Why I moved to Germany from the USA - part II

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

This one is intended as a supplement or addition to the first video of why I moved. I think that first one is more important to watch first, so if you have not yet...please do! 😁

[@Niko-uy7vm]

Lass dich bitte von den negativen Kommentaren nicht runterziehen. Deutschland ist ein wenig streitsüchtig und jeder weiß alles besser. Ich mag deine Videos sehr und ich liebe deine deutliche Aussprache. Weiter so! Big Love. ♥

[@tomiding6007]

Hi. I would love if you would compare the prices relativly. Like my price per squaremeter (51m2) is about 13€. So if you got a higher average size of the flat, so its clear that the average price is higher

[@austincarnell180]

Great videos man keep em up

[@evelyn_minou]

I'm a New Yorker looking to move to Germany and this is so helpful!! Good on you for getting out of the USA.

[@suddeninspirations8184]

same here, Marilyn............i am a "senior cit" and making the move, too; i lived in GE and never wanted to leave but had do due to family issues........soon i will be FREE to return to my HOME (i felt this from day one of arriving there in the mid 80's)........good luck to you with your move...............

[@LuKe-sy1yx]

not everythings gold here my friend

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

I'm not in Germany, but most of Europe has similar standards, holidays etc. It must come as an awful shock for many American's to find Europe is better than the US in many ways and that they have been sold a false American Dream.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

I want to correct you...."many" Americans do NOT know this or find out. I think of the ones that know it, most do not fully understand it.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Then again, through many of these video comment i have learned many Germans believe in the American Dream too. Its crazy

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

Welcome to Europe.

[@fraueichenbaum8202]

Just simple : You are welcome !

[@rookmaster7502]

I've lived in both the U.S. and Germany, and I feel that you simply get more in return for the taxes you pay in Germany. Perhaps because less of the taxes are going into military spending. Also, property taxes in Germany are just a fraction of that in the U.S., which is a big deal if you own a home.

[@nicktankard1244]

as long, as you're relatively healthy you pay fewer taxes in the USA. It is especially apparent when you earn a really good salary. But then if something happens to you healthwise you're screwed.

[@off-meta9962]

@@nicktankard1244 an average grown (european) human needs 2.5 Surgeries a lifetime. Spends at least 19 weeks in Hospital in his life and visits the doctor 100+ Times. ... Just Put numbers behind it and see if it compares :).

[@nicktankard1244]

Scientist D yes you’re totally right. But the USA is the land of opportunity and money :) That’s why lots of people flock to LA, SF, NYC etc to chase that American dream. They hope to earn lots of money before they turn 40 and start getting those health problems. It’s easier to get rich in the USA. And that’s why some people move to other countries when they fail to get rich before 40 in the USA. I know some people who made very good money in the USA and almost nobody I know in Europe is “rich”.

[@PeTer-xd8nx]

@@nicktankard1244 The rich will take someone's money......I don,t wonna live in a Town with this amount of homeless people around me, like LA

[@JoelCoffeeholic]

@@PeTer-xd8nx Many of the rich provides jobs for average people.

[@Chewbacca55]

30 days vacation is actually quite common in germany. I had 30 days in all of my 3 jobs i did and still do. The minimum legal vacation is 4 weeks (20 days for a 5-day week , 24 days for a 6 day week)

[@mats7492]

fresh fruit prices were insane in the US! 100g of strawberries were 4 Bucks, in germany, the same package (exactly the same!) costs about 1,50!

[@vl4705]

Hi, Eric! I'm 60 years old and i wanna thank you for your channel. It' s one of my favourite, because you're so reflected and i like that. Looking forward to the videos after Corona. Still beeing on your side. Bye (like Jamie O. do)☺️

[@juniper0tree]

Very well chosen words and nice Video. I think you are right. Most people commenting may have never been in the US themselves and argue in favor of a rather unrealistic idea or even ideal of this country. Therefore I personally really appreciate to hear the opinion of someone like you who actually made the experience and settled in a different country. You have all my respect for this decision. Keep up the great work here, I really enjoy your videos! Best regards from the North East of Bavaria

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Danke schön!

[@MrKahlerHahn]

es tät vielen Deutschen wirklich mal gut sich Videos wie zB deine anzusehen, damit sie mal eine andere Perspektive bekommen und aus der dauernd meckernden Blase platzen

[@mrgalenikus450]

Sobald er sieht wie viel Steuern wir hier zahlen (Platz 1 weltweit) wird er anders denken

[@Vai0ification]

er hat halt nicht beachtet, dass die Kosten nicht alles sind. Wenn hier auch weniger verdient wird, hat man auch nicht mehr davon. Und Kalifornische Preise mit dem Durchschnitt in DE zu vergleichen ergibt auch nicht sonderlich viel Sinn.

