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Announcements Apr 3, 2026 at 4:24 AM

How do Americans still have more disposable income than Europeans even though healthcare and college in America is extremely expensive?

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ricochet48 Apr 3, 2026 +836
Look at the average house size and such too. I'm a dual citizen and have living in both areas... Americans have more disposable income overall even taking into account healthcare and college. Europe has a stronger safety net for the bottom 10% though, for the top third the US is incredible.
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no_nosy_coworkers Apr 3, 2026 +195
The countries in Europe varies a lot as well so measuring gets kinda tricky, median income in some of the nordics for example is $65k, with a tax rate at around 27% (~17k), that includes both free healthcare and free university. the nordics have a safety net for way more than the bottom 10%, in the sense that the difference in pay between a cashier and an engineer is way smaller in the Nordics than in America, it has its advantages and disadvantages, for high skilled workers they get payed way less than their overseas counterparts, but your fellow humans don’t have to live in the streets because they couldn’t finish school or have some other troubles. Some people hate it, Some accept it, and some cherish it. But as you say, if you are in the top third the US is down right incredible for you. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a factor of brain drain towards the us from the Nordics, because you can earn so much more if you’re in that group. But generally from what I’ve seen, there is also this feeling of solidarity with your fellow man, so even though some high skilled workers sometimes bad mouths the system, they usually oft still stay.
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Boneraventura Apr 3, 2026 +1
> there was a factor of brain drain towards the us from the Nordics, because you can earn so much more if you’re in that group I went the opposite way. Left my 6 figure research job in the US to make 50k usd in sweden as a researcher. My life and my family’s life is so much simpler and chill. This is including the uprising of the right wing sentiment and restrictions on immigration and citizenship. Which won’t really impact myself so much in reality as I plan to stay long term.  Compared to the US person the average citizen here is quite level headed. Stockholm is for the most part not littered with trash like most of NYC. Healthcare works, I have gotten same day appointments. Had some imaging done in less than 2 weeks. I would say it is on par as the US when I had the best insurance available at my job.  I have no complaints other than Swedes are impossible people to make friends with. Luckily there are also a lot of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe who love to bullshit all day
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pehr71 Apr 3, 2026 +1
As a Swede I apologize for our apparent unfriendliness. I don’t think we mean to. It’s mostly not realizing that you would actually want to be friends with us.
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Bulletorpedo Apr 3, 2026 +99
The safety net is great for pretty much everyone. Knowing you’ll be (relatively) fine if you lose your job is incredibly liberating. It’s what freedom for ordinary people really looks like. I don’t think many highly educated people want to move to the US anymore.
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karmapotato0116 Apr 3, 2026 +1
This. And the work life balance too. I heard the Nordics don't push their people to work pretty much every day of their lives.
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itsinvincible Apr 3, 2026 +1
I'm in the top 30% and I'd never trade my spot in Switzerland for a spot in America even if I'd earn 100k more easily. The feeling of safety is invaluable. Even me if i lose my job would get 80% of my last salary for two years or until i find another job. It's truely a blessing and i never need to worry about my health or my future.
1
_j_o_e_ Apr 3, 2026 +1
i hate when people say "Free healthcare" or "free university" or whatever, its not free, its included.
1
WaterMasterMC Apr 3, 2026 +1
and depends a lot on which country in Europe too, Nordics vs others is a big difference
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NewBayRoad Apr 3, 2026 +1
The thing is, in the US, you could leave the salary for an engineer the same by not allowing the super rich to be so rich.
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algebraiceffect Apr 3, 2026 +95
This is the correct take
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Baby_Fark Apr 3, 2026 +39
Agreed. Check this out though. I’m just posting this everywhere anyone talks about wealth inequality in the US. https://eattherichtextformat.github.io/1-pixel-wealth/
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GGme Apr 3, 2026 +8
That is great. Had me scrolling for a while. The mention of COVID 19 testing was a little dated.
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nick_the_builder Apr 3, 2026 +1
Wow
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EvvyBagatrix Apr 3, 2026 +15
This didn’t even come close to answering the actual question about why…
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Afraid_College8493 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Nailed it. I live part-US, part-Europe. Don't get near the US if you don't know how to earn decent money. I'd say even the top half in the US is really wealthy by European standards. Bottom half - Europe is best.
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NegotiationStatus727 Apr 3, 2026 +266
The figures I could find about disposable income only include mandatory contributions of salary in their calculation of deductions from income, and in the US healthcare and university are not mandatory contributions so I haven’t found numbers that support this premise. And crucially in Europe healthcare typically is a mandatory contribution Additionally these numbers are based on averages not medians and the US has extreme wealth inequality compared to European countries which inflates these values in favor of Americans despite not being truly representative. Remember that the average person has one testicle.
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ebawho Apr 3, 2026 +102
Yeah if you look at median wealth or median savings rate you see it’s much similar and often better in the EU even with lower salaries. Even Spain and Italy beat out US on median wealth.  The US is more friendly to the ultra wealthy so the mean wealth values get really skewed.  It’s a hard comparison to make with the data, but the median savings rate is much higher in the most of EU. I think with lower salaries but higher savings rate, the median EU resident can save more than the median American. 
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NegotiationStatus727 Apr 3, 2026 +56
There is also the fact that Americans HAVE to save money in case something happens to their health or their car. In Europe there aren’t a lot of ways to suddenly be on the hook for $10 000. So disposable income in Europe is actually disposable. It is pretty typical for middle Europeans to go on multiple several day vacations a year often one pretty local and one abroad whereas I know very few Americans who live this way (even allowing for out of state vacations being equivalent to abroad).
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impy695 Apr 3, 2026 +28
The bottom third in Europe is going to do fine. The bottom third in the US is fucked. The top third in Europe is doing well. The top third in the US live extremely well.
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WaryMonr3 Apr 3, 2026 +8
That last sentence is the most Listnook way to explain statistics I have ever seen.
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DarmanitanIceMonkey Apr 3, 2026 +956
The average full time European salary is €40,000 The average full time American salary is $65000 ~ €56,347 That's about 40% more income.
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JoeInMD Apr 3, 2026 +726
And Americans generally pay less taxes on that higher salary
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Persimmon-Mission Apr 3, 2026 +466
The higher taxes and VAT tax of Europe pays for their healthcare. Either way, citizens are paying for their healthcare. Some more than others.
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Oskarikali Apr 3, 2026 +248
Americans pay more in taxes for healthcare than pretty much every other country. It is estimated that public spending in U.S accounts for around 50% or more of all American healthcare costs.  American per capita spend is more than double pretty much every country except Switzerland, but Switzerland also has private options, (as do many other European nations, as well as Canada).     So it is likely Americans pay more in taxes for healthcare than people in any other country.    Then Americans have insane healthcare premiums on top of that. 
