Should You Move to Germany? Pros and cons of life in Deutschland

[@Force-Majeure]

There is no thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing (as we say in Germany).

[@OnwardMJ]

😁"Kein schlechtes Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung!" 😂 Yes, we are very familiar with the saying (maybe because I complain about the weather too much) but I still have to say that the weather can be tough (for us) in the winter. I don't mind the cold, I love snow, I can even handle some rainy days...but I really do miss the sun! 🌞

[@Force-Majeure]

@@OnwardMJ As do we/I

[@heha6984]

Great to see you again :)

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks!

[@Opa_Andre]

Another reason not to move to Germany (or another country in general) might be the strength of your family bonds. For example, if you live close to your own parents, you see each other every other week to do something together, support each other, or you have to take care of them for whatever reason. If, on the other hand, you only have a loose connection and see them once or twice a year for family events or alike, then it's not a problem, because then it's easy to visit them due to the higher number of vacation days.

[@OnwardMJ]

That's true. For us it wasn't a big deal as we didn't spend a lot of time with our families in the states. It does help that we have our own big family and can support each other through the move. 😁 But definitely for people who are close to or spend a lot of time with their families, leaving them behind can be tough. 👍

[@TheFairyGothmother]

Leipzig is actually one of the cheapesr cities. I got a flat here 9 years ago for 342€ warm not in the project building. Its only been raised incrementally so it just now got to 406€. For a city its actually very affordable still.

[@AmericasGotGermans]

That is really affordable! I don't think you can find a flat or even a single room in Cologne for 400€ 😬.

[@TheFairyGothmother]

@@AmericasGotGermans yeah its a 55 sq meter place with pretty nice proportionate rooms. The kitchen and bathroom are very spacious. No balcony but it was just a stsrter flat. We ended up staying longer since we like the neighbourhood and saving money and our neighbours are no bother. Plus no kids in this house as all the flats are 2 room places and pretty much the same size so its not really ideal for families. We do live along a busy street with trams lines and a train line behind us so if you want it very quiet this isnt the kind of flat to live in. But I got a spati below me that serves food as well and close to tram stop and my dr, dentist and some shops, resteraunts are all within 10 minutes walking. Theres even cheaper places if one wants to live in the soviet plattenbau or little studio Apartments. Though prices are creeping up since Leipzig has been experiencing a bit of a boom in jobs and population. Half the altbau on my 500 meter stretch street were empty and needing alot of rennovation. Now only last 1 next door is being rennovated and they just did loads of work on the tram tracks and street end of last year. Leipzigs definitely gotten bigger and busier but I found a greek friend a nice place like 420€ a little bigger like 60-65 sq meters without too much searching. Got him set up 2 mins from a tram stop and shopping arkaden with post office,bank, drs, dentist, 2 supermarkets and apotheke and a few other shops plus take away food places withing 5 mins walk. I always look for places that are conveniant and not in city center but still close enough it takes 5 mins by train or 15 by bicycling or tram. Though yes I know in other parts of Germany rents are very high. Leipzigs cost of living compared to most cities is quite low. Im very settled and happy here.

[@joachimschwabe3301]

With an old contract and a landlord who does not care to raise the rent, yes. But for new admissions, you are at 8-10 euros per sqm for very basic apartments up to 10-15 euros per sqm for new apartments, plus heating and water...

[@OnwardMJ]

Wow, that's a great price! Finding an apartment large enough for our family was a bit tricky, and as a family new to the city we didn't want to be too far away from the center, so we do pay more than I would like at this point (Nebenkosten increases were tough this year too). When our lease is over, we will probably look further outside of the city to save some money.