[@mrgalenikus450]

@@nein393 nicht mehr

[@Schmiddi2013]

Ich sehe das andauernde meckern als positiv und übertrieben zu gleich an. Das ständige meckern kann auch zu besseren Zuständen führen, wenn dadurch auf Missstände aufmerksam gemacht wird.

[@Aemson]

@@mrgalenikus450 Platz 3 Platz 1 ist Belgien und zwei Österreich

[@techow]

Living in Germany and visiting family in the US regularly. I can really resonate with your statements! Some of these comments seem to only look at their own country, whereas only a small portion of viewers take both sides into account. Danke für deine Präsenz in meinem Feed! Great content!

[@gluteusmaximus1657]

Dankeschön das Du dir so eine Mühe machst.

[@Schneider0815]

Nice to have You here!

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Vielen dank!! 😁

[@Laufbursche4u]

I really appreciate your work for this second one.

[@dominichendriks8000]

about the holiday thing: in germany your company HAS TO give you 20 days paid holiday if you work 5 days a week. If you work 6 days a week (which is not very common here) you have to get 24 days of paid vacation. But 24 - 28 days are very common here in Germany. There are many more laws about off-time, like you are not allowed to work more than 10 hours a day, you have to get 11 hours off before you can start working again and many more.

[@kevingrabowski4971]

In my Job in germany i have 30 day per year..by the law, they have to give you Minimum 20 days

[@nicktankard1244]

I like your conclusion. Everybody should be living in a place they like. I didn't like my home country so i moved to Germany and i like it here. I was miserable there and I'm pretty happy now :)

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Same story. Where did you come from?

[@nicktankard1244]

@@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany I'm from Moscow, Russia.

[@marlajacques6947]

It seems very difficult for a Canadian to move to Germany at least it was when I checked it out a few years ago. Can’t go as a student and not a professional level worker...maybe if I win the lottery and retire there

[@drplazma7590]

@@marlajacques6947 lol and I want to move to Canada as a student 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

[@kek207]

Nick Tankard ja das ist sicher hart!

[@ContinuumGaming]

Very reflected video you did there. I like it very much :). Well done and keep on rocking Krautsalat :).

[@peterheynen]

I like your point of view very much. I hope you will feel every day more and more happy with living here :-). Have a happy 1st of May holiday and stay healthy. And more over: KEEP ON ROCKING! :-)

[@missachan867]

Hey I'm from Wisconsin too! And I've even lived in California and Florida! Thanks for your video! I definitely think I can afford a trip to Germany now!

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Awesome!! Yeah, do it!

[@xAhsoka]

Greetings from Hanover-List 👋🏻 Nice video!

[@PassportTwo]

We did a side-by-side comparison for where we live in Germany now vs in the US as well (Oklahoma vs. Rhineland-Pfalz) and you are right! Germany is no more expensive than the US in terms of cost of living. Somethings were marginally more expensive in Oklahoma and vice versa. For example, eating out is more expensive here but groceries are cheaper here.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Hey! First off...thanks for watching my video! I have seen a few of yours. And for your comparison, Oklahoma is probably a cheaper state too. When i chose to move i was comparing Orlando Florida to Hannover and it was literally close to half of the living cost. The average German would have to give up so much and live very simply to live a cheaper life in the US.

[@PassportTwo]

Krautsalat - An American in Germany absolutely! Oklahoma is such an affordable state hat it really almost isn’t fair to compare to! Haha, but even with as how affordable Oklahoma is, Germany still isn’t more expensive which I think further proves your point. Germany isn’t wildly more expensive than even our most affordable states so it is a great place to be in terms of cost of living!

[@doloresmey]

Super Video! Gerade wenn es um die vielzitierten „viel zu hohen“ Steuern in Deutschland geht, die insbesondere von Amerikanern (das was ich aus den Kommentaren zu ähnlichen Videos entnehme) als Gegenargument benutzt werden, um das deutsche Sozialsystem niederzureden, ist das sehr interessant zu hören. Ich denke, wenn die Mehrheit der Amerikaner das durchschauen würden, gäbe es einen Aufstand ...

[@Tankliker]

Wohl eher einen sehr großen Zuzug aus Amerika XD

[@doloresmey]

Leopard 2A7V gut möglich 😊

[@justrelaxmore]

Ja Dolores, da kann ich dir nur zustimmen. Das fiel mir bereits in den Hochzeiten der Auswanderer-Dokusoaps auf. Gerade diejenigen, die mit der "Hier is D ist doch eh alles Mist" Attitüde ausgewandert sind kamen oft, nachdem sie im Ausland eine Bruchlandung hingelegt haben, kleinlaut mit eigeklemmten Schwanz zurück um erst einmal hier Sozialleistungen zu beantragen, die man in vielen Ländern nicht bekommt.