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Present-Chemist-8920 Apr 3, 2026 +39
I think this is partially true. It’s very true that per service US healthcare is more expensive. The reasons are complex. Some of the charges are just to keep the system running in an industry that bleeds money. But for the average US citizen they likely underuse their healthcare and don’t pay much into it besides their insurance monthly. So while it sure can bankrupt the average person the average person is able to kick the can down the road until they’re old enough to apply for government insurance and pay for supplemental coverage. Some estimate that 5% of the population are responsible for 50% of the costs and chronic conditions make the lions share. It’s essentially betting that you won’t be sick until a certain age. If people get chronically sick though, or a random big event, then there’s trouble ahead. I think this stalemate is why we haven’t really changed the system as much as I’d hope.
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jjtrevelyan Apr 3, 2026 +59
The thing here though is in America you pay for healthcare with taxes, and THEN also pay your health insurance which is a few grand a year and thats on a pretty basic decent employer plan, it can be much much more. The average American pays roughly the same amount in taxes as a Briton making a comparable salary. Americans have been duped to believe that "The UK/Europe tax rates are SO much higher than in the US" when that really only starts to apply when you're making more money than the average citizen; even then its not a substantial amount. This can very slightly depending on which state you live in because state taxes vary, and the tax on goods is probably where the difference is most prevalent. Again varying on municipalities, counties and states. Now keep in mind that for the Briton, those taxes are paying for the entirety of their healthcare. No insurance payments and generally no medical payments. That's at the bare minimum a few grand a year (unless you're one of the lucky few to have fully-paid-by-your-employer insurance) and can reach MUCH higher if ANYTHING happens to you. Now here comes the reeeeeally big kicker. Cost of living for a Briton compared to an American is astronomically lower. Estimates are around 16% cheaper not including rent, and as high as 23% once you include rent. So you tell me. Is a 1-2% tax difference (if you even have a difference) worth the: much more expensive cost of living, paying for your own health insurance and still having to pay an arm and a leg for anything that happens, worse education, worse life expectancy, an embarassing illiteracy rate for a developed western nation, and wasting large swaths of taxpayer money on war than its own citizens?
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vc-10 Apr 3, 2026 +40
Being a Brit married to an American, living in the UK, I have a bit of insight to add here. This applies to the middle 75% or so of income. In the US, the very bottom is worse off, and the top is better off. My husband made well over average income when he was in the US - moving to the UK, a comparable job paid less and is taxed more. But the very bottom end income groups seem to be better off in the UK with social and healthcare programs (that's not to say there's not a lot of poverty, because there absolutely is) The US is a great place to be rich. It's an absolutely awful place to be poor. The income inequality in the US is significantly higher than most of Europe.
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jjtrevelyan Apr 3, 2026 +10
This is what I was somewhat poorly trying to get at. I'm also sure that while there may have been a pay decrease, its not like you're now poor. Added to that that cost of living is cheaper, its a bit more nuanced. Obviously I can't speak to your experience, but if you took a 10% decrease in pay but your CoL goes down 10%, did you really take a hit? I don't really have a problem with people even being rich, let alone well off. I have an issue when people are exorbitantly rich at the expense of ruining millions of lives. Really appreciate the "bi-national" perspective. Do you have a preference yet? Do you want to remain in the UK or would you rather go to the US?
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vc-10 Apr 3, 2026 +5
Couldn't agree more. We would be financially better off in the US, by quite a bit. I'm a doctor, so I'd probably double my income moving to the US (although it would be a *lot* of hassle transferring my training). But quality of life for us is good, and we've made our home here, so there's a lot more to making that decision than just money and income. We live in London, so our cost of living is high for the UK. Rent on a nice 2-bed apartment in a nice part of town is about £3k/month, which does not compare favourably to a lot of places in the US, but probably does OK compared to major cities like New York or Los Angeles. If we moved out to round near where my parents live, in rural Wiltshire, we could drop our rent hugely. But I'd also go stir crazy bored, so we don't!
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TheVagabondLost Apr 3, 2026 +2
In America, insurance gets YOU! Unless you’re actually Yakoff. Then no, prolly not. Sorry about you being the “right white in America”.
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Present-Chemist-8920 Apr 3, 2026 +6
You’re mixing a statistics of a population and the mean experience. This isn’t to say that we have a good system. Rather the average person won’t notice the pinch they’re in unless certain circumstances hit. As most just pay their insurance and never use it until later. Circumstances vary a lot, there’s are drugs that cost 250K a year but some patients pay 0 or low copay but some can’t afford a $100 drug — interestingly, the ones with the best drug coverage would be those on government insurance (if your state expanded Medicare/medicaid) and veterans. I agree with your idea, but day to day it’s not palpable and hence why it’s frustratingly tolerated. I’m not defending the system, I’m just explaining how the average American survives the bad system. It ends up being a bet or gamble that you’ll figure it out before you’re screwed. We may have more disposable income, but it’s an accounting trick. Childcare is insane as is healthcare etc. The US started as an indentured servitude system, then gave way to slavery. It still is an indentured servitude program, now with slavery exemptions.
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electric_popcorn_cat Apr 3, 2026 +4
Your health insurance is only a few grand a year?! You are very lucky.
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FewHorror1019 Apr 3, 2026 +7
Also doctors get paid a lot more in the US
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Present-Chemist-8920 Apr 3, 2026 +19
Most of costs in the US are driven by administrative costs not physicians or even nursing salaries. It’s essentially a jobs program. The salaries because it’s a different pathway. The US system is undergraduate, then medical school (many will get a masters in between or some years to build up their app), then medical school, then residency, and optional fellowship. Most other countries with lower costs have medical training as your undergraduate years so you have to essentially get in after high school. This added onto the idea that most other countries pay for healthcare workers to train versus the US where the healthcare workers pay out of pocket to get trained. The net result is higher medical salaries but higher costs to get the training + a catch what you kill mentality as it wasn’t a public service funded career. Another factor is that charges and costs are not the same thing. If you a get a lumbar puncture it may be several hundred dollars in cost. The thing that bloats the bills are charges. Realistically, you don’t just get a lumbar puncture. The system has to pay for the cost of the kit, the room upkeep, the gown logistics staff and costs to make the day happen. In most other countries they’re logical so the government pays something to subsidize these hidden factors and it keeps the health charge closer to what the cost would be. If the US you subsidize the entire system. As there’s little incentive to control charges, every private company has their best interest to join this cost scam. I’m a doctor (so that’s my bias, but I’m technically underpaid according to all stats as I work at a large safety net hospital. To give you an idea of random stuff we all pay for, I was asked for safety pins to check sharp sensation. The next week we received a box of INDIVIDUAL safety pins each in sealed paper. They had been medically irradiated and were likely expensive AF. It wasn’t even my money and I lost it, they now just buy boxes on Amazon equivalent pricing. But imagine, there’s someone out there upselling “medical” safety pins that are 5x more than normal. Is there a need for such a device? For a an extremely slim minority yes, but it’s mostly wasteful. The open secret is it’s 1) an admin jobs program and 2) the medical device market is insane and rather uncontrolled. No one asked me but I think it would be more logical to have a public option and get rid of private insurance as these cat and mouse price games have zero incentive to be handled. You’ll notice the only time healthcare policy wins is when it affects those on government insurance due to more oversight. Part of that would be the government paying for medical education at all levels. I would gladly make less if I didn’t owe a house.
