We are pretty desperate.

[@SABRINA.ARMY.BTS.]

A friend of mine lived in the city Centre of Munich and she paid about 700€ for a 20 qm room ! I myself live in NRW and I pay 532€ warm for a 50 qm apartment with a parking spot and a room in the basement

[@zapl80]

There's always hot and cold rent for regular apartments/houses. Sometimes you'll only find the cold price advertised Cold is a fixed amount for the space and is put in writing in the contract, it's also subject to a lot of rules, e.g. it can't be raised too much, hot is usage dependent and while you pay ahead of time you'll need to get a detailed invoice of all costs covered for you by your landlord (Nebenkostenabrechnung) at the end of the year. It must be exact and can only include certain things (not your landlords summer vacation or a random fee they made up). You either get something back or have to pay the missing part. It's in a way not part of the rent because it's not going to the landlord, it's what they need to pay to keep the place running. Then on top of that you usually pay services like electricity and Internet directly because that's none of the landlords business (it's your freedom to choose your own service providers)

[@charlieeinhorn7573]

Munich is so expensive 😮 no thanks! I live to the west in the middle of nowhere BUT jeder kennt Gerolsteiner Wasser? Sure you do 😅 I live at the countryside and pay cold 515€ for a HOUSE (130qm) with my own garden and 2 Parkplätze right beside my house. Warm it comes around 715€ incl Internet/house phone/ electricity! Only drawback is the bus... Normal days without Bank holidays or Weekends the bus comes 5 times and the last is 16:00 o'clock 😂 weekend we have a "Rufbus" and its like lottery that he really comes when you booked it. But the kids have their own taxi and it's called "Mama"...the only price I pay for my peace and quiet is the taxi part. We have 4 dogs, 3 cats, a lot bird spiders or better called a "zoo" , you can't do that in most city's! So we are happy here ❤ a happy new year to you and your family 😊

[@schiffelers3944]

Dutch people near the German border go to Germany for the shopping because it is cheaper than in the Netherlands.

[@arnodobler1096]

French Swiss Luxembourg Belgian Danes too

[@fionaryder632]

But we Germans from Duisburg go to Holland BC it's better products

[@schiffelers3944]

@@fionaryder632 Why travel to Holland, and not just go to Venlo? Or Eindhoven for that matter? These are probably closest and most accessable from Duisburg. You know it's called the Netherlands? Holland are only 2 provinces of the Netherlands, at the Northsea - all the way across the Netherlands, Germany borders east as the North-sea borders west. You know the Dutch export their products mostly and import the majority of products sold in stores. But if you believe our products are better you are free to do so. Also quite a travel, for me it is just a 10 - 15 minute car ride to get to Germany and German stores.

[@kaypee1972]

Sorry, but absolutely worthless comparison if I don’t know a standard salary for a similar job.

[@dobberdop]

Not true, soms products are cheaper some more expensive. But at the end it is even. You see a lot of Germans in Winterswijk.

[@sarahmayer8539]

I used to live in munich, most inner area possible, about 4 years ago and paid about 700€ warm, all inclusive (500 cold?) in a single flat with abouzt 35m². There are a lot of pivate and very social landlords out there, he picked me out indirectly with a "Wohnungshilfen-Verband" (which basically help with homeless or otherwise incapitated people getting a flat). It was great and it really helped me get back up on my feet, an it's possible to live cheaply in munich IF you are lucky, and not a student or someone that will only stay for a few months. As I'm born in bavaria and moved to munich shortly after turning 20 years old, I made clear that I'll live here forever and don't plan on moving. That likely played a role for the landlord, too - and AFAIK he has several flats and no money problems, so this flat was something of a social project, I guess. Food is cheap due to all kinds of supermarkets, gas and electricity not so much but my small flat barely used any of that. I now live elsewhere.

[@thomastobor1551]

Hey Haley, "münchen Land" just outside München is the only place more expensive than München Stadt in Germany plus the equivalent of this in US would be San Francisco, NYC and this would be twice the price

[@HayleyAlexis]

I don't think comparing New York to Munich is a fair price comparison because they are very different cities. New York is a huge metropolitan hub which is known for it's expensive living. I would say Munich is equivalent to Charleston, Salt Lake City (maybe Denver), or Philadelphia.... I think somewhere like London would be more equivalent to New York.

[@beldin2987]

Das macht Sinn. Für mich als Bremer, der aktuell 10€ / qm bezahlt (550€, 55qm), klingen diese Zahlen einfach soo absurd hoch und wer sich sowas "leisten" kann zählt für mich eigentlich schon fast zu den reichen, oder zumindest wohlhabenden Leuten.

[@folkehoffmann1198]

​@@HayleyAlexis yeah but you lived in the most expensive place in the U.S so I think you should compare it to the most expensive place in the U.S. if you want to compare it to the most expensive place in the U.S. if you want to compare the costs in both countries.

[@HayleyAlexis]

@@folkehoffmann1198 Just because it is the most expensive place in Germany doesn't mean it can automatically be compared to the most expensive place in the USA.... That is like saying you can compare the US military to the military in Tibet because both are the biggest militaries in each country. Looking at GDP alone- Munich is 1/10th in GDP production compared to New York. The comparison is not valid, especially on an economic scale...

[@arnolsi]

@@HayleyAlexis New York has much more inhabitants. There are about 6 times as many.

[@honigschlecker1]

130 USD for groceries in Germany - I can see that's possible. But I spend like at least three times of this. Most organic, also occasionally some good fish and meat.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I am not the biggest meat eater.....