[@doloresmey]

Alex Legrand 👍 und das gute Wetter alleine bringt’s dann auch nicht, wenn man nix mehr zum Beißen hat. 😉

[@justrelaxmore]

@@doloresmey Ne, das stimmt. Auf der anderen Seite gibt es auch viele, die es geschafft haben eine Existenz im Ausland aufzubauen - vor denen ziehe ich den Hut.

[@evemaniac]

You did a smart decision to move here. The healthcare Insurance alone is a big advance in comparison to the system in the U.S... and back to German : Heimat ist da, wo sich das Herz wohl fühlt!

[@Dahrenhorst]

Actually, when you look at your payslip here in Germany (we don't have paychecks here) you will also see lots of deductions - most are obligatroy, some are voluntary. But the main thing is, that we have two major obligatory deductions, taxes, and social security. There are up to three tax deductions (income tax and solidarity tax [the latter will be stopped soon], plus church tax if you are member of the protestant or catholic church), and four social security deductions (unemployment, pension, healthcare, and nursing care) which are individually listed with amounts on your payslip. Many people have additional voluntary deductions from their pay, which are mainly going into saving plans and additional pension schemes. The main advantage for this voluntary deductions is, that you typically won't pay taxes and/or social security on this part of your income. So, there are also lots deductions from the gross salary in Germany. What I would like to stipulate is, that social security payments is NOT tax. Tax payments go to the government (even the church tax, which is redistributed from the government to the national church administrations) and are free to be used by the government as they see fit, social security payments go to government owned insurance organisations and are only to be used within the respective social security organisation.

[@MBrieger]

Dear Robert, the US has plenty of taxes on the pay slip. So has Germany. But they may not be spelled out. Whatever Eric's valid (although old point) is that renting is more expensive than owning. If he pays that for rent. he might as well pay that for a mortgage. There is ONE very substantial point. If you want to have the same quality of service in the US, you pay more than in Germany. BUT you pay it voluntarily. Not that it makes a lot of sense, but it is the american nature.

[@florianmeier451]

pays out for sure these days ...

[@HHHThanatos]

Hannover, Hometown. :) Love that Alien! tha

[@hgibson3869]

I was stationed in Germany for 10 years and loved. I have been doing my research like you and find that Germany is a much better place to live.

[@clionaduwe6427]

My husband is a german metalhead living in Ireland, its interesting comparing notes! :)

[@forkless]

There is this (European) adage. Work to live, not live to work. Also, Frei Bier and Wacken... oO

[@prozaque]

Yes I've lived in the US, and yes I'll argue, and yes ... you're right. Plus, the quality of a US apartment, paper thin walls, you can constantly hear the neighbors' footsteps, electric-only heaters, not allowed to paint the walls. Apples and oranges my friend.

[@colla4882]

Dankeschön 😊, dass du dir immer soviel Mühe machst! 👍🏻

[@TheHornoxx]

Gut! & very enlightening to compare and to clarify so clearly some legends here

[@TheMelody911]

Jedes Land hat seinen Reiz! Every land has its good side's! There are beautiful part's in the US where, not only the countryside is fabulous but also the people are nice! Having that said, I can understand why you moved to Germany and especially to lower Saxony! I was raised in the Netherlands and now live almost 40 years in east frisia (Ostfriesland) and I love this part of Germany

[@rene4761]

Great video!

[@readingcupcake3444]

Danke für deine Mühe! Der Unterschied ist wirklich sehr interessant! 🥰

[@julianzacher161]

Wow, you really bother to proof your words and experiences with facts and numbers. That became very rare amongst people nowadays and I absolutely appreciate it! 😁👍

[@thorstenziglasch22]

To add to the benefits of living in Germany: you do not loose your health insurance when you loose your job. There exists something like social net to help you not to get kicked out of your apartment because you are no longer able to afford the rent after you loose your job. And all of that for a few percent higher tax while your kids go to school, college or university for almost free. Yes, in the USA you pay less taxes, but for every little thing extra in life you need to pay some tuition fees... and a lot more than in Germany.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Bingo. There are 4 "big" things that are notably better/easier in the US and Germans have argued with me because these seem to be symbols of freedom....owning a car, owning a house, starting your own business and owning guns. I have a totally different opinion on things...but, its obvious where I stand.