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IgnoreMePlz123 Apr 3, 2026 +3
As do nurses, but salaries for frontline staff represents less than 12% of healthcare spending in the US, which is mostly on pharmaceuticals, administration and insurance
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RkkyRcoon Apr 3, 2026 +1
Our annual enrollment figures just came out and it looks like I'm going to be paying $1700 a month for my work provided heath insurance. This is on top of the $11000 of their contribution to the total premium. And on top of the new $6000 deductible. That is a huge sum of money to be bleeding. We have to figure something out because, surprise, we can't afford the premium. I don't know what the answer is but it feels like the whole system is collapsing from underneath us.
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adcgefd Apr 3, 2026 +5
Considering it’s an open market and all, it usually depends on your plan and really on what your employer is willing to pay for.
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Winter-Movie4606 Apr 3, 2026 +25
Kinda. Try Finland. Nowadays we have such waiting times for non acute public healthcare that people are just turned away for minor health issues. If you insist, you can get medical attention for non acute things but it isn't the norm anymore. So you pay two twice, first you pay one of the highest taxes, then you pay for private clinics.
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asusc Apr 3, 2026 +20
My insurance in the US is $600/mo.  I have a $8.5k deductible and $10k maximum out of pocket costs for the year. My insurance doesn’t cover everything until I meet my maximum out of pocket.  So I pay about $18k per year before my insurance covers 100% of my medical costs. And I often times still have to wait weeks or months to see specific doctors. On top of this, it’s a constant fight with my insurance company to actually cover my very expensive medication, which gets billed at $48k/mo and insurance pays out at $16k per month.  This medication is significantly cheaper in the rest of the developed world where national health systems buy in bulk for best prices. I would gladly, in a heart beat, pay higher taxes to be rid of this awful, awful system that doesn’t work for anyone but shareholders.
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Eglerzz Apr 3, 2026 +4
Damn, mine is 4k/8k but I pay $100 a month (cheapest plan). Is this insurance through an employer
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v4rjo Apr 3, 2026 +35
Yes, but when you got serious health issues like cancer, you will get into treatment in matter of days or few weeks basically for free. Mean while in US you are bankrupted for life without insurance. Source: My mom and bestfriend had cancer treated in public healthcare.
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2Rhino3 Apr 3, 2026 +3
Would you prefer the American system if given the option?
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Winter-Movie4606 Apr 3, 2026 +8
Propably not. But isn't that very specific for each state? In general no, but I think Europe and US has lot more to learn from each other than most people think.
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Empanatacion Apr 3, 2026 +7
It doesn't change much from state to state.
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Pikeman212a6c Apr 3, 2026 +2
Live fast die young and you hacked the system.
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nametaken_thisonetoo Apr 3, 2026 +3
I'd rather the version where I don't go bankrupt because I happen to have cancer.
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skiingredneck Apr 3, 2026 +8
Well. Sorta. Europeans are paying for everyone’s healthcare. In America if you don’t have insurance, which honestly is a much smaller % of people than you’d believe, then the “who gets hit with high costs” is fairly concentrated. Imagine you live in free healthcare land, even then the number of folks you know who have high contact with the medical field is likely pretty low. Especially if you’re young.
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arto64 Apr 3, 2026 +24
> Europeans are paying for everyone’s healthcare. That’s what all insurance is, private or public. The more people pay into it, the lower the premiums can be. If you remove the need for profit, they can be even lower.
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Lokon19 Apr 3, 2026 +5
I think one thing people don't seem to understand in the US is that even in Europe the poor pay for their healthcare. In the US the poor don't really pay anything for their healthcare.
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aesirmazer Apr 3, 2026 +5
Under 30 and most of my friends and family have at least monthly contact with the medical field in a universal healthcare country. Some the same age as me are weekly minimum for blood draws and such for lab tests. I'm the odd one out for not going to the doctor for years at a time.
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elderly_millenial Apr 3, 2026 +2
Well. Sorta. There are a large number of people with health insurance, but with high deductible plans. Those people are still usually paying out of pocket for most things, but they have an upper bound on the expenses.
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Winter_Swan5104 Apr 3, 2026 +78
We also have to pay healthcare $$$, and more once we actually use it. And must own a car, car payments, gas, maintenance, taxes, and insurance. Europeans get a pension. They also have more vacation days. Their housing is more affordable compared to ours. (Also 65k median? Not in much of the US.)
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Temporary_Strategy47 Apr 3, 2026 +32
They said average, I cant be bothered to look it up but there is a large difference between average and median
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robot_guiscard Apr 3, 2026 +19
US average income data is skewed by very high and extremely high earners in certain astronomically high earning sectors that the US dominates.
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Nope_______ Apr 3, 2026 +3
Median full time is 62k,45k median overall. 84k household
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Jolteon0 Apr 3, 2026 +7
According to the BLS, the median income of full-time (40 hour) workers was $1,204/week in 2025, or ~62k/year.
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bornagy Apr 3, 2026 +20
Not sure about the housing part.
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KaboodleMoon Apr 3, 2026 +19
Averages are terrible in the US until you cut the bottom 5% and top 1% of people off the list. Too many 0s and too much equity wealth fucks up averages, even median, since it's unbalanced on both ends.
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iagainsti77 Apr 3, 2026 +17
And that’s the point of using the median…
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Nope_______ Apr 3, 2026 +2
That would hardly move the median at all. It would affect the average quite a bit.
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Prestigious_Ad_1037 Apr 3, 2026 +11
Average cars per household in the EU is 0.5 and in the US it’s just under 2. Also certain the average home size is likely 2X for the EU vs US. They’re very different lifestyles and that’s not say one is any better than the other.