[@LythaWausW]

Your grocery bill in either land seems very low to us. Curious how much you're going to restaurants? I am frugal but pay about 100E a week at Aldi for the two of us. That does not include D&M or Getraenkemarkt.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I don’t know what to tell you and I shop at publix. I think people eat way too complicated meals. I sometimes just eat noodles with a little tomato sauce and that costs me about 1$ per serving. If I eat meat- I buy it in bulk and freeze the rest which also cuts down the cost tremendously. We actually don’t go out to eat that much

[@lynnsintention5722]

My God Haley, I live in Zwickau ( one hour from Leipzig) A smaller city to be sure, but for a one bedroom (2 zimmer) I pay 425. Euros. Ofcourse you miss the big city excitement but since my job pays well I can actually save money to make music videos for my band and do other fun stuff. In the USA 17 years ago before I moved to Germany I paid 700 for a whole 2 bedroom house in Florida (Lake Worth) It seems expenses are getting quite out of hand in some parts of the world

[@HayleyAlexis]

My first ever apartment that I rented myself was in 2012 and 500$ a month in Fort Myers Florida... That same apartment currently is $2200 a month. It is ridiculous!

[@TheWuschelMUC]

Look for a job in Munich and Zwickau and you know the difference. In Saxony jobs are still scarce, wages are lower, but housing is cheaper.

[@sophieherbring4178]

Thank you Hayley for this honest video :) The groceries in Germany got so expensive in the last months/since 1,5 years that some things got up to 50 or 100% more expensive than before. At the moment, we pay approximately 600€ for us two for groceries and we don’t eat a lot of expensive stuff like fish or beef or so. Like 500g bread was 59cent in 2021 and now it’s 1,39 🙈 Is it in the US as bad as here with the high prices? Liebe Grüße nach Florida, Sophie 😊

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yes a lot of things have gone up tremendously 🫠 we eat a lot more basic foods now than we used to

[@michaelknulle6924]

Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr und ein gesundes erfolgreiches2024🎉🎉

[@HayleyAlexis]

danke danke! I am wishing you the best start into 2024 ❤

[@ellijott]

130 a month for groceries? I can`t believe.. I lived until 2015 in Berlin and there I payed about 50 Euro a week.. And it was very cheap in Berlin at that time.. Now I have to pay a lot more. Happy New Year!

[@HayleyAlexis]

I am a very boring person when it comes to groceries.... A package of noodles with a thing of Barilla tomato sauce can last me a few days which I usually onl buy them on sale so it cost about $2.50 for 3 meals.

[@Angy2we.]

550 Euros rent, 90 euros electricity 2 room Apartment in Munich vs. my parents House home Nevada was $600 rent, and they paid between $90 to $150 for 3 room house. You seem to live in expensive Apartments and to see the internet is only $50 similar to Germany :) bravo, the medical insurance is almost the same as in the USA depending on which insurance :) we have buy one get one free, couponing, and other Benefits though

[@charalynholt7507]

I'm an American living in Germany, outside of a US military base. I often compare prices at the commisary vs German groceries stores and I would pay roughly 40% more on post. Also regarding car insurance, the minimum liability limits in Germany are a lot higher than in the US, but i dont feel like paying more for better coverage. Our "warm rent" includes water, trash, and heating oil, we have a separate electric bill that is about $150 a month. In SE Georgia, a completely electric home, our average bill was $300.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I would love to know the size of each home and if they are homes vs apartments because from your comment it sounds like you had a house in Georgia vs an apartment in Germany (I am just assuming which could be wrong) which would sortuve be an unfair comparison.

[@charalynholt7507]

@HayleyAlexis it really is an apples to oranges comparison, but I'll break it down and explain why I mentioned it. My apartment in German is about 1600 square feet, heat is included in our rent. So the $150 a month is lights and appliances, no AC or ventilation system. Yes, we paid twice as much for our electric in the States, for a 2700 sq ft house. The $300 includes heat and AC, plus a swimming pool. So why bring it up? I feel like I got a lot more for my $300 than I currently get for $150. It's hard to compare utilities between the 2 countries, especially in different climates.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Oh I thought you were saying that it was so much cheaper in Germany. Which is why I brought it up because I automatically assumed your house was bigger in the US and you said your home was electric. I see though that you were saying it’s cheaper in the USA in some capacity- it’s hard sometimes with comments 🫠

[@StevePerryisthebest]

Happy New Year 🍾🥂🎆, dear Hayley and Mike, it' s already 2024 in Germany !! Nice greetings from Germany, Ela 🤗

[@ViviNorthbell]

HI Haley, wish you a happy new year, and I am absolutely baffled how much you payed in Germany. That is out of the roof high. Comparison: I live in a pretty center location in Hamburg, I have around 59 square meters and pay 593 Euro (warm) so included .

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yeah….. it sucks so bad!

[@DeshanHoward]

I love this video's topic. Thank you for sharing your lifes journey. Shout out to the comment section! I'm learning so much from you all! Happy New Year!🎉

[@arnodobler1096]

Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr allen. 🥂 🚀 Happy New Year everyone. 🥂 🚀

[@annaapplebush5316]

still the wonderful 2023!!

[@heideschloegl7016]

Wish you both a Happy New Year and thank you for the entertaining videos ❤❤🎉🎉

[@HayleyAlexis]

Thank you for being so kind and I am sending you a lot of positive energy for 2024 ❤ ❤

[@heideschloegl7016]

@@HayleyAlexis thanks a lot, same to you 💝

[@skinnyjohnsen]

It was not interesting, but it's always good to see you ! I'm glad to see you have survived Christmas and new year's eve.

