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Last year, we featured a viral TikTok that compared the outgo of surviving successful the US and Australia, which brought up the conception that "America is simply a scam." Many radical (like myself) were shocked by the numbers, but those successful the BuzzFeed Community who've either moved to oregon from the US to different state knew astir the differences each excessively well. Here are immoderate of the astir insightful and astonishing "America is simply a scam" stories radical shared:
1. "Credit scores. An arbitrary fig that you person nary power implicit tin barroom you from surviving successful a decent area, landing a job, getting just rates for security and loans, and adjacent costing you opportunities to amended your life. Full disclosure: I near the US astir 15 years ago. I present unrecorded successful Poland and ain my ain concern with afloat civilian rights and privileges."
2. "I lived successful Northern England for a clip connected a pupil enactment overseas visa. I was successful request of commencement control, truthful I went to the doctor. I was offered an implant that wasn't disposable successful the US until years later. When mounting up my appointment, I asked astir the out-of-pocket cost, and the unit looked astatine maine similar I had grown 2 heads. There was nary cost, of course. When my British roommate aboriginal became large with her children years later, her doc did location calls. She besides received a twelvemonth of maternity permission with a warrant she could instrumentality to her job. Living overseas did a ton to interruption the spell of 'American exceptionalism' and showed maine however a 'we're #1' doctrine could unsighted america to subpar conditions. When I was young, I wanted to determination from the US for affirmative reasons, similar adventure. It saddens maine that my tendency for it is present owed to a seemingly worsening prime of beingness and a tenuous governmental concern present astatine home."
—Anonymous
3. "I went to Panama connected abrogation and accidentally went without my asthma inhaler. I had to bash was locomotion into a pharmacy — with nary medicine required — and Albuterol was $11. In the US, with a required prescription, it's astir $150."
4. "I person aggregate chronic symptom conditions, including a mates of autoimmune diseases, and I had precise small symptom and nary flare-ups successful the 2 weeks I spent successful Europe — adjacent with each the sitting connected planes and coaches. As soon arsenic I got backmost to the US, my symptom started flaring up again. So, rather literally, the United States makes maine sick."
5. "I paid $2,800/month to unrecorded successful Los Angeles. Now, I wage $400/month to unrecorded successful Taipei. My purchasing powerfulness is 5 times greater aft I near the US to unrecorded successful Asia."
6. "I unrecorded successful the UK and enactment successful the nationalist sector, which is unionized — vacation leave, healthcare, and status packages are each phenomenal. But adjacent better, if I get truly sick with thing serious, I would get six months of PAID leave. Plus, I would inactive get each my vacation permission erstwhile I get backmost to work. I don't person children, but my colleagues are getting a afloat twelvemonth oregon much of maternity leave. America is simply a definite scam whenever they effort to contiguous unions arsenic a 'bad' happening for workers. If you can, unionize!"
7. "I lived successful Korea for a fewer years, and I person to accidental that I ne'er needed a car since nationalist transport is awesome and cheap, and truthful galore radical walk. Also, I got truly sick erstwhile and had to sojourn the exigency room. I had to get meds, and it was little than $40. Everything is much costly successful the US"
8. "I've lived successful Germany and loved it. I really felt much astatine location determination than anyplace successful the US, and I've lived each implicit America. The gait of life, values, and civilization conscionable truly suited me. Living successful the US tin beryllium an atrocious challenge, particularly present that we are NOT doing great. So galore of america are suffering nether the footwear of firm America and atrocious authorities policy. Don't get maine incorrect — determination are a batch of things I emotion astir my location state and the people: truthful overmuch earthy beauty, Americans' assurance and can-do spirit, and however unsocial the state is. However, I've thought a batch astir moving backmost to Europe. If I did determination back, it would beryllium for the community, connection, and ease, thing that the US, unfortunately, is truly lacking. No spot is perfect, and determination are headaches and problems everywhere, but it's astir choosing which ones you tin tolerate."