[@manohasmodernlife]

Maaaaaan what a Rocket Start in your pretty young Channel! Congrats on that! Grüße aus dem Westmünsterland 👍🏻

[@willynagl7612]

You are a nice guy , glad you made this Choice

[@blovesbeautyboxes5354]

I lived in San Diego, CA for 28 years. I felt the same way you did when coming to Germany when I got off the plane in CA. I felt at home right away. I made a good living there but always had to watch the money and paid a lot for health insurance ,rent,food etc. After my(American) husband died of cancer in 2012 I decided to come back to Germany in 2015. Im so glad I did. I still might move back to the US (not for years though)but I have to make sure I have enough money to do so.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Thanks for sharing your story! I was raised on a saying " the grass is always greener on the other side" meaning your neighbors yard always looks nicer. Sometimes the grass is indeed greener and you are able to make it your own! We live in a great time to be able to find personal happiness. I do not expect to spend the rest of my life here, but if i remain happy here then why not.

[@Baccatube79]

By the way: German holidays vary a bit from state to state, but at least there are: New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christ's Ascension, May 1st, Pentecostal Monday, October 3rd, Reformation Day OR All Hallow's Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. (Depending on where you live there may also be: Epiphany, Carnival Tuesday, Womens' Day (only in Berlin), Corpus Christi, High Celebration of Peace (only in Augsburg), Mary's Assumption, Day of Prayer and Repentance). Those are all legal holidays, but you don't get the monday off if one of them is in a weekend.

[@Clairvoyant81]

- The "1 bedroom" thing is a typical US vs Germany issue: In Germany, we count rooms, not bedrooms. The US "1 bedroom" apartment is an apartment with a bedroom, a living room, kitchen and bath, as you explained. In Germany, we don't care whether it's a living or a bed room, it's a room, so that's a 2-room-apartment. Used to be called "2 Zimmer Küche Bad". - 30 days paid vacation is fairly standard in Germany. I think the average is just slightly below 30 days.

[@swanpride]

Wouldn't make much sense to just count the bedrooms either way, because you can rent a "one room apartment" which actually has exactly one room (and a bathroom, naturally), which serves as kitchen, living and bedroom at the same time.

[@polonius600]

hey Eric, ich finde deine videos super! mach weiter so :)

[@DJone4one]

bremerhaven or bremen is cheaper as all your cities in your list. between 400-600 € per month. but you must calculate the warm and the cold rent to this price.

[@teardrop-in-a-fishbowl]

You have to compare the square meter prices. I pay round about 6$ in Germany in a town of 100000 inhabitants.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Yes, that is probably the best way to compare

[@prozaque]

7:00 Mehrwertsteuer on Food is 7%, which is half of the pre-unification standard tax-rate of at the time 14%. And yes, I used to get 30 days of vacation ... everybody did.

[@ragsupporter]

No not anyone get 30 days. Lots of people get the minimum of 24 days required by law. But in bigger firms you can get up to 40 days. 30 days is normal. Sorry for my bad English. At the moment I have 38 days payed holidays because I have a small child. 🙂

[@andreasg723]

I think it makes no sense to directly compare costs for rent. You should calculate how much percent of the average salary have to be spent for rent.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Which would be even higher in the US. If we do this then Germany will look better.

[@weirdoanditsok1602]

Living in Southern California. I looked on realtor.com. The least expensive 3 bedroom house in Burbank, CA was over $700,000. This would be 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, 1 livingroom, 1 kitchen, and 1 laundry room. If you want to get closer to the west side for work, forget it, it’s about $1,000,000. We live about 1 hour and 30 minutes outside of Los Angeles. My husband and I both work in LA so then we get to pay to drive all the way out there because the public transportation sucks. $500,000 will get you a house out here. The condo below ours just sold for $325,000 and it has 2 bedrooms. 10 days paid vacation per year is standard here but you have to work a year before you earn that total. I only got 6 additional paid vacation days for my last job. We also got 5 sick days but again, you have to work about a year before you earn all 5. Beer out here is about $8 in a bar. If you want a cocktail, you will probably pay $12. This is at a casual place. If you want to go to a nice bar in LA, you might pay $17 a drink.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Thanks for the added input!

[@weirdoanditsok1602]

Krautsalat - An American in Germany for sure. It’s so expensive here! You can tell That I am not a fan lol. You can double all of that for San Francisco or New York.

[@lizben3463]

Hey Eric 😊 as always, love this video! Some great information there! Some small info about hospital stays in Germany: you'll have to pay 10€ per day out of your own pocket but the rest will usually be covered by insurance.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Wow. Hospital stays and also ambulance rides in the US can easily destroy a persons finances and savings.

[@forkless]

Compare that to the US, where calling an ambulance alone on average will set you back $1500, an epi-pen $600, having a baby somewhere between $10.000-$30.000 (and this is all with health insurance).

[@MaleLion.]

You have to pay that 10 € only for 28 days per year. All days above that are covered by insurance. The money is for the food provided by the hospital. As you don't need to buy food yourself for that time, it's not even a loss.

