Yes, I've read that home prices there have become astronomical. I suspect that it contributes to Ardern's fall in popularity. Good post.
I'd say this is true for most countries. The income potential in the US for certain industries is simply unparalleled. Even in Europe, average pay is just awful compared to the US. Take a job at any silicon valley company (even outside of the coasts) and compare it to the same job for the same company in another country and you'll take a massive paycut.
Jobs in Silicon Valley are typically high salary positions, usually with very good benefits. They aren't typical for most of the country, however, unless you work in the industry (as you pointed out). The cost of living is astronomical and finding affordable housing? Good luck. Aside from that, it's a great place to live. I love the area. The traffic can be terrible, but that's true in lots of other places associated with the tech industry, including Austin. Both of our kids work in the industry (one, a lead software developer in Austin, the other in animation design in Dallas) and have friends who work in and around Silicon Valley. I hear quite a bit about it through them. Move up high enough in the industry and it's affordable, but that can take time and talent of course. One good friend of my daughter's finally was able to get his own place in San Francisco. He had lived with roommates for years. Could have moved out of the city long ago, but loves it there. As for comparing the US with Europe, yes, salaries might be lower, but many European countries compensate for this by having far better benefits than are typical in the States. Employees often get several weeks a year of paid vacation, and they actually take them. By contrast, many Americans might get 2 weeks a year, perhaps 3 depending on the industry, or longevity, but often don't take all of it due to the pressures of work. Another difference is healthcare costs. Our costs here are huge compared to Europe, in general. Obamacare, ridiculed by many on the Right, gave affordable healthcare to millions for the first time, yet here in Texas, we're in a "contest" with Mississippi for the most uninsured state citizens. Not something to be proud of.
I work in the tech industry but I've only ever worked in the Midwest. My pay was still leaps and bounds ahead of anything I could get outside of the US for the same work (and that includes working for silicon valley offices outside the US). I still get paid based on my US salary while living outside the US and I literally can't find another job because no one will pay me this much. Recruiters just laugh me off. Even recruiters from places like Google, Amazon, etc.. can beat my total comp but only barely (and a lot of that comes in the form of equity whereas I'm getting my total comp in cash today). I can't emphasize how bad the pay disparity is (even outside silicon valley). It's downright criminal by comparison.
Europe has its perks, Work life balance is a real thing, and the vacation time for a normal worker would make a newborn's mother blush. Maternity leave is half a year. Not only do you make a fifth less in average salary (converting euro to dollar is even sadder), you get taxed to death along with contributing to a pension. Not many chances of life changing equity either because startups aren't as common. But you live in relative fomfort compared to other Euros, which doesn't make it a completely bad tradeoff if you want to leave the American ratwheel.
Those type benefits can make a huge difference. Vacation benefits and labor laws here are horrible. People get worked to death in some industries, while the corporations themselves make billions. The oil and gas industry is known for working guys up to twelve days a week with a day off. Texas labor laws allow this kind of treatment. Nobody should be forced to work like that just to keep their job. Nobody.
I looked into this and can echo the same thing. There are a handful of European countries that will hire you as a non-speaker of the local language (Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, etc.) but they pay decrease is dramatic. I got pretty far interviewing with a company in Amsterdam (that I had to unfortunately decline for unrelated reasons) and they nearly matched my US salary which would've been very high for that area. The benefits - vacation, parental leave, healthcare, ability to live with one or no cars, travel to other places in Europe (this can't be overstated living in Texas; it takes 13 hours to drive across Texas and any other major US city is a 2+ hour flight away whereas major European cities are a few hours away by train or plane) - were incredibly enticing. Maybe the opportunity will arise again in the future, but it took a lot of searching to find anything remotely close to American tech comp was incredibly hard.
I am based in New York and spend considerable time in Europe. I'm thinking to slowly do it the other way around.
I had not clicked on any of those videos and you made me go back. Dem choppers indeed. Still would hit.
Don't you ever get tired of embarrassing yourself? Are you really out here trying to refute what you posted was out of context?
I like how a thread that started out calling the PM of New Zealand evil has largely turned into a discussion of moving to New Zealand.
Yeah, if one single person's post that he would consider moving there means it "has largely turned into a discussion of moving to New Zealand", then that is exactly what happened here.
I too have heavily considered moving to NZ, and still am. Great weather, beautiful, speaks English, safe, good air quality, kids aren’t being mowed down at schools, universal healthcare, government and country consistently considered one of the least corrupt, most democratic and (shock alert) most free. Like Nook mentioned, it’s no Nordic country, and the biggest downside is the economy largely doesn’t pay as much as you would want for the cost of living and housing prices, that being said still has much lower levels of inequality and poverty in comp to Murica, if you care about that stuff. My family is still picking between Norway and NZ, it’s a tough choice all in all.
If you take sunlight for granted after living in Texas, I would not jump into Norway until you've spent at least one winter there. I don't know the seasonal cons for living as a kiwi. I can only assume it is hot and humid tropical weather with typhoons and pest flare-ups. I think those are more aligned to Texas weather though