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Hostillian Apr 3, 2026 +9
That's because you need a car in the US, especially outside major cities. Things are much more spread out and fuel is (or was) cheaper. You don't need one, as much, in Europe (as the public transport is much better).
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supermuncher60 Apr 3, 2026 +15
We also don't have VAT taxes. We have state sales tax, but the rates are usually much lower. The US tax system is actually ironically more progressive than Europe and the top 10% of earners pay most of the tax bill. You don't actually pay that much in taxes if you only make like $60K gross.
15
my5cworth Apr 3, 2026 +11
Our VAT is 25% :/ diesel was recently $12/gallon. Im happy paying taxes for 'free' healthcare. The country runs better when everyone is taken care of. That said, I am jealous of your c**** electronics & Microcenters.
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tasfalen Apr 3, 2026 +2
I have been visiting Europe for over 20 years, and now live in Spain. The availability of electronics and technology has changed drastically in the EU, IMO. Shops like Mediamarkt could compare with a Microcenter and are more clean and better organized. Even Microcenter isn't well represented across the US; as the commented below states.. Aliexpress and the like are another option, and many of the stores distribute from the EU and not China. I also find there is better availability of certain brands and models here, especially from China. Don't get me started on car brands and models in the EU, either.
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AvengerDr Apr 3, 2026 +2
> The availability of electronics and technology has changed drastically in the EU, IMO. This hasn't been an issue since the early 00 though. I remember buying PCs in the 90s, before online shopping. If you lived in a city outside the largest ones everything had to be ordered from elsewhere, there was never any stock of the more niche pc parts in pc shops. But in the end I still got my 3dfx! I basically had to buy (well made my parents buy) every PC game by ordering it from a store elsewhere in the country (Italy). The local one never had the newest stuff. But maybe this was also on the owner.
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your_proctologist Apr 3, 2026 +156
Americans also work a lot more. I have 2 months off every years, including the bank holidays. Also sick leave.
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WySphero Apr 3, 2026 +37
I think this is easy to be missed. You work more, you earn more.
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MrSnowflake Apr 3, 2026 +42
But you live less
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Muff_in_the_Mule Apr 3, 2026 +5
*cries in yen*
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BrownWhiskey Apr 3, 2026 +6
Wait, what's a holidays? And where are you leaving when you're sick if it's not to go to work? Do you go work somewhere else for 2 months? I'd take a 50% pay cut to have 2 months off a year or sick leave tbh 
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Euphoric_Second9464 Apr 3, 2026 +1
I have always wondered about this whenever I talk to Americans either there or abroad they say they 'work more and get less holidays ' . How much is more ? Are they doing more days than hrs that are typical ? And how many holidays do they actually get ?  Average salary uk is 38k ($50k)37hr week with normal stat holiday of what 25 days + all bank holidays and quite a lot of companies add a Xmas break on top  US average salary is $64k(£48k) But how much more are they working ?  I'm just curious if it's actually that much better for a middle income person , I get for a top tier earner America is the place to make serious money but i'm interested in the middle people .
1
MyBossSawMyOldName Apr 3, 2026 +54
Also, the upper bound is higher in the USA. It’s not unusual for doctors and SWEs and lawyers to make $300K+ in the USA. While their counterparts in Europe make €120K
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zoopz Apr 3, 2026 +4
Medical specialists in the Netherlands make quite a bit more than 120. Even on a payroll its 170k before extras. I think its one of the few professions that can be competitive with US salaries. Still, taxes is the main answer I think.
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pr0XYTV Apr 3, 2026 +18
In 2024, the average annual full-time adjusted salary in the EU was approximately **€39,800** in 2024, the average expenditure per household in specific studies increased to €34,044. U.S. the average annual salary is roughly 65k Average annual expenditures for U.S. households were **$78,535 in 2024** Something isnt adding up.
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hahaha01357 Apr 3, 2026 +17
You're comparing average annual salary and average **household** expenditure.
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DannyVee89 Apr 3, 2026 +19
The income tax in the United States is way lower as well. Sales tax and vat taxes are also an enormous difference. Then when you look at the prices of food, gas, etc in Europe it's not even close. Sure our earnings are higher but that's not even half the story when you look at how badly the Europeans get crushed in various taxes and higher costs of goods. If your poor you're better off in Europe. If you're rich your far better off in the United States.
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KX_Alax Apr 3, 2026 +8
If you are rich, then you can live comfortably in every country, not just the US. Also, most people aren't rich.
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all_about_the_dong Apr 3, 2026 +8
Well , how about doing a comparison between the average debt a US consumer and a EU citizen have ? This might put the "more disposable income" in a better frame. And the fact that they might have more virtual disposable income till they become sick.
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TeslasAndComicbooks Apr 3, 2026 +2
This. I have offices in LA and London. Employees with the same titles and responsibilities were about £45,000 for the London employee and $130,000 for the LA one. And before you start asking me questions about how I came to those numbers. I didn’t. We have HR teams in both regions that look for market rates for similar positions at different companies in the same industry. I actually made significantly more than my boss who was based in the UK.
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MrSnowflake Apr 3, 2026 +9
But you cant compare like that because western vs eastern eu is a huge difference in income.
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YovngSqvirrel Apr 3, 2026 +25
Why not? All US states are lumped together even though there’s a huge difference in taxes and median income. The question is about Europeans, people living in Eastern EU are still Europeans.
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Andur22 Apr 3, 2026 +200
What people always forget is Europeans have on average waaaaay more time. In Germany, the minimum federal vacation time is quite high and many companies give 25-30 days on average in addition to about 10 federal holidays. Also more than 40h a week is almost never legally allowed, of course reality is a bit different sometimes. For example I make about 80k Euro in a good job, which is like 92k dollars currently, I have 38h workweek and 30 days PTO. In addition, i could convert up to 2 of my 14 salaries into up to 26 EXTRA PTO, coming in to a grand total of 56 days off. I usually to only 5 days tho, but that extra week is already pretty nice. So yea, maybe US has higher salaries and lower taxes. But we have more time. I'd rather have more time
200
bored_jurong Apr 3, 2026 +39
I saw a statistic that the difference between Germany and USA's GDP per capita was basically explained by the difference in hours worked per person. Germany has legally mandated 4weeks holiday per year, whereas USA has no requirement.
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sandsonic Apr 3, 2026 +1
Wait, the US doesn’t have legally mandated holidays?? So a company can just say “nah you’re working all year round.”???
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Suitable-Display-410 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Yes. They also do not have mandatory paid sick leave. They also do not have mandatory paid maternity leave (federally, some blue states are a little better) It’s an exploitative hellhole, much closer to third-world countries than developed countries when it comes to workers’ rights.