[@PeTer-xd8nx]

This 10 Euro must be paid for a maximum of 28 days. The maximum limit for all co-payments (hospital, medicines) may not exceed 2% (1% with chronic deseases )of the annual income. Above that, everything is free.

[@lizben3463]

@@MaleLion. true, I forgot to mention that. Also having a baby is free, you don't even have to pay the 10€ per day

[@kraftandre5538]

In germany it´s perscribed by law that you get at least 24 days vacation days per year.Normal is 26-28 days.If you work as artisan for example, you can add every year you work for that company 1 day plus, until you reached the maximum of 30 days.

[@nicktankard1244]

It's 24 if you work 6 days a week. If you work a norman 5 day week the minimum is 20. But most jobs give you at least 24 that's true. I have 26 and i know lots of people who have 28-30.

[@weirdoanditsok1602]

I super dig the Viking look

[@M4tti87]

Iam used to cooking my own food and not going out for lunch and dinner. It was extremly expensive to go buy some meat, vegetables, fruits and especially quality cheese in the united states while i lived there for a while. No wonder so many people go out for dinner in the US. The same things I used to do in Germany were way more expensive in the USA.

[@swanpride]

The German government actually cares about the health of their citizens. Hence unprocessed food has a lower vat, while processed food as well as what you eat in a restaurant has a higher vat. That makes it cheaper to buy fresh and cook for yourself. In the US, the cheapest food is full of sugar and additives, some of which aren't even allowed under EU law.

[@nicktankard1244]

@@swanpride That's interesting. I didn't know that. But when it comes to eating out crap fast food(MacDonalds, BK etc) is still much cheaper than a good healthy meal in a normal restaurant in Germany.

[@swanpride]

Not if you consider what you get for your value. Plus, beside the likes of McDonalds, we also have other fast food options which aren't quite as unhealthy.

[@TheFreaker86]

I can imagine that living in USA is more expensive. Being there for vacation and we spend overall for 4 weeks a high 4-figure amount of € for 2 adults. And we mostly were on the road camping on camping grounds. Hotels and rental cars (amongst others) are insanely expensive

[@austincarnell180]

Germanys culture is so cool and I would love to learn more 💯

[@scarzboy9324]

What i mean with cheaper living in the Usa is that if you look at a rural area in Germany and a rural area in usa the prices are way higher in germany for large plots where you are allowed to build

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

But that is one of the few upsides. There is so much land in the US that it is much easier to find something cheaper. But personally i think owning a house is very over rated, that is just me, i don't want to be tied down to owning a house.

[@peter_meyer]

Ok, you're comparing a country that is 30 times the size of germany and has a population density which is a fraction of Germany's. Compare Europe to the US and you will have a decent comparison. And i bet you will find cheaper land to build on in Europe.

[@silkedavid8876]

Really like that you did the research and maths to do a proper comparison. What I do not like about public holidays in Germany is that it differs between the South and the North. Even if you are not religious in the South, you get all these extra days off because of religion. I counted only 9 days public holidays, I'm from Hamburg.

[@planic8128]

Hannover auf dem thumbnail! Ehrenmann :)

[@DaylanTheAngrySauerkraut]

Indeed. If not happy, change it instead of sitting at home and whinging. I regret nothing from moving to Germany!

[@quentinmunich9819]

This all depends on the exchange rate and if you would ask me, the Euro is more valueable as it is charted in this exchange rates. But anyway I have heard the same, even food is some degree more expensive as in germany. Cheaper is gasoline ( also electricity) and bicycles (chinese importers have to pay more customes for Europe)

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Gasoline is a big one, regarding average life. But then if you want to own a home,i think this is easier in the US.

[@TheOtherArea]

I am working since 30 Years and at every Company i had my 30days Holiday - i think most of the People i know have 30days (+all the other National Days). Plus in most Companys you get a 13th Pay"check" (to spend for Christmas and Summerholidays). Working time is normally between 35 and 38 Hours a Week - ist that the same in the US? And another one mentioned, that it cost you 10€ a day to be in Hospital but you have to mention too, that for every Medication you have a Receipt from a Doctor it cost 5€

[@mad_max3402]

Nice video...again...👍 me and my friends wanted to make a 3 week trip to LA, SF and Las Vegas...well i think that's not gonna happen...at least not this year 😒

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Sadly. I hope you can make it up next year!

[@Ayntak]

Rewe is one of the more expensive grocery stores in Ger. I dont go there because of this and they are often small but with many ppl inside.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

That even proves my point a bit more. Many people look at Rewe being too expensive and its close to average for a US grocery store

[@nicktankard1244]

@@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany yeah Rewe is kinda cheap. I like it. Edeka is also nice. I hate aldi and lidl though.