[@djzrobzombie2813]

Keep up the good work..... May god bless you and may god bless the united states of America!

[@joannunemaker6332]

Happy New Year to you and Mike!

[@blondkatze3547]

I`m happy to see another interesting video from you, dear Hayley. I wish you both good luck and health in the New Year 2024. Lovely Greetings from northern Germany.☘🎉🙂💜

[@winterlinde5395]

Frohes Neues!🎉

[@cadeeja.]

Fastest click ever ^^. I wish you all the best for the next year, Hayley. :) Guten Rrrrutsch später ^^

[@HayleyAlexis]

I hope it is a smooth slide for you :) and sending hopefully some beautiful weather your way!!

[@seanbean002]

We live in Stuttgart (I, coming from the Pacific Northwest, husband from Sigmaringen), and I know you guys aren't parents, but despite the cost of living differences, for us the main factor for staying here is healthcare and child care costs... crunching those numbers was a horrifying experience, thinking maybe we move stateside for a couple years ❤

[@HayleyAlexis]

I think with Children Germany is the smarter and cheaper option but for younger/middle aged working people, depending on where you live, the USA might be a better option for you.

[@seanbean002]

@HayleyAlexis agree completely. Especially if you eventually want to own a home, or work in more progressive industries. Such interesting differences though, and thank you for sharing the breakdown!

[@LaureninGermany]

Hi Haley! Happy New Year! I hope you’re great ❤ I am always so overwhelmed by how many bills there are in Germany. So many insurances, trash like you said. 1700€ is a lot but for where you were normal I think. I’m with you on the Rundfunk.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yeah everyone is shocked to hear the amount but that was/is literally all that was available for us.

[@tasminoben686]

Hallo liebe Lauren! Wünsche dir und deinem Mann einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr! Liebe Grüße Ben❤

[@lordofnumbers9317]

Happy new year ❤❤❤

[@th.a]

Regular busses operate in most towns round Munich should until about 11:30 pm. Afterwards you have to either walk, call the Flex Bus or a Cab. On the weekend they operate much longer. The Flex Bus is an on demand service of the public transport.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Like I stated- I lived outside of Munich. A cab ride one way to my house from Munich cost about 90€ - 100€.

[@th.a]

Sure, me too. And there is the Flex Bus that can be called on demand when the usual bus stops its duty a during night time.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Well I did not have the available in my town.

[@00_UU]

You said it is nice to have a car because you cannot walk when you are drunk late at night. But you should not be driving drunk either. There is always a taxi/Uber for those late nights once in a while. Not sure how you end up with 250 per month on food in the US, I buy only basic fish-chicken-vegetables and I spend around 250 dollars per week just on my food in FL. I usually shop at Trader Joe’s and Sprouts. Tank of gas does not last a month, if you commute to work daily, you will need 3-4 tanks per month.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I used a full tank because Mike didn’t know how he spent a month on gas. I spend about 100$ a month on gas. Mike said maybe 200€+ a month. I drive a lot more than Mike did in Germany (longer distances). Regarding the Uber- it was 100€ for a one-way über trip from Munich to my home (the taxi prices were also very similar).

[@HayleyAlexis]

Also I shop at Publix

[@00_UU]

@@HayleyAlexis Publix is sooo expensive now. Compare prices with Trader Joe’s that has much higher quality European foods.

[@HayleyAlexis]

@00_UU that actually isn't that true. Trader Joes is not that much cheaper than Publix if you shop the deals (buy one get one free). If you do that you are basically paying almost the identical price compared to Aldi/Trader Joes. Maybe with a tiny price difference but I am willing to pay the 5$ more added on to my bill at Publix due to how much of a nicer shopping experience it is to me.

[@00_UU]

@@HayleyAlexis Publix is nicer? It is debatable. Extremely long lines, usually just two cashiers working. The only two benefits of Publix are easier parking and a wider selection of everything, like buying paper towels and stuff for the kitchen. I like Trader Joe’s for their selection of European foods. More than half of their goods are imported. Very unique selection of wines, chocolates, vegetables, cheeses etc. European food in general is much more controlled, if you ever watch Food Babe she talks about it all the time.

[@thinkingbout]

Thank you for this interesting comparison! Especially since prieces have risen so much in the last year, I've been curious to know how they compare to other countries. :) Regarding the cost of gas in Germany I always see these 3 kinds in comparison: Diesel, Super E10 and Super - which are mostly prieced in that order. Diesel being more affordable than Super E10 which is always 3cts a litre less than Super to make it more attractive to the consumer. Both Diesel and Super E10 get subsidised by the state, Super E10 since it is like Super but mixed with Agrarkraftstoff (if I remember correctly), which should make it somehow better for the environment, and Diesel, I don't really understand why, because it has the worst environmental impact of the three. I also wish you a great slide into the new year! :)

[@andreass.3444]

"and Diesel, I don't really understand why, because it has the worst environmental impact of the three." I fully agree and can tell you the answer. Originally it was to support the transport sector, since trucks have Diesel engines. It then turned out that this also serves the domestic car industry, who praised diesel engines in cars as environmentally friendly for years and the people believed it. That wasn't just the VW scandal, but is actually also a political scandal. Cars with diesel engines were sold like nowhere else in the world, and the result of which was high air pollution in German cities and the establishment of environmental zones as a consequence.