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PastaPandaSimon Apr 3, 2026 +31
What people also forget is that Europe offers more than just free education and healthcare. You also get pension that pays you most of what you would've earned while working so you can live comfortably for the rest of your life, whereas in the US people need to save money and literally use it to ration paying themselves throughout their retirement. Europe also gets subsidized public transit, and often utilities and housing (in some places like Austria for a large chunk of the society, in others for those on low income). While working, you really need to worry about shelter maintenance fees, food, phone bill, and discretionary spending. It's not just that the other costs are dealt with for you, but also the effort of managing them is gone.
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catsnotkidsplease Apr 3, 2026 +5
Wait does the USA not have a retirement age and government pension?
5
PastaPandaSimon Apr 3, 2026 +1
You get social security, which isn't enough to live on. If you never saved for your own retirement, you'd have to continue working past standard retirement age. If you are in that position and develop a health condition, which tends to happen to people as they age, you're totally screwed. Especially relative to someone in Europe who wouldnt pay for healthcare, and wouldnt need to work or have any savings once they hit retirement age, as they could just live on their guaranteed livable source of income.
1
Abi79 Apr 3, 2026 +1
I mean realistically, our pension system does not work long term. The age of retirement keeps being pushed up, and if you're 20-30 today, it's very unlikely you'll get a liveable pension by the time you hit 70.
1
krakn-slayr Apr 3, 2026 +7
With extremely few exceptions, the nationally accepted (starting) standard here in the states is 10 days off per year, and almost all non-exective positions don't give holidays off either. If you have seniority, that number typically goes to 15 and then caps at 20. A lot of companies also expect you to work overtime to actually earn a living. I'm among the top earners in my social circle at 75k without overtime but that isn't nearly enough to support my family, so I typically work ~20 or 30 overtime days per year.
7
imperialpidgeon Apr 3, 2026 +1
Yeah that’s just barbaric
1
lobopl Apr 3, 2026 +1
And one more thing in most countries in Europe if you are sick you get paid unlimited time off (in my country 80% of salary for normal sickness, 100% for pregnancy/work accident, after a month country is responsible for salary). You cannot be fired (at least easily) on sick leave and it is also much harder to fire someone from the job.
1
Choochoochow Apr 3, 2026 +782
About 60% of Americans can’t afford a $1000 emergency so I’m not sure how accurate your assumption is.
782
Adezar Apr 3, 2026 +281
Close to 50% of Americans are living one medical issue away from financial ruin. We simply ignore those that lose the gamble against universal Healthcare. They die or lose everything and are never discussed. If you look at gamblers and ignore all the ones that lose everything gambling looks fine.
281
Donnicton Apr 3, 2026 +28
>If you look at gamblers and ignore all the ones that lose everything gambling looks fine. aka the Covid strategy. /s
28
MrSnowflake Apr 3, 2026 +7
Dead people can't complain.
7
LostInNuance Apr 3, 2026 +10
Well said. If you lose everything as a gambler, you remove yourself from being a losing statistic anymore in the future. If you bankrupt yourself or die from lack of healthcare, similarly you remove yourself from being a taxpayer or paying for anymore healthcare.
10
birchskin Apr 3, 2026 +10
Yeah, I'm not sure we even have hard data on how many people die because going to the doctor or hospital is a financial decision. I'm fairly well off, have good health insurance, and even without that a giant ER bill would suck but won't ruin me, but I'm still hesitant to go to the doctor/hospital until I'm sure it's something I really need to see the doctor for. (However I take my kids in right away, so there's that)
10
tasfalen Apr 3, 2026 +36
I have American friends and acquaintances who ignore critical medical issues for years or decades, because they can't afford the appointment and/or are afraid of the follow-up costs. It would also be interesting to compare the number of Americans that pursue higher education, vs sticking with a high school diploma or joining the military. Of course you would have higher disposable income if you're not spending money on those things. In Canada and the EU, if you have a medical concern, you can still see someone, often at no cost (in Canada, more usually telepresence now). Education is also lower cost and at least in my circles, it would be unusual to not go to university or college.
36
alzgh Apr 3, 2026 +24
they compare the averages, which says nothing. they top few percent skews the whole statistic. the median american has about 1000 USD saved for retirement. So I guess that the median is actually living paycheck to paycheck. The average is almost meaningless once income disparity is that huge.
24
while_we_work Apr 3, 2026 +3
reduce that number to 500 and its still true
3
FormerWorker125 Apr 3, 2026 +18
Its pretty accurate considering we have statistics on such things.
18
bcleveland3 Apr 3, 2026 +10
I mean this goes without saying… but WHOSE statistics lol
10
Areyoucunt Apr 3, 2026 +3
Don't worry, people don't care about real statistics, it's easier to make up your own statistic to feed your own narrative... Things will surely go great when everyone can just lie and misinform publicly without any repercussions right
3
cooperia Apr 3, 2026 +10
Yea I guess my response to this, completely unanchored any evidence, is that IF Americans have more disposable income, it's because they are forgoing necessities like healthcare.
10
Melodic-Structure243 Apr 3, 2026 +11
Not according to the oecd which takes into account healthcare and education costs.
11
Lucky_Researcher_ Apr 3, 2026 +37
Isn’t disposable income the money left AFTER you pay your bills, monthly costs like food and gas, ie the amount not already accounted for in your budget?!?! ETA: [Disposable income according to Cornell](https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/disposable_income#:~:text=Disposable%20income%20is%20any%20income,have%20%24400%20weekly%20disposable%20income) Disposable income is any income or revenue an individual or business receives that is left over after paying necessary expenses. For example, if you make $1,000 a week with $600 weekly expenses, you would have $400 weekly disposable income
37
bees_knees_oh Apr 3, 2026 +801
Crippling debt
801
kosk11348 Apr 3, 2026 +200
This is the actual answer. Why pay for today what you can put on credit for tomorrow?
200
XtremeGnomeCakeover Apr 3, 2026 +50
Credit cards Subscriptions Prescriptions Mandated doctor visits For-profit health insurance Highways instead of railways with overly-auto insurance Subsidized corn Billionaire trickle-down tax-cuts.  Other than that. I have no idea why 60% if America feels poor.
50
FreeFortuna Apr 3, 2026 +1
> Mandated doctor visits I don’t understand that one. It’s definitely not mandatory; a lot of people go without doctor visits.
1
HenrikDrain21 Apr 3, 2026 +5
my friend just took out a loan to cover the split at dinner last week like how is that a thing?
5
tribepride25 Apr 3, 2026 +2
Sorry but your friend is an idiot. It’s a thing because there is a market
2
para_diddle Apr 3, 2026 +2
>loan to cover the split at dinner last week Hold up. A loan just to split a dinner check ... where, the Moon?