[@Weitenrausch1]

Sry for my bad english That is not true, i see a report and they test edeka, Rewe, aldi, Lidl and Co. the Prices are acutely not so different., because of different offers. Edeka and Rewe are no discounter but they sale discounter and non discounter things and they are in a price battle with Discounter, like Aldi and Lidl. If you really want to be clever or smart than you look which has the lowest price for the things you need. But then you must go to more then one shop.

[@nicktankard1244]

Also Germany doesn't really have premium supermarkets like Whole Foods. Now that store is expensive but still pretty popular.

[@elizaveta157]

@@nicktankard1244 denn's and other Biomärkte?

[@derauditor5748]

German here. 30 Days is pretty normal in Industrial Jobs. If i want, i can even have 37 Days. The additional 7 will have no extra Holiday Pay though.

[@locke.x8638]

Interessant du auch in Hannover wohnst 🤘 Außerdem schönes Bild vom Rathaus

[@Ash_Andromeda]

Can vouch for the rent prices in certain US cities. I live in Seattle and you can get a "Pod" which is anywhere from 150 - 250 sq feet downtown for around $2K A MONTH. HAHA I hate it here :)

[@Jan_Seidel]

Another difference. In Germany is beer served fresh tapped or from a bottle. In the States you get sloppy beer in jugs X'( The beer has also way lower alcolhol level. But the ice brewed beer is nasty.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

What do you mean by sloppy beer in jugs? And if you take away most light beers the alcohol content is basically the same, 4.5-5%. Plus here in Germany is a lot of Radler or Alster so its funny to me when people complain about the light beer in the US then here you mix the beer with cola or sprite. But the alcohol is not "way lower". Aluminum cans are very common but the US also has bottles and fresh taps.

[@Jan_Seidel]

@@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany I tried to buy once on a trip to buy beer in cans. The outcome was ... awkward. The ice destilled was a nasty but tasty stuff but else all the other beers I tested missing the "bite". I meant "schal" with sloppy? Let me try to find a translation ... stale-like beer. At least for a germans taste :) May

[@monikakonrad2951]

A one bedroom apartment in Germany is a "Zwei Zimmer Wohnung", bedroom, livingroom and kitchen, bathroom.

[@Sakura-zu4rz]

Your charm is irresistible!!😁 You look energetic.💪 You have a great smile. I love you!!😘Having friends from other cultures makes me more creative. In fresh ways about space and how people create their own world and environment. It is best way to connect between creative thinking and cross-cultural relationships😘🤗😁 Now, the world can be a nasty crazy place out there, we need a lot of courage and we need a lot of resilience after that, and we will fall down before we stand up… What really matters is the silence of the night in our conscience, when we are alone. We cannot control what happens but we can use what happens. We have so much reserves of love and support inside us, if we can just remember that in our mind and move on.

[@christheswiss390]

What's with the model of the Alien? This model and the complete arts of the alien movies was made by Hans Rudolf Giger from Switzerland. If you're a fan, have you ever visited his home town or the museum?

[@dietrichengel2149]

Hi Eric. I'm surprised that renting an Appartement is so expensive in Florida or California. I thought that they are already expensive here in Germany. Mobiles seems to be cheaper. I pay 9.-€ for my mobile a month (Phone flat, 2GB Interent.)

[@TomRuthemann]

7,99 for flat and 5 GB ... compare that to the US. :-)

[@Ste6671]

Spot on. German living in the US (DC) since 2012 and can confirm that it is expensive to live here.

[@bjrnarbjrnarsson5845]

Can you do a conversation with Mantar's Hanno. He moved to Florida in 2015 and seems to enjoy the weather a lot 🤘😁👍

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

I would freaking love that! I have talked a little with him about that but i did not know he moved that early. I thought it was closer to the time i did in 2017. But, das ist egal. I will keep this in mind, i have good contacts to make this happen too.

[@peterpritzl3354]

I made the mistake to move to USA about 40 years ago. Even living in Hawaii, I regret it. Health care over here sucks big time. So many people are ruined, when they get seriously sick, and have to pay all the bills, many lose their house. I really liked the comparison of the cost of one lady, who moved to Germany 20 years ago, and was treated here for a brain tumor. All she paid was $ 120 co pay for 10 days post op hospital stay. In the US she would have paid upwards of $ 150,000, which would have ruined her and left her homeless. Another example is that dental is not included in health insurance. You can get it separately, but the coverage is pathetic. I needed major dental work around 5 years ago. In the US it would have cost me $25,000 to 30,000, and would have taken 3 months. I had it done in Hungary instead. It cost me, including the flight, around $ 5,500 for top notch work, and they did it in 4 days. And compared to Germany, most doctors or dentist offices in the US look like you are in a third world country.