[@TabithaElkins]

Hayley, your rent around Munich was pretty high. This is a really expensive area. Erlangen, Nürnberg or further south in Altötting or Mühldorf would be cheaper... or even a different German state. Since I used to live in NY, it was great moving to Germany and paying much less for rent (from up to $1000 per month to €350 per month for a studio apartment). Also, since you left, all Germans can get a €49/month Deutschland ticket for all local public transit, anywhere. You can even take regional trains from state to state (Erlangen and Nürnberg to Leipzig). So the transit costs are much cheaper now.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Every time I took a regional train to leave Bayern to go to another Bundesland I was 30 minutes to many times upwards of 3-6+ hours late. That is not a realistic option for me. New York compared to Munich is not a decent comparison tool seeing as though New York is almost 8X the size of Munich in population (and one of the most expensive cities in the world- Munich is not). I just looked up the cheapest apartment (that fits our old apartment specifications) and the cheapest option I could find that was not a roof apartment was 1300€ and it was in Miesbach which was a lot further away from the city than our apartment. There is only 1 apartment in the same city that we lived in available to rent with similar specifications (size, rooms, etc) but still missing a yard and kitchen for 1900€ a month so our apartment was really average priced for where we were.

[@HayleyAlexis]

and I just looked up Mühldorf apartments with similar specifications to ours and there is only 1 apartment available at 1400€ a month. That apartment would be an extra 40km away from the city from where we previously lived and an extra 45+ minutes away from most of Mike's jobs (from where we previously lived). That extra 300€ saved would be spent on gas and time in the car. Also most of Mike's job are not reachable by public transportation so the Deutschlandticket really makes no sense for him at all.

[@stefanmurillo8959]

Hello Hayley, 130USD per person for groceries in Florida is hardly manageable. I vacation in South Florida for 3-4 weeks every year and we spend ~200USD per week. Which breaks down to 400USD per month for one person. We use both ALDI and all the price offers that are available. What's also missing from your bill is the amount for eating out, hygiene products (which are absurdly expensive in the USA) and, most importantly, the cost of health insurance and co-payments. That makes the comparison look different. greetings from the cold north Germany and "Guten Rutsch in das Neue Jahr"

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yeah but I don’t spend that much on food a month. Every person’s shopping bill is different due to shopping habits changing from person to person. I only shop at Publix and that is how much money I spend on food in a month. Going out to eat is/was a lot more money for me in Munich than in SWFL. Hygiene articles are more expensive but it wouldn’t make that much of a difference in the end amount. My toothpaste cost 7$ (which lasts for months), I have no hair so I only use 1 shampoo for months which costs about 9$, and my soap is relatively “cheap” here. I know this might be TMI but I also don’t buy feminine hygiene products anymore because I use a particular product 🤣 also my face products costs the same if not less here in Florida than Germany because they are US brands.

[@claudiaxoxoxo]

I think the price you payed in Munich for a nice looking apartment is perfectlly fine for 1700. I live in the countryside 2 hours from munich and we pay 1400 but we have 120m2 , 4 zimmer, totally new Tech house, is very modern and high end, huge parking and garden. I understand some people want to pay 800 euros but ive seen those places and building and decoration looks like from the 80s. Sorry but i got accostumed to nice new buildings so i could not , i prefer to pay more and not live in an old house.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Claudia! Thank you for this comment!! I really dont think people realize the pricing in southern Bavaria/Southern Germany.

[@axelst.776]

To make a realistic comparison you would have to compare the cost of living between 2 high priced cities. Munich is the most expensive city in Germany vs average city in FL. Living in NW Florida myself, I find the cost of living in Germany significantly cheaper - short of gas and a few other minor things. Groceries in the province (Niederrhein) are about 60% of our prices - and I am talking local Walmart or Aldi, not Publix. Rent is a fraction. Eating out is on par on the menu, but once you add in taxes and tips the gap widens there too. Now, if you compared Munich to NYC, SF, Chicago, Seattle or LA you would hit closer to the mark. On the other hand, Deutschlands most expensive city still stacking up favorably to small town USA says a lot.

[@HayleyAlexis]

SWFL is one of the most expensive and fastest growing areas in the state. Like I stated- I technically did not live in Munich, I lived outside of the city and not even in the technical city limits of Munich. Munich may be one of the most expensive cities in Germany but you can not compare it to a place like Los Angeles or New York due to them being huge metropolitan hubs (which Munich is not). Munich is an international city but can not be compared to the biggest Metropolitan cities in the world. New York city has a population of almost 10 million people- Munich 1.5million. New York is almost triple the size of Munich but has 7X+ the amount of people living there. Los Angeles is 2X+ the size of Munich population wise. You could compare Munich to Nashville, Charleston, Salt Lake City, (maybe Denver), Chicago is a decent comparison tool but the average house in Chicago is about 300,000 (for a 2000 sqft home) vs in Munich you are looking at about 700,000€ (775,000usd) for a 1000 sqft house.

[@Habakuk_]

@@HayleyAlexis Sometimes you can also put down 1.5 million for a house in Bavaria.

[@HayleyAlexis]

@Habakuk_ That is true but you can also pay 10 - 20+ million for a home in Chicago which is very hard/rare to come by in Bavaria. Just like in New York where they have 50+ million dollar homes.

[@Habakuk_]

@@HayleyAlexis But then is that a villa or a penthouse but not a normal house, right?

[@robertbauer6468]

The cost of a car depends also on the gasoline consumption of the car and the daily driven miles. And on average the germans drive less miles, because of the building density of the towns. I think germans don't pay much more for gasoline in a month on average.