9. "When radical deliberation Europeans don't privation to enactment and instrumentality clip disconnected perpetually due to the fact that they're 'lazy,' but Americans are hardworking individuals who assistance make a large economy. I worked successful London for 15 years astatine immoderate of the fastest-growing companies successful Europe, and conjecture what? They had accelerated and sustainable growth, each portion radical utilized their statutory minimum required abrogation clip of 30 days per twelvemonth oregon more. By the way, wherefore does 1 of the richest countries successful the satellite person 1 of the lowest prime of beingness for its citizens? It makes nary sense."
10. "One of my buds retired and lives successful Mexico. He pays little than $100 for large car repairs, $300 for rent successful a large flat (with an included cleaning service), and precise small for aesculapian treatment. He lives a wonderful, afloat life. His pension is little than fractional of what I make, yet helium seemingly lives the beingness portion I struggle. It's lukewarm and beauteous wherever helium lives with plentifulness of ex-pats. I've heard different Americans who've retired to Mexico accidental the aforesaid thing. It's thing to deliberation about."
11. "I'm a Scottish feline who lived successful America for a fewer years. I had security covered arsenic portion of my visa, and I had a motorcycle mishap resulting successful a atrocious caput injury. I took an ambulance to the hospital, saw a doctor, got stitches, had a follow-up appointment, got medicated, and the lot. The measure was $25,000."
12. "I wouldn't accidental America is simply a scam, but the terms examination is jarring. I spent respective months successful France, and the rent was little and did not emergence rapidly arsenic it does here. The biggest happening that stuck retired to maine was the inexpensive availability of high-quality food. Fresh and integrated nutrient successful France costs astir the aforesaid arsenic bargain preservative-laden nutrient successful the States. You could besides spell to a bully edifice without feeling similar a full splurge. Plus, the terms of the paper was the terms you'd pay. France has a truly well-developed leisure and tourism manufacture that benefits from its standard successful a mode that is not truly matched to that of the States."
—Anonymous
13. "I've lived successful aggregate countries but volition usage London arsenic my notation since I've lived determination for 10 years. I returned to the US due to the fact that of the pandemic, and determination are truthful galore scams. First, radical bash not person escaped wellness insurance. We are 1 of the wealthiest countries successful the satellite and person the champion healthcare, but lone if you tin spend it. Meanwhile, successful the UK, you tin wage for backstage healthcare, but adjacent if you don't, there's the NHS (National Health Service). Regardless, everyone has entree to a doctor, period. In America, medicine costs alteration depending connected the cause and your insurance. In London, you either wage for prescriptions oregon you don't. All prescriptions outgo the same, and commencement power is free. I could spell connected and on, but I'll halt my choler from gathering up much than it is."
14. "Food successful places similar Egypt, Japan, and adjacent countries successful Europe is much wholesome and tastier. Come on, America, wherefore the crap food?"
—Anonymous
15. "I moved from the US and present unrecorded successful Hong Kong. My taxation complaint is 12%, and my energy costs little than $500 USD per year. I walk $400 a twelvemonth connected healthcare, $75 a period for nationalist transit, and $15 a period for my phone. My largest disbursal is my flat with a part-ocean view, and I wage $2,800 a month, which is simply a bully terms for staying extracurricular the city."
16. "I haven't moved (yet), but I americium successful Germany now, and truthful far, the nutrient is simply a batch better, ALL the brew is food, nationalist proscription is SO MUCH BETTER, and, from what I've seen, astir things outgo less. Germany besides has monetary authorities assistance if you person children oregon older adults successful your family. Yep, monthly stipends with nary means testing. This is simply a acold outcry from the USA, which has perfectly nary of that, and wherever you tin conscionable dice connected the streets if you can't marque it. Really, successful astir 95% of ways, surviving successful the USA benignant of sucks. It does wounded maine to admit this, but it's true."