[@mariashepherd8650]

Nice to see you smile again. Spring is on its way, however, usually accompanied by storms and lots of rain but in between warmer brighter weather and days. When I go back home I still think Germany is a reasonably low expense country to live. Compared to house prices or rent in England Germany is a paradise. Even food bills are higher over here unless you buy low cost processed foods of lesser quality. Lovely video. Have a good weekend.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks! I do keep smiling, even when things are tough - no matter how challenging things may be, there is always something to smile about! It's nice to have some warmer weather again (although I still want to see the sun more!) Cost of living definitely depends on where you come from and your lifestyle choices. I mentioned it because if you're thinking about moving to Europe and you don't have a specific country in mind, there are much cheaper places to live. Thanks for watching and commenting! 😁

[@MarkEGilman]

MJ _ We are Christians in the US (wife is a German citizen) looking towards moving to Leipzig. What church were you working at there? We’d love to visit it.

[@OnwardMJ]

Hi! Our church in Leipzig was C3 Home. Definitely stop by - they are great people! (C3Home.church).

[@elbsommer2990]

One of the top headers in the small talk list: the weather 🙂

[@peter_meyer]

Weather was great today in the north. It snowed during the night and we had a clear blue sky during the day. A bit cold, but nice.

[@OnwardMJ]

Snow on the ground with a blue skiy is my favorite winter weather! I don't mind the cold if I can see the sun and snow always makes the winter feel nicer!

[@katrinbethge3355]

What i didn’t understand is: everybody is complaining about the financial situation but they dont see thats a global problem. Not only Germany have an inflation situation, so many other countries too, incl. the US. And second: Leipzig is a bigger city (i lived there for 2 years and loved it, spec. the train station) of course its not cheap to live in a big/bigger city. Lets compare Leipzig with a „same size“ City in the US. Plus, you, often, not always, only need to move a bit outside and the rent is drastically lower than in the city itself. I live near Cologne and looked for an apartment, “rechtsrheinisch” (right side of the Rhine) is so so much lower in rent than “linksrheinisch” (left side). At least, sorry for my english, but i hope you understand me. 😉

[@OnwardMJ]

Yes, it is global, and from what I hear, the price increases in the US have been crazy too. I agree that the size of the city you live in makes a difference, and where in the city you live does as well. When our lease ends, we will try to find a place a bit further out to save money. When we signed our lease here, we knew we were paying a little extra for the location, but felt that it was worth it since we were new to the city (and that was before all of the inflation and increased Nebenkosten kicked in). But in comparison to similarly sized cities, there are other European countries that have a lower cost of living, so someone that is moving to Europe and doesn't care what country they live in can find a cheaper place to live. But it all depends on what you want in life!

[@arnodobler1096]

The weather, climate, daylight hours, is part of the reason why so much happens outdoors here, I think! Use the time! Take advantage of the time! I am so envious of how easy children can learn languages and are adaptable! 😍 The U.S. is almost independent of oil and gas, but prices went up there too, as well as in the supermarket. 🤑 Do you have to pay taxes in the US? IRS FATCA (when I read this, I was ashamed of Germany because they signed it). 😡

[@OnwardMJ]

We try to get out and enjoy the outdoors when we can (and we do spend more time outside here than in the States). It's not always easy with our complicated work schedules, but we try to make it happen. I just want more sunshine in my life! I am so jealous of my kids and how fast they can learn languages - I wish I could learn like they do! Prices in the US also went up, so talking about the cost of living might not be quite a fair comparison right now. But I think it's still fair to say that Germany is more expensive than some other European countries, so if someone was thinking about moving to Europe without being tied to a particular country, there are cheaper places to live. 😁

[@peter_meyer]

Digital nomads are welcomed in the southern european countries like Portugal and Spain.

[@OnwardMJ]

And much more sunshine!

[@Anne-qe9mv]

Thank you for your excellent comparisons. I wonder which school type your kids are going now? Gymnasium, Realschule, Hauptschule? I heard that kids especially like immigrants should have to take Hauptschule in the beginning of their education. Is that true?

[@OnwardMJ]

My older two go to a Gymnasium (the younger ones are in Grundschule). We knew a bit about the school system before coming here and made sure we told the person who was in charge of placing them into schools that we wanted them in a Gymnasium. They both had excellent grades in school in the US and started learning German while we were there, so we could convince them to put them into Gymnasium. You can work to get your kids into the type of school that you choose, but you may have to argue and defend your decision. But the most important thing was having a school with German as Foreign Language classes, to get them caught up with the language and fully integrated. The Leipzig city website has a list of all of the schools that provide that, so you can see what's available throughout the city at the different levels.