[@HayleyAlexis]

They do pay more for gasoline because gasoline cost 3-4X the amount it does in the USA. Yes you are correct that Germans don't drive as much but using Mike as an example: drove (in Germany) less than I do currently and paid more than I do for gas currently. That is also why I used the Volvo vs. my Mitsubishi because the MPG fuel number is almost identical.

[@Jw4be]

And now comes the catch: depending on what job you do you make soooo much more money in the us and especially in Florida you pay so much less taxes. That also comes into play regarding the comparison. F.e.: I made the same amount of money (before tax) in both countries, BUT in Germany I was a kindergarten head teacher and had zero company benefits and payed 300€ for healthcare and with taxes I had around 60% of my income left. Whereas in Florida I just worked as an hourly cast member for Disney and I had 10% tax and my health insurance was 50$ a month. So I was even able to save so much more money in Florida than in Germany, even though my rent was higher in Florida - especially the Orlando area is not cheap. Oh and furthermore as a Disney employee you have A LOT of perks and benefits. I always also felt like I have much more control over where I spend my money in the us vs Germany. And besides the pure money side of things: you get much more quality of life with the sun and the plethora of things to do in Florida.

[@Gabriel667]

The rent in Munich is crazy. I live in a quite big apartment in Germany for 350 Euro, heating included.

[@kodydeda6220]

where?

[@kodydeda6220]

American here - was paying $2,300 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment in North Carolina 😢. Had to move back in w my parents. Those prices don’t seem real 😅

[@ryanmacias4994]

@@kodydeda6220it’s out there you have to find it I’m thinking about moving to Germany for work but the problem is you need to understand the language if you don’t have some knowledge of that first it’s going to be hard to find a stable job to support yourself I’m in the trucking industry so looking into work out there.

[@RK-is1xp]

​@@kodydeda6220 eastern part of Germany is where alot of those prices can be found eg. Leipzig etc

[@hennisketches]

Ihr solltet alle hier nach Ostwestfalen-Lippe ziehen 😅 Our apartment was newly built and we are the first people to live in it. 6,50€ per square meter. The rent for our apartment (100sqm) and two parking spots adds up to 820€ including utilities. The prices you‘re mentioning sound crazy to me! However, it is very rural where we are (between Paderborn and the infamous Bielefeld, which technically doesnt exist 😂) and therefore you kind of have to own a car. Wouldnt want to have it any other way tho, I love how spaceous our apartment is and we wouldnt be able to afford an apartment that size in a city.

[@emiller760408]

Wow! How do you save on food? I spend close to $600 per month in Seattle. But that includes vitamins, toilet paper, lotion, etc.

[@HayleyAlexis]

ahhh my price was just food- not toilet paper etc :) I only buy things buy one get one free from Publix and I try my best to organize meals through the week and do no-meat days which has helped tremendously

[@paeckleful]

Yeah i heard of that nasty aggressive chickens in Bavaria 🤣 Guten Rutsch Hayley, und natürlich Happy New Year

[@HayleyAlexis]

Me and birds are not friends.... no matter the country... 🤣 I say that in the video due to personal experience of one of the chickens getting out and chasing me down the street... It might have been friendly but I DIDN'T WANT TO FIND OUT!! I hope your 2024 is filled with a lot of happiness and a little bit of craziness 🎉🎉

[@justynakowalska7743]

Deutsche ticket cost 49 eu and is for whole Germany, you can use trains busses and trams whole country

[@HayleyAlexis]

yes but that does not work for me nor did I use the ticket that often. Every time I tried to use a train for a longer distance I had a 30+ minute delay and I had instances where my delay was 3-6+ hours late (multiple times). Plus many of the places that I (and Mike) needed to be were not accessible by public transportation.

[@elvenrights2428]

Florida is not 100 % comparable to Germany because Florida is Warmer than Germany and heating costs are lower in Florida than Germany. Maybe one city in central US would be more comparable with Germany in this aspect.

[@Anson_AKB]

What do you get on the IsarCard for 164.50€, that you can't already get for the 49€ Deutschland-Ticket ? In Berlin, i had monthly tickets already for years, and after the D-Ticket was introduced they automatically changed my old card to the cheaper D-Ticket. The only "severe" limitation of that new card would have been that the old one was usable alternatingly by several people while the new one is personalized. But for 164.50€ you would get D-Tickets for more than yourself, Mike, and another third person ... ps: even if the bus is not ideal for you at night when you would need to walk tipsy, can you (would you? i hope not) drive with a car when tipsy? and when not tipsy, would walking still be bad (except in bad weather)?

[@HayleyAlexis]

It isn't about actually driving tipsy- it is about the inconvenience that is associated with not having a car. I wouldn't drive drunk (Mike would pick me up before I had to walk through the woods at 1am with no lights). The reason I did not include the 50€ ticket is because I did not use it that much. It did not get used in my "expense list" because I only purchased it once or twice (I purchased the 160- technically it used to be about 225 but they lowered the price to 160. I paid those amounts for 4+ years of my life). It was a nice option but it was never used because at some point Mike and I came to the conclusion that paying money towards public transportation that did not drive me at the times I needed to be driven, did not drop me off at the locations I needed to be dropped off, and was continuously late- was a waste of money so I would just contribute money towards Mike's car expense or use the money to sortuve set off that cost (buying dinner somewhere or paying for a bill that popped up). I don't know how many times I have to bring up that being forced to be late by the train is a waste of my time which in turn is a waste of my money. So even if it did only cost 50€ at some point- wasting hours of my life (8 years in Germany with riding public transportation) sitting in a train (with no decent wifi, no bathrooms, and and and) because there was a employee shortage, a missing train piece, a missed stop, a problem with the door shutting, an engine failure, or just a failed strategy/planning issue....technically makes the expense more.