2
GivesCredit Apr 3, 2026 +2
Technically it could be profitable but the target demographic for these but loans for everything apps definitely aren’t doing it that way. But if you can’t get the CC points and they have a no interest plan for loans, you can invest it in the market / in bonds for guaranteed returns until your payments are due. The money generated is 100% not worth the hassle of doing this though
2
c2h5oh_yes Apr 3, 2026 +48
How is this not the top answer? Didn't credit card debt just surpass student debt?
48
Zenshinn Apr 3, 2026 +64
It is the top and only true answer. I'm a European living in the US. Most people around me have debt and live paycheck to paycheck, which was not the case in Europe. Wanna do something? "Oh, can we do this next week when I get paid?"
64
your_proctologist Apr 3, 2026 +36
To be fair, many in Europe live paycheck to paycheck precisely because we don't have credit cards, at least in the east. I'm 40 and have never used a credit card, and I don't know anyone around me who has. The concept is so strange, like borrowing money from the mafia. But Americans using them keeps the global economy going.
36
MizzBStizzy Apr 3, 2026 +4
It is a strange concept but you can't do a lot of things without it. I was almost stranded on a trip because I didn't have a credit card. I needed it to show my credit to buy a house. The system sucks and is designed to trap us in debt
4
friezbeforeguys Apr 3, 2026 +13
With due respect, I would say the majority of Europe are well acquainted with credit cards or credit payments one way or another (not saying that’s a good thing). And I have to be boring and let you know that the majority of Europeans do not live paycheck to paycheck. This is usually done by measuring ”Can you afford an unexpected immediate expense?”. According to EU (yes, the account even for European countries not in the EU), the amount of households who can not afford this is roughly 30 %. Ofc it should be zero, but it’s simply not true that the majority lives paycheck to paycheck. It’s also extremely important to remind ourselves that paycheck to paycheck is a very risky wording. For example, it has been shown multiple times that Americans for example consider themselves living paycheck to paycheck after they have put their money into retirement fund savings accounts (like pensions saving), and the same goes for other people as well ofc, like Europeans stuffing away money into stock apps and regarding that as a ”hobby expense” rather than saving. In short: paycheck to paycheck is a very risky wording since it doesn’t speak about economical capabilities of the household.
13
lolidkwtfrofl Apr 3, 2026 +11
It's why their economy is so large, lots of people spending money they don't have. We in Europe just don't spend money we don't have, but capitalism doesn't like that.
11
Melodic-Structure243 Apr 3, 2026 +5
As an american living in western Europe, it’s literally the same here.
5
Karffs Apr 3, 2026 +11
Yeah I’m in Europe and I think there’s a lot of people here trying to gaslight Americans into thinking we don’t have the same issues. Like, I think some of the commenters here are very young - someone up above said they don’t know anyone with a credit card which is absolutely wild. Credit cards are very prevalent in Europe just like America (but chip and pin is standard unlike the States).
11
bornagy Apr 3, 2026 +11
Cc debt is not disposable income…
11
YourFuture2000 Apr 3, 2026 +4
Because most people here are not really addressing OPs question (disposable income) but talking about false correlation, that is higher income. Americans have higher income but negative disposable income on average (debts).
4
look_at_tht_horse Apr 3, 2026 +7
Because the more relevant answer in many cases is that American wages are higher. I make more than 100k more than my European counterparts. No amount of healthcare costs are going to make up for that gap. The typical deductable is hardly a fraction of that. By the time I'm old and actually incur significant healthcare costs, the cumulative gap will be insurmountable.
7
BerryLiax Apr 3, 2026 +159
Honestly? It’s mostly about wages and lifestyle differences. A lot of Americans make more on paper, but a bigger chunk goes to housing, insurance, and debt. Europeans have way higher taxes but also get free or cheaper healthcare/education, so ‘disposable income’ feels smaller even though their essentials are mostly covered. It’s kinda a trade-off
159
blu3tu3sday Apr 3, 2026 +82
Depends on the country. My tax rate in Europe is 22% which coincidentally is the same tax bracket I was in in the US- except in the US, this didn't of course include health insurance, not to mention copays and deductible (none of that where I am now).
82
HotSauceHigh Apr 3, 2026 +5
What country?
5
blu3tu3sday Apr 3, 2026 +11
CZ
11
lolidkwtfrofl Apr 3, 2026 +6
That's interesting that you don't get paid much less than in the US now. CZ really made strides in pay.
6
blu3tu3sday Apr 3, 2026 +4
Depends on the field, of course. You will have plenty of low-paid jobs here too, just like in the US.
4
JWGhetto Apr 3, 2026 +1
What field are you in? 
1
ChunkChunkChunk Apr 3, 2026 +6
Curious to know how does your wage compare to what it was in the US? Also, do you feel healthcare is as fast and thorough? I am working toward EU citizenship, may not move, so I am interested in the experience of others who have seen the grass on both sides.
6
blu3tu3sday Apr 3, 2026 +41
I currently make $2000/year less than I did in the US. While taking a pay cut when moving to Europe is typical, it was not a very large pay cut. The trade off is more holidays, significantly better PTO, and fantastic work-life balance (I am in the same position, for the same company, but I am no longer expected to work through my vacations and after office hours). In my country, healthcare is definitely fast and thorough, I have nevet experienced crazy wait times here. However, I am a citizen of my country since birth so I skipped the bureaucratic headaches each time I moved here.
41
asusc Apr 3, 2026 +8
My mom retired to Paris and said it was significantly cheaper than the US. The so called “most expensive city in the world” was actually quite affordable when she got rid of her huge American home and the upkeep and got a tiny Paris apartment, got rid of her car, car insurance, gas and could walk/take the metro, and her healthcare costs were significantly cheaper, something like a few hundred dollars to buy in for the year.
8
Alaykitty Apr 3, 2026 +11
I live in Spain.  The healthcare here is at minimum on par with the US if not better. The longer wait times thing feels made up.  Healthcare in the US kind of sucked ass.  Doctors wouldn't listen to patients, especially women.  I had doctors demand me be present for my wife's decisions around birth control and stuff which is insanity.  Anytime I had to go to the hospital in the US it was easily a 6+ hour wait. Here I know people having brain surgery or cancer treatment and not stressing about debt, just about getting better.
11
DrunkGandalfTheGrey Apr 3, 2026 +122
Higher salaries.
122
Mallek1871 Apr 3, 2026 +53
Lower taxes.
53
BD401 Apr 3, 2026 +20
Seriously, I don't even really get the point of AskListnooks like this. The answer to the question (...because salaries are higher) is such an obviously logical possibility (and easily validated with about ten seconds worth of Google searching), that these kind of questions just come off like ragebait/engagebait karma-farming questions.