[@SinnlosHoch6]

The cost of living I think is better comparable if you look at how much (%) of the income is spend on rent, how much on groceries, car...

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

In the US I had to work more than 40 hours per week to have money to enjoy my weekends. My living expenses were 70-80% of my income usually

[@Tankliker]

@@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany yeah, in Europe the quality of living is general really high if it comes to things like free time and the wages compared to the working time. I often hear that Europe is lacking behind of this and also we just go down in the end, but I believe most citizins of every country would like it to work only 30h and still get a wage that is considered as being high.

[@lotriguitarist]

i find one of the easiest ways to elaborate average living cost in a country is to compare the cost of a mc donalds cheeseburger. i‘m not kidding, this works really well since these restaurants are everywhere

[@niteu]

I too moved to Hannover from the US (Chicago) some time ago. The only thing that is more expensive in Germany is Fuel/transportation in general. Everything else is much cheaper in Germany. The paycheck seems to go a lot farther despite the higher taxes.

[@robertkirk4387]

I left a Comment of your other video about being in Germany and I was in Hildesheim which as you know is just down the road from you

[@dropexpectations12]

Danke!

[@hgro4952]

Holidays have to be by law (Bundesurlaubsgesetz §3) at least 24 workdays in Germany. About 30 days is quite common, nevertheless.

[@hgro4952]

Public holidays come on top.

[@tomernst1185]

German companys have to give a minimum of 20 days vacation (24 if you work a 6 day week) to their employees by law, but most companies do more than that. I actually know not a single person who has just the minimum. Most workers have 28-30 days.

[@ChristianBurkart]

You will earn a lot of money with this channel. I'm happy for you!

[@wernerlampe8089]

Christian Burkart : das kannst du schnell vergessen! Im Bereich von 15.000 Abonnenten und einPaar Tausend klicks spielt sich noch nicht viel ab. In den Bereichen Geld verdienen is nich. ...

[@Kutchulu]

What always bothers me when I am in the US are bills at restaurants or bars. Where you have the amount +taxes (state sales tax of 6% plus applicable county tax (e.g. Florida)) +tip (15%min plus appreciation of the service) and end up with a much higher bill than expected. You get used to it but it always feels like the ripped you off with the prices on the menu.

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

I was with a group of Germans in Miami at a restaurant once. I think there was 8 of us and the waitress didn't separate the bill. Let's say my share was $20 and i threw in $25 without thinking. The others spent about 20 minutes calculating what each person owed with tip. The tax became the biggest problem. I found the moment when Germans forget about the value of their time, when calculating exactly what everyone owes 🤣

[@Kutchulu]

@@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany Yeah. This was us in a nutshell.^^ But it is the uncertainty between paying too much and ripping of the waiter. :D But having been there quite some times, we are just sharing the bill and if someone has something more expensive than the others, he owes them a beer then. ;)

[@blauermerlin1968]

Du bist ein toller Typ. Ich wünsche Dir eine schöne Zeit in Deutschland.

[@Rsama60]

Eric, I can relate to that. I lived in NJ for 3,5 years. OK this was wp years ago. I can agree to all your arguments aboutvthe cost of living. I must say Bergen county NJ is in the top 10 of the most expensive counties in the US. And sure there are cheaper places to live in the US. But honestly would I like to live in the middle of a corn field just because it is cheap? No.

[@sushipancake6559]

Yep! I did move to Germany last year and already have hard times now lol TV tax was surprising

[@green64]

oh no, you haven't done anything wrong, don't let them tell you that. You only owe yourself justification. I think you listen to your heart and be where you want to be. You are very self-reflective, and you do your thing right, keep it up! I am happy hear about funny things, things I don't notice in Germany but you see them with different eyes and your knowledge of Metal, tell us about it !

[@backstep9461]

Whoever reads this, I wish you all the best

[@permanentstick]

Sup mate? I really love your comparising und reflecting those cultural differences all over your videos! Since I lived in the us a short amount of time (6 months) I totally agree on like 90% of what you're saying. The other 10% are totally debatable minor issues. However, one thing I think you're missing out: how are your stance on the typical American small talk and sugar coating? That's one thing that 'troubled' me the most, since sometimes it was hard to figure out if that person is really talking to you or just being polite, you know what I mean? (Besides the fact that metalheads tend to be straight forward and tell someone to get lost if they can't stand this perso). Keep up the good work! Cheers!