[@Anson_AKB]

@@HayleyAlexis yes, i had not assumed you would drive tipsy, but that was a reaction to how it sounded when you said it _wie Dir der Schnabel gewachsen ist_ :-) ÖPNV being too unreliable or bad can be a real problem and a reason why you might prefer using (or sharing costs of) a car when not living in the inner area of a big city. I only was wondering why you included (for this comparison of _current_ prices, or why anybody else would use) such a costly subscription card IF you were using any card at all ...

[@HayleyAlexis]

Very true but that’s why I used mikes car price instead of the ticket because it was the main form of transportation- I would say 80% of the time for me and 100% for Mike.

[@hg6996]

Living close to Stuttgart I am shocked about what people are willing to pay for rent in Munich. I wouldn't pay 1700 Euro for rent. I'd rather leave Munich. Germany has lots of other nice places which are _way_ cheaper.

[@HayleyAlexis]

That may be true but if your work is in Munich- commuting from stuttgart to save a few hundred bucks will be eaten in transportation costs and time costs of having to travel hours a day to get home or to work.

[@hg6996]

@@HayleyAlexis Going from Stuttgart to Munich instead doesn't make sense. I was just mentioning Stuttgart as an example for another heavily industrialized region. I guess even Stuttgart has lower rental rates than Munich. But between Munich and Augsburg there should be affordable places with good public transportation connections. Did you ever check the living costs in the suburbs of Munich? The south and east of Munich is not much cheaper but the west might be.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I just looked up on Immoscout just because I am curious and the cheapest apartment I could find with the specs we had was 1100 (almost in Erding) and 1400 warm. It didn't have a yard which was very important for Mike and I, and it is also over an hour away from a lot of Mike's jobs with no real public transportation to those areas so he would still need to keep his car. The wohnung was also a dachgeschoss which in my opinion takes away a lot of useful space of the home. The cheapest option with the closest fit to our apartment is this one: www.immobilienscout24.de/expose/138076915?referrer=RESULT_LIST_LISTING&searchId=8abc47e3-faf5-3ec8-8ff3-b431e59f26aa&searchType=radius#/ but it is still a distance which means time and gas will be spent on commuting.

[@hg6996]

@@HayleyAlexis @HayleyAlexis well, this is why I mentioned to look for an affordable alternative in the west of Munich. And I also mentioned public transportation to get to work. Going by car is indeed expensive in Germany. In the video you say that you payed 1700 Euro, but from your answer I now guess that you shared the flat with Mike? Then you're basically paying half of that.

[@HayleyAlexis]

The link I sent was the cheapest option in a 30km radius outside of Munich (including north, south, east, and west).... Mike and I did split rent but we also still split bills in the USA....

[@lazyperfectionist1]

5:34 🤔 A.... _broadcasting_ fee? As in, in Germany, you have to _sign up_ and pay a _fee_ to receive _broadcasts?_ 🤔 What happens if you just buy a radio, put up its antenna and turn it on?

[@rolfgarske8174]

In Germany you have to pay this fee regardless if you have a radio, a tv or nothing. Unless you have limited income and are dependent on social help funds, then you can get an exemption.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

@@rolfgarske8174 And TV stations and radio stations in Germany don't rely on revenue from _sponsors?_

[@HayleyAlexis]

I think they still get money from ads which is why some people get upset with the fee. I personally think the variety of entertainment that you get is worth the 18€ but I know a lot of Germans hate it

[@lazyperfectionist1]

@@HayleyAlexis I understand. Personally, I've gotten to a point where I don't _watch_ TV anymore. Sure, there's some awesome content, but I got to a point where I concluded, increasingly, it was being overrun with crap.

[@rolfgarske8174]

@@lazyperfectionist1 there is a difference between public, private and pay TV and radio. Public radio is funded mostly from the fee that every citizen aged 18 or older has to pay and may only have limited amount of advertising. And only limited to 5 minutes max between transmissions. And not after 08:00 pm. No interrupted Films or TV shows are allowed. Private radio is allowed allowed to interrupt the broadcast every 20 minutes or so. Pay TV like Sky is payed by customer fees and doesn’t interrupt Movies for advertising. But may interrupt sports events like Formula One for example. Only the broadcast of course and not the actual event. Which can be annoying.

[@Lena-md4bh]

Hi. How long have you been together? You still have separate accounts for food? Odd. Also, the cost of food seems very low for either country. You must be either very savvy, have very simple nutrition, or your accounting is off. Either way, interesting comparison. Thanks.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yes because I don’t want to pay for Mike’s expensive ass fish.

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

I just looked it up. I currently pay 986,-- Euros for 1300m² "meadow" and 300 m² house on 3 levels from 1983 in eastern Austria. For 3400,-- it's warm incl. electricity, heat pump, 3 EVs charging and the loan for the PV on the carport.

[@HayleyAlexis]

That is awesome 🤩

[@seanthiar]

One thing is that even the cities in the counties around Munich are expensive. It's like living outside of LA or NY in the case of rent and utilities. And one thing - utilities in the Warmmiete/hot rent does in 99% not include electricity in Germany. I think a better comparison would have been the price/m² to compare those two rentals.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I would say it is more comparable to Denver or Salt Lake City. I don't associate pricing in Munich to that of LA or NYC.... The population alone is one of the key factors as to why it is not a proper comparison.