20
Hanpee221b Apr 3, 2026 +12
It’s to recreate the conversation that the internet loves of “proud Americans vs. self hating Americans vs proud Europe vs self hating Europe. I’ve experienced both, there are pros and cons of both but they end up washing out pretty equal, which logically makes sense. Lots of bots and trolls trying to create a divide where irl isn’t a big deal.
12
zemorah Apr 3, 2026 +3
Yes this shit is so annoying. I feel like these questions are designed to make Americans say how much it sucks to be American. I know you covered more angles than that but this is how I usually see the conversation going.
3
dordofthelings Apr 3, 2026 +43
Higher salary doesn't necessarily equate to more buying power. Location matters. There are many other complexities here that cannot be easily dismissed. Add the price of your health insurance to your taxes and see how that works.
43
fergastolo Apr 3, 2026 +10
True but is far easier to find salaries of 200k or 300k in the US than in Europe. Edit: see this post below for instance, it's in Spanish but very interesting https://www.listnook.com/r/SpainFIRE/s/2GA8WQDNah
10
clarkedaddy Apr 3, 2026 +7
It might not necessarily equate to more buying power but in this case Americans do have more buying power.
7
RyzenRaider Apr 3, 2026 +98
Not sure they do. Something like half of all American households can't afford a $500 expense without going into debt. That implies they don't have disposable income.
98
Melodic-Structure243 Apr 3, 2026 +11
https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/household-disposable-income.html
11
hotdiggydog Apr 3, 2026 +7
Yeah I think the real answer here is just population numbers. More Americans than there are in Western Europe where salaries are higher. And enough of those Americans have salaries high enough to spend that disposable income in visible ways. Meanwhile Europeans are generally more comfortable, less debt, but also fewer Europeans are making huge salaries.
7
ComfortableWolf1200 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Propaganda has the world thinking America is broke and failing to the point where our people repeat it. America and its people aren’t suffering the way it’s being implied.
1
nunchybonkey Apr 3, 2026 +13
Aside from higher wages and lower taxes, a lot of people spend money they don’t have, whether it’s taking out loans for school, cars, homes, or using credit cards for day to day spending, to going on payment plans for purchases they can’t afford. And a lot of the time it is in order to appear to have a lot of money. You’ll see people do massive shopping hauls, but they’re paying with Klarna or on a credit card they can’t fully pay off. A lot of people also go without healthcare because they can’t afford or or rather buy things they value more.
13
HortonDrawsAwho Apr 3, 2026 +25
Isn’t it something like 75% of all Americans drive a car that’s above their income bracket? I feel like that says all anyone needs to know about our spending habits.
25
ChunkChunkChunk Apr 3, 2026 +12
As soon as men here get a job they buy the biggest truck they can't afford, then they trade it in for a bigger truck they can't afford the second they get a raise or better paying job.
12
krakn-slayr Apr 3, 2026 +2
Tbf most Americans spending bracket affords a car that's 20 years old, if at all. I know I wouldn't be wasting $300 on my car payment, $150 on insurance, and $400 on gas every month if I had the choice to just not have a car. Public transit isn't reliable everywhere.
2
spynul Apr 3, 2026 +3
I pay 75 a month for insurance. My yearly deductible is 1290. US btw. Non govt job, no experience needed.
3
Stiggalicious Apr 3, 2026 +3
Wages are just way, way higher, especially if you work in STEM. I live in the highest cost of living area in the US but my cumulative wages including stock grants ends up being about 320-350k per year as an electrical engineer. It pays for the mortgage (with property taxes and ungodly expensive fire insurance ends up being about 7500 per month for a 1500 sqf house), car payment is a bit under $600 per month and insurance is about $70 per month for said car, I have solar and batteries so my electricity bill is close to zero, and my employer provided healthcare ends up being about $200 per month for medical/dental/vision but they also kick in $750 per year to my HSA. Standard doctor visits and preventative care are free, but if I need to use the hospital for any reason that’s basically going to hit my out of pocket maximum of if I think $3400. I max out my 401k matching and employee stock purchasing so that’s another 20% of my wages I pretty much don’t see until I retire. Rest goes to food (which is expensive, it’s hard to find a sit-down restaurant for under $20 per plate plus tax and tips and Costco chicken breasts are $2.99 per lb), stuff (clothes, consumables, hobbies), and home improvement projects (materials themselves are expensive, concrete is $750 per cubic yard here, and contractors don’t get out of bed for under $800 per day per person which is why I DIY 90% of my shit). So things are expensive, but wages for high-demand jobs are more than double or triple what anywhere in Europe could ever offer.
3
fukn_seriously Apr 3, 2026 +3
Because many things cost less especially labor at the lower end. I was surprised when I was there at how c**** is was to buy c**** labor. Eating out was cheaper because people in that industry were not paid well. A lot of people had hired "help" at the middle income mark, also because people are not paid well in those industries. Other developed countries may have lower average salaries, there are more people in the middle that the far ends. It means that on a whole the average person has to pay more, but it also means that more people can afford the essentials. And the rich aren't praying upon the poor for c**** labor.
3
Bonjowiee Apr 3, 2026 +3
Not to mention only 2 weeks annual leave to spend money vs 5-6 weeks in Europe
3
Minimum_Lion_3918 Apr 3, 2026 +3
What Americans? All Americans??? Wealth in the United States is highly concentrated. You need to consider other metrics.
3
ghoti00 Apr 3, 2026 +3
Debt.
3
Dan_CBW Apr 3, 2026 +1
Source? At best I could see it being the case if you look at mean vs medium, which doesn't factor in the enormous wealth and income inequality.
1
Weak_Koala749 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Canada has entered the chat
1
foo-bar-25 Apr 3, 2026 +16
How do Europeans have a higher standard of living, greater life expectancy, better healthcare, more vacation and leisure time even though they have less disposable income than Americans?
16
winner_in_life Apr 3, 2026 +5
Most people don't need expensive treatments. For college, many take a loan so that isn't factored in the cash in hand.
5
AmexNomad Apr 3, 2026 +5
Debt.
5
Matshelge Apr 3, 2026 +4
Should check out median wages, not average. The roof in us is much higher, makes averages a bit off the norm.
4
cheesyshop Apr 3, 2026 +1
The wealth gap in the US is obscene. Higher income people skew the data. Most Americans don’t have much disposable income. 
1
madcatte Apr 3, 2026 +7
Because the post WW2 world order was set up by America to babysit and benefit the American economy above all else. The world order now being broken up for being "unfair" to America. 10 years into the new world order unfolding right now and American salaries are going to be behind everyone else by far now that their complacency is no longer babysit by dollar dominance.