[@Anne-qe9mv]

@@OnwardMJ Thank you for your excellent reply. I really appreciate it. Have a great weekend 🌈😊💐

[@justme9801]

Great to see you again. You sound a little depressed/disappointed. This is normal when you move to another country. You got the grey-days-winter-blues. It will get better again as soon the sun will come out of hiding again. It always takes time to adjuat. My daughter moved to the States and it took her 7years to adjust. Cost of living is still cheaper compared to the US according to friends and family in the States. I wish you and your family all the luck in the world. The entire world is changing and there is more to come.

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks, I'm doing good now, the winter can be tough, but we'll get used to it. (Or figure out how to escape for a few weeks every winter!) I am looking forward to consistent, warmer, sunnier weather. It's just easier to get out to do things and enjoy life a little more! Cost of living always depends on where in each country you live, and what your lifestyle is like. But in comparison to some other European countries, a person who wanted to move to Europe and didn't care which country they went to can definitely find some cheaper places to live. Of course, it all depends on what you want in life!

[@justme9801]

@@OnwardMJ I am sure there are cheaper countries, but right now prices seem to explode everywhere. You know it is all in the eyes of the beholder. I am a German and winters never bothered me at all. Winter is the time to relax, read books, play games, go to museums, do fun indoors things and..... also go outside. There is no bad weather, just bad clothing. I love the short winter days with candle lights and hot tea and when spring rolls around life starts again everywhere. Nature is resting during winter and so should we. There is beauty in every season. Hot summers bring misery to me, but cold winters I can enjoy.

[@glerian3736]

Damn im looking for a job and i also moved on leipzig lol

[@OnwardMJ]

How's your German? From what I understand, if your German is good enough (C1) it's not too bad. But if you're a foreigner, I think a company has to show why they aren't able to hire a German before they can hire someone from outside of the country. It's complicated, but not impossible. Good luck to you!

[@LLCoolAB]

es wir KEINER gezwungen! aber das ZOO FENSTER gibt halt nur hier...

[@wolfwall8228]

Believe me: germoney has no future. Forget this sh.....

[@peter_meyer]

Dude, this "No Future" BS was a thing back in the 80s. Where did you hide the last 40 years? Under a rock or in your bedroom?

[@Michael_Bonn]

Zumindest nicht mit der jetzigen, schlechtesten Regierung seit mehr als 70 Jahren. Welche Alternative haben wir?

[@Michael_Bonn]

@@peter_meyer Und du hast Scheuklappen auf. Du solltest dich mal auf den richtigen YT-Seiten umschauen, wo diese kaputte Ampel-Regierung von A-Z mit fundierten Beweisen auseinandergenommen wird. Aber Lucky Luke schaut wohl lieber Comics.....

[@peter_meyer]

@@Michael_Bonn Oh, der arme Wolf ist wohl noch nicht trainiert genug um eine Antwort zu geben? Da muß dann einer vom "Establishment" antworten? Ja, welche alternative haben wir? In 50 Jahren Billionen zahlen für die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels oder heute Millionen investieren um Techniken zu entwickeln, die uns diese Billionen ersparen?

[@Michael_Bonn]

@@peter_meyer Es ist für mich gang und gäbe, die verrückten Grünen-Wähler und Klima-Kleber als doppelmoralische Sekte zu betrachten, die von dem, was sie machen, absolut keine Ahnung haben. Ich bin auch für Klimarettung; aber das sollten kompetente Personen machen und nicht Comic-Figuren. Good luck Germany!

[@AmericasGotGermans]

I am glad to hear that you children integrated so well and they have a program in place to support them. I have no doubt that your daughter feels German 😁 My little one calls the USA home and hardly remembers Germany. It will be interesting to see how she feels when we are back in Germany in a few months. And I feel you 😅😁! I'm not looking forward to the grey, cloudy German weather ⛅😬 I'm sure it will take a while to get used to it.