[@maraeni]

that is expensive for an apartment!! in Germany i currently pay 850 warm for an entire house in a small town

[@AniMunich]

130 for groceries is ridiculous number for a month. I would even challenge this number for a week. Avg for groceries would be around 800-1200. Unless you eat only rice and pasta.

[@HayleyAlexis]

800...a month? Ma'am... that is more than my car payment, with insurance, and gas included for the month... Never

[@elisabethente1498]

München and surrounding areas are the most expensive in Germany. I would never move there.

[@KimCrossesBorders]

Have you made a salary video? Because I feel like on average salaries are so much higher in the US too.

[@branislavpetkovic4507]

Happy New Year

[@HayleyAlexis]

Happy new year 💖💖

[@mariokrings]

11:25 When the last train leaves at 22:47 (which means 10:47 p.m.) wouldn't it rather mean you had to leave around 10 or 10:30 p.m.? _You said 9 or __9:30__..._

[@HayleyAlexis]

It takes over an hour to get to my city with the sbahn from the city and they never left at a time that would allow me to catch the bus so I usually had to leave earlier than what was obvious

[@pinkhope84]

You only paid 130€ per month for food? Wow thats cheap i spend at least 300€ i do buy organic though

[@HayleyAlexis]

I am very simple when it comes to food...I could eat noodles with tomato sauce every day if I wanted to.

[@maraeni]

yeah... the grocery money would be four times what you paid for, now....

[@jeffreykyle8587]

I expected the cost of living in the US would be significantly more.

[@christianebehr138]

Dear Haley, why dont you come back to Germany. It sounds that you liked it here . Many greetings Christiane 😊

[@CreativepreneurJourney]

This is interesting 🧐

[@gerdpapenburg7050]

11:20 - Public transportation - either 6pm or 11:30pm [nothing in between] Sorry, but you are trying to "verarschen uns". Bus service 370 and 378 runs every 40 minutes in the evening and is awaiting the S7 to arrive at Wolfratshausen.

[@HayleyAlexis]

The screenshot I sent you was from the MVG website a random day of the week in January (Wednesday I believe) and these were the results of what was available.

[@michaelschlueter3069]

Im shokt im pay 1000 for 130qm inkludiert parking,TV,elevater .Strom 70-100.phones 105 endlessgigabite.

[@HayleyAlexis]

That’s an amazing price

[@hansmuller3604]

Why did you pay isar card if you could buy the Deutschlandticket

[@HayleyAlexis]

I used that amount because I never really used the deutschlandticket when it came out and the majority of tickets purchased on my end were isarcard monthly tickets.

[@beldin2987]

So before watching this video, personally i think it will be way more interesting to use percentages instead of numbers, because it may sound cool when USalians earn like 100.000s or millions of dollars while a poor german only earns 50.000 or whatever, but in the end its more interesting how much percent of all that richness you have to spent for you living, and if you have to spent your whole million in the US but the poor people in other countries spent only 50% of th eir little number, aren't they then in the end "richer" ? Btw.: i actually pay 550€ rent in Bremen (3 rooms +kitchen, 55qm), and together with grocerys and all other costs of living, i live at the moment here with spending 1000€ in total per month including having to pay private for my health insurance since i don't work but also don't get anything form the Arbeitsamt since i have too much money saved on my bank account. 1700€ for rent alone sounds already soo absurd high for me.

[@HayleyAlexis]

The average salary in Germany according to Statista: 45,457€ The average salary in the USA according to Forbes Finance: $59,428

[@beldin2987]

@@HayleyAlexis Thanks. That makes more sense since i saw alrady sooo many videos where people always talk about numbers like 200.000$ or whatever and do as if that is "normal". But i guess that are the numbers you get if you just "sozialise" the money of the ultra rich and divide the whole income of the country through its citizens.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yeah no..... not everyone makes 200,000.. I wish. But I do have friends/family members that earn that much money and some live very lavishly and other live relatively normal lifestyles.

[@Kessina1989]

Du vergisst aber auch, dann Deutsche viel weniger verdienen und viele Arbeitnehmer, wie mein Mann ihren Job zurzeit verlieren! Deswegen wirkt sich die Inflation in Deutschland auch so heftig aus!

[@lazyperfectionist1]

😳 Mike drives a car that runs on _diesel?_ 🤔I don't imagine places that provide _fuel_ for that are especially well _located._

[@rolfgarske8174]

In Germany you get diesel fuel at every gas station in the country. Not only for big trucks but also for small cars.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I think almost every gas station had diesel.

[@schiffelers3944]

Happy 2024

[@olivertripp5412]

German drivers are way more capable, and the insurance should be cheaper. Stupid companies, every lame excuse to get more money.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I agree 10000%!

[@GlenHunt]

Just saying, it kinda bothers me that KZbin has been using your and other people's channels to run porn-ish, fetish video game ads. It kind of corrupts what you and others are trying to put out there. I wish they'd actually consider what your content is about and run ads that are along those lines.

[@spiritualscience2705]

how much is "krankenkasse" per month?

[@HayleyAlexis]

Where at? in the USA or Germany?

[@spiritualscience2705]

both

[@HayleyAlexis]

It depends.... Germany can be lowest 260 to the highest of 900 I think which is usually shared/split with your employer... The USA the cost is about the same but the amount you spend on healthcare on top of your insurance premium is about 4X - 5X what the average German spends.

[@GlenHunt]

Adding a German national to your policy should drop it to $ZERO because they're so much better at driving than we are!!

[@GlenHunt]

Also, at 14:24 you reversed the $ and € amounts for the US.