7
r0s13b34r Apr 3, 2026 +7
It’s called debt!
7
paligators Apr 3, 2026 +5
We make a lot more and pay less taxes. I work for a large tech company and we pay identical roles in NYC double what we pay in London. The absolute max out of pocket health insurance for my family of 4 per year is $13,500 and without telling you my wife and my salary, it's incredibly reasonable to us.
5
Infinite-Space-2395 Apr 3, 2026 +2
Well for starters alot of us dont go to college or the hospital.
2
Odd-Magazine-9511 Apr 3, 2026 +2
Europeans are poor compared to Americans.
2
TightBeing9 Apr 3, 2026 +2
You can have insurance through your job and if you don't go to an elite uni or have a scholarship it's not too bad either
2
Vitringar Apr 3, 2026 +2
By skipping education and healthcare. Just coast through life uneducated until your health fails and then you are fucked.
2
Outrageous_Sea8701 Apr 3, 2026 +2
We keep more of our money we aren't taxes to death like in Europe you are allowed to get wealthy in the USA .
2
kayczseyz Apr 3, 2026 +2
It’s not disposable, I’m just picking immediate satisfaction or lack of impulse control vs saving. I’m going to need that money for something else, I should save it. But this f****** world is on fire and none of this means anything anymore.
2
dollhouss1 Apr 3, 2026 +2
Having lived in both EU and USA and another country with socialised medicine, I can say from experience that a) most of the US pays less tax than the EU ( besides California/New York/sone blue states) B) wages are generally higher in USA C) goods are cheaper in the US D) many Americans have health insurance through their employer and pay an equivalent to those paying for private health insurance in the EU or other socialised countries. The astronomical medical costs that you hear about are when Americans dont have health insurance or Medicare/medicaid.
2
DryComment9905 Apr 3, 2026 +1
The higher average salary is a big part of the story, but it paints an incomplete picture. That extra income often just gets funneled into covering massive debts and emergency costs. So the "disposable" part can be a total illusion for a huge chunk of the population.
1
adorkablysporktastic Apr 3, 2026 +1
Most Americans don't have any savings, and have zero retirement. I've known many people that cash out theor 401(k)s when they leave a job, meaning they likely don't even have retirement savings, but they still shop like they have disposable income. They just have credit card debt.
1
SignalOptions Apr 3, 2026 +1
It actually flips heavily to Europe after retirement, despite much lower wages. Also US has millions of immigrants that work very hard - locals take most of their pay and claim credit for their work (both from laborers and high skilled immigrants). Free money and poor immigrants…
1
miroaseparchetul Apr 3, 2026 +1
Less taxes on income , higher avg income . The USA is a country you thrive in if you are not bottom 10%. In europoorland if you are bottom 10% you are fine
1
Average_Justin Apr 3, 2026 +1
My job in the EU pays 60k and in the U.S. it pays 163k. My health insurance is $82 a month.
1
KlM-J0NG-UN Apr 3, 2026 +1
Europeans get 5+ weeks of vacation, 6+ months of maternity/paternity leave, if you get laid off you get your salary for 3+ months (no such thing as 2 week notice), and you easily get sick days off when you need it, as long as you need. Of course Americans have more disposable income when all they do is work. "All they do is work" is hyperbole, but you get my point.
1
bkfountain Apr 3, 2026 +1
People hide it with debt and juggling bills. Health care is stupid in this country, but I haven’t been to a doctor in 20 years.
1
areyouhungryforapple Apr 3, 2026 +1
They work a lot more
1
WaterMasterMC Apr 3, 2026 +1
cause the US generally has higher wages (especially for skilled jobs), so even after paying out-of-pocket for things like healthcare or college, there’s still more left over for many people. In Europe you pay upfront through taxes, in the US you pay later when you need it.
1
shortnun Apr 3, 2026 +1
It evens out Europeans pay a higher tax rate to pay for all the social programs..
1
Davethephotoguy Apr 3, 2026 +4
We are working ourselves to death. Thats how.
4
smallblueangel Apr 3, 2026 +2
I would assume they work more. Many have multiple jobs. I prefer to live than work more.
2
SteakHoagie666 Apr 3, 2026 +3
You're assuming all americans are currently paying for college or went at all, and most jobs offer Health insurance in some capacity(partially paid for or full if it's a good job) and I can't speak for other Americans but even with insurance I'd rather just die than go to the doctor, unless you have top of the line insurance you still get robbed. Tldr; most people aren't actively paying for college and healthcare is a mixed bag.
3
Prasiatko Apr 3, 2026 +3
If i were to move to the USA my salary would double for the same job. Tax rate would be about the same and VAT/sales tax would be about roughly 1/5th of what i pay on most goods. For college the median Ameeican keeps it under $30k, actually lower than the median English person and with that comes a higher graduate premium in the USA. Healthcare can cripple you but between most jobs covering it with insurance and the rarity of conditions that would lead to medical bankruptcy it isn't moving the median much. 
3
Praesentius Apr 3, 2026 +1
It's situational, but i took a 40% pay cut when I left the US for Italy. Counting Healthcare in the US as a "private tax", I pay less in taxes in Italy. My cost of living is also way lower. So, at the end of the month, even when making less money, I round out the month with considerably more money left over. I don't really know that the premise of the question is true.
1
IcantBreeve_4real Apr 3, 2026 +1
We don't, too many people are living off of credit debt and repayment cycles. Do EU countries have payday loans and check cashing businesses? These are essentially loan sharks and predatory lending.
1
superwholockian62 Apr 3, 2026 +1
A lot of people never go to college and wont go to a doctor unless they are dying.
1
Suspicious-Dream-912 Apr 3, 2026 +8
Because most of us dont have healthcare or go to college
8
ohmygolly2581 Apr 3, 2026 +28
We actually have more people with degrees per capita by about 4%
28
tenisplenty Apr 3, 2026 +17
92% of Americans have health insurance
17
[deleted] Apr 3, 2026 +5
Becuase the stats are massively skewed in America from high earners. People like to use avgs for example which makes America look good, when you look at real median numbers the country is laughable. When you look at the PPP the states ranks lower than quite a few European countries. Also debt Americans can get into debt far easier than other nations.
5
optionalregression Apr 3, 2026 +18
When you look at the real median numbers in disposable income adjusted for PPP, the US is second behind Luxembourg (lol) after that, it’s not even close. But go on making up bullshit on the Internet to protect your ego, "pissrael", guy who has a one month old account with 1200 comments already all aimed at shitting on israel and the us. tankie weirdo
18
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