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Thanks! Well...the small talk and sugar coating. In my opinion these are two very different things. The small talk would be friendly and likely something to pass the time. At this very moment I am reminded of a scene from the movie Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd walks out of the gas station and attempts small talk with the guy who has a Big Gulp. LOL that is actually a great example of friendly small talk. And i have actually been seeing a lot of it here in Hannover too! I think its the sugar coating that you see of Americans and that is when someone says or does something to make it look or sound better than it is. I think this is a reflection of Americans having a greater optimistic attitude in general than Germans do, who are typically precise and literal. The happy, nice to meet you small talk or greeting is hard to tell if faked or not. But in my opinion, for a short meeting, what does it matter? Its quite proven that you commonly receive the attitude you project. You meet someone, smile and say "nice to meet you" and unless there is a real problem you will get a smile in return.

[@permanentstick]

@@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany Thanks for that elaborate answer! And yeah, I gotcha. Short time - good time - the rest doesn't matter. That's something Germans should adapt quite more often. But see, we Germans kind of lost those two big wars back in the day, so our pessimism kinda is in our vanes! (Insert irony sign right here). :D

[@TheGamingCrow]

The rent in Hannover is realy expensive compared to my place (Münsterland). For a 87 qm aparetment (plus 18 qm balcony and a basement room as big) I only pay abou 320 Euros a month (so called Nebenkosten included). And, no, I'm not living in some kind of wilderness.

[@petruschkii]

Du bist der Aufstrebende creator in den Trends von Deutschland

[@musikerie]

damd, you have a h.r.giger alien - so cool. You've seen his museum?

[@silviawalbon6858]

You are a Smart nice guy. Thats Why you Feel home Here. Lol. Yes, I like your .... thinking of it it.... what do I get for it!

[@MM_S2000]

Since i will start my Ausbildung soon i looked it up and by a full time job in germany you need to get at least 24 days of vacation per year.

[@wapposv]

thumbnail is the old cityhall in hannover is it not?

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Not the old, the new. Neues Rathaus. But you are correct, that is Hannover. Such a beautiful view too.

[@petrapan2516]

number 1 I do not know why why ppl would disagree...living in LA Metro it had cost most of the income

[@HannoverLoco]

Sehr interessant!! Danke für deinen Einblick! Btw. if you are working in the metal industry you´ll have 38 days paid vacation ;-)

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

Well...does metal music count?!

[@stefanfalldorf6573]

I was an exchange student in upstate New York, class of '94. If my parents sold our nice german average house in a suburban area of a bigger north german city (not Hamburg) we could have afford a real big house with pool in the best part of Syracuse, NY + a Mercedes E-class for my father, a nice Jaguar for my mother and a Ford Mustang for me. It always depends where you live and when you live there. Even Manhatten was cheap in 1994 compared to nowadays. Grocerys have been cheaper in that time as well - at least in the north easter part of the US compared to my home in germany. Cars as well.

[@TonyMontanaCA]

Besides the cost for living, you nailed it in the first video. In Germany everyone, literally everyone is covered by a health insurance. People who have a privat insurance will be treated more faster, but nobody is alone. Next point are the education costs. Everyone in Germany - doesn't matter about the family wealth - has the chance to study at the tier 1 Universities free of charge, and only has to take care for living.

[@TomRuthemann]

Nice number crunching, Eric!

[@ronin47-ThorstenFrank]

Got to concur with the informations stated. Every single person I talked to from the US was surprised how low the costs of living are in the EU compared to the USA. Some even didn´t understand that because they were indoctrinated otherwise. And it´s getting far worse if you live in remote rural areas in the US. And I´m really shocked how many people I know are heavy in the debts because of the health system. When Germany started to "liberalize/privatize" some of the communal services like energy or water the prices went up. In parts considerably and that´s were the moaning comes from today. But we were told otherwise, that the costs would go down, back then. BTW, I love the xenomorph!

[@gerbasgamer8211]

853 € seems far too much for an average two-room apartment, especially when you consider that 2/3 of Germans live in cities with a population below 100k. A two-room apartment is usually about 60-65qm² and the average per qm² in Germany is roughly 7€ so that would be 420€ to 455€. With utility costs except electricity (Warmmiete) anywhere between 500€ and 550€. www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/mieten-in-deutschland-so-teuer-ist-wohnen-laut-mietspiegel-a-1253832.html

[@KrautsalatAnAmericaninGermany]

To be honest, i thought so too. Even the average price i found for Hannover seemed high (i spent a long time "house hunting" here). But what you say makes things even cheaper. I would have needed a roommate and move had I stayed in Florida, they like raising the rents every year.

[@mrn234]

And i pay 415€ "cold" for a 3 room flat (with Balcony) with around 90m² lulz in a city with around 600k people and that directly in the the you can call it City Centre :D Most of my friends pay that or more for around 60m²

[@Baccatube79]

The average is that high because also boring Hanover has its high-end luxury flats. Still, giving the "Quadratmeterkaltmiete" says a lot more than the average rent for a flat. Also: buying property is way easier in the US than it is in Germany.