[@jessicaely2521]

Their excuse is the signs are different. It's a crock of shit, but whatever. I'm going through the same thing as Haley. My husband is Swiss though. He went through professional driving school in the US (he has a Commerical Drivers License). You think this would drop the rate, but no.

[@annamc3947]

Health care/insurance?

[@HayleyAlexis]

Not required in the US but the average cost is about 400$ a month I believe.

[@annamc3947]

@@HayleyAlexis I’m asking what you pay.

[@HayleyAlexis]

$0 USA (because of school) and $300+ in Germany is what I paid out of pocket

[@marcromain64]

@@HayleyAlexis The exact amount is difficult to quantify and you will find very different average values because each source calculates with different providers (HMO, PPO, EPO) and/or age groups. But I think the real catch is the coverage of these insurances anyway, because in order to reflect the scope of statutory health insurance in Germany, it is not enough to cover what most US citizens choose for cost reasons. The smaller insurance plans either don't cover many treatments at all or require significant out-of-pocket co-payments. In short, the conceptual differences are so great that you can only really compare using specific examples or use national per capita health spending across the board.

[@lordofnumbers9317]

Wenn es im Hause ächzt und kracht, keine Sorge, es ist nur der Holzwurm, der lacht.😉

[@GeorgeSchenker]

Florida is still cheap then.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I don't know if cheap is the right word but it can be affordable if you search. There are cheaper housing options here but it was slim pickings when I was looking.

[@Kevin-zz9nc]

It's cheap until you have to pay for healthcare. Steroid inhaler discus $325. Insulin 5-600/month. Long acting insulin MUCH more!!! Even if you can afford health insurance pre-existing conditions are not covered. If you already have HIV or cancer or any condition before you buy insurance they do not have to pay. Welcome to America....

[@peterkoller3761]

your good bye to long hair about one year ago seems to be permanent. I told you it would! short hair so much more convenient and looks at least as good on you.

[@HayleyAlexis]

It is slowly growing back...Hair doesn't grow over night :p

[@folkehoffmann1198]

I totally understand why Mike is angry about the Rundfunkgebühr. It's mainly for radio and the first three TV programs. However I think many people don't use the radio anymore and they send adds anyway so why don't they just completely finance themselves with adds? And the only difference between the first three TV programs and the rest of them is that they don't send adds during prime time. However I usually don't even watch TV at all and I also don't use my radio. So why am I being forced to pay for a service that I don't use? I could use it if I wanted to but by that logic I could be forced to pay for any service that is out there.

[@Habakuk_]

Because the ÖRR also broadcasts on the Internet, for example. The downside if you abolish the ÖRR and only focus on profit it could be as polarizing as Fox News or CNN, and I can thankfully do without that.

[@folkehoffmann1198]

@@Habakuk_ So what? Like I said the only difference is that they don't send adds during prime time. I would very much prefer if they did instead of making me pay. And I think that there are also other possibilities to get the news in a way that is not polarizing. There's not just the ÖRR and the BILD (to mention a German medium here).

[@marcromain64]

The ÖRR is a public service and is therefore paid for by the public. My taxes and other fees are also used for police and emergency services, other people's education and public infrastructure that I never use myself. That's why - with all due respect - it's complete nonsense to argue about the financing model. However, one can _and should_ of course discuss whether the specific scope of the service and the resulting costs are justified.

[@andreass.3444]

@@Habakuk_ The actual purpose of the ÖRR would be to avoid one-sided news reporting. But the ÖRR in Germany is becoming increasingly polarizing, even if this represents a legal violation. In doing so, he himself abolishes his right to exist.

[@AV-we6wo]

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​@@andreass.3444 Public broadcast / ÖRR has mostly become 'polarizing' because so many people with radical political opinions spend too much time in their own social media bubbles and have hardly any awareness that their views are way off the average, and when they watch the usual main stream public broadcasters they get mad that their minority views aren't represented as 'normal' there. Especially supporters of AfD and other right wing extremists.

[@piccadelly9360]

I think , why do you need 2x internet, one at home and one mobile. It's enough if you only have cell phone internet because you can connect it to your computer, saving a lot of money . Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr

[@HayleyAlexis]

In order to upload the huge files that I have for KZbin I would need something a little "stronger" than the data/internet I use on my cellphone.

[@00_UU]

If you play online video games, you absolutely need wired home internet for low ping. If you work from home it is also much better to have wired high speed home internet.

[@jessicaely2521]

Also unlimited data is only for cellphones which means you can only watch TV on your cellphone if you have streaming services (that isn't fun). You only get only a certain amount of data to create a hotspot. I have Verizon and you get 10 GB of free 5 G Hotspot. After you use this up the Hotspot is slowed down to 2 or 3 G hotspot. When you use the original 10 GB Hotspot up you can pay $150 to get some amount GB of 5 G internet. I don't know how much it is because I don't use Hotspot.

[@ramblingmillennial1560]

I'm just wondering why you're up at this hour lol

[@HayleyAlexis]

I can not sleep..... 🤣

[@kateheredia910]

Dang you guys have some money to be paying that much to live in FL and Germany 😶

[@HayleyAlexis]

I don't know what to say to that statement....???

[@kateheredia910]

@@HayleyAlexis omg 🥲 I didn’t mean to make anything awkward if I did 😅 I was just in shock how much rent is in both places.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yeah 🤣 it sucks……

[@Bioshyn]

WOW 150 a MONTH for car insurance? i pay less than 400 a YEAR in Germany

[@HayleyAlexis]

Yeah it is high... and the crazy thing is I have never been in an accident or had any tickets of any sort

[@itsmejohnson0891]

2300 apartment for you alone.. thats nice