—Suzan, 66, Oregon
17. "I person been surviving successful Thailand and Bali this past year, and successful some cases, I americium far, acold up of erstwhile I lived successful the Seattle country successful the US. My expenses are astir half, and I deficiency astir thing but immoderate peccadillo-like things similar large euphony concerts (some are successful Bangkok, but that's not a spot I take to walk through). Further, the civilization is truthful overmuch amended — nary of the fearfulness and choler that person reared their heads since Trump entered the scene. The radical present are truthful kind, accepting, and joyful. I haven't adjacent seen a lawsuit of roadworthy rage! I person nary tendency to spell backmost to the USA."
18. "When my girl was calved successful Amsterdam, we didn't find retired until she was a fewer weeks aged that she needed corrective bosom surgery. Never caput that we didn't wage thing retired of pouch for the birth, but her bosom country and appointments for it didn't outgo a happening either. If we inactive lived successful the States, we would person been bankrupt, adjacent if we had bully insurance."
—Mark, 43, Netherlands
19. "We are being scammed. One of the biggest differences I noticed erstwhile surviving overseas was that adjacent affluent radical were outspoken astir prices. America's rising outgo of surviving is vastly outpacing ostentation — and we judge it without overmuch protest. I've spent a just magnitude of clip successful Germany, Czechia, and Argentina, wherever I person section friends and immoderate family. People would archer the servers that the prices were excessively high, oregon they'd kick astatine the supermarket and permission items astatine the registry saying, 'This is excessively expensive.' In America, we've been trained to judge things arsenic they are due to the fact that we are gaslit into reasoning it's OUR responsibility that we abruptly can't spend to devour retired oregon spell to the hairsbreadth salon."
20. "I lived successful Mexico my full big beingness and moved backmost to America successful 2022. My wage successful Mexico was little than successful dollars, but I had a overmuch higher modular of surviving there. Healthcare is escaped unless you take to spell private, and you tin inactive get escaped healthcare adjacent without a job. Car security costs acold less, and adjacent the cars are cheaper due to the fact that they merchantability much basal models of the aforesaid brand. My rent successful Mexico was lone astir 20% of my salary, and it was casual to find plentifulness of places successful a akin terms range. In the US, it's astatine slightest 30% of my salary. I've realized that successful the US, everything is designed to beryllium bigger, fancier, and much expensive."
—Anonymous
21. "In the precocious '90s, I studied successful Paris, France. I could wage my tuition, dorm, groceries, and nationalist proscription for 18 months connected a $15K US schoolhouse loan. In 2015, I lived successful Quebec, Canada for 5 months, and my rent successful a precise bully three-bedroom flat was $400 CAD a month, with each utilities included. I've compared my US wage with friends successful Germany, France, and Norway; though my wage is 'higher,' they person overmuch little utility, cellphone, and different costs. Plus, they ne'er had schoolhouse loans to wage back, and adjacent aft taxes, they inactive had MORE wealth astatine the extremity of the period than maine — not to notation the six weeks of abrogation each year, parental leave, etc."
22. "After I moved to America, I realized that however the US presents itself to the remainder of the satellite is bull. There's a mediocre healthcare system, nary labour laws to get paid for statutory holidays, the wages are a gag compared to the outgo of living, and if you're wealthy, the instrumentality is yours to bend. It shocked maine to spot however the US votes successful judges and however fragile the separation of religion and authorities truly is! It's scary surviving here."
—Lisa
23. "I'm primitively from the US and presently surviving successful Germany. My hubby and I person 2 kids calved successful the US. We moved to Berlin erstwhile they were 18 months and three, and their daycare was FREE, but for the food. For 2 kids a month, we paid an equivalent of $58. Also, the healthcare strategy successful Germany made maine recognize that America is simply a freaking scam. I had a lipoma connected my cervix that needed to beryllium removed. Including the CT scan, bloodwork, and a one-night infirmary stay, I paid 10 euros, which is astir $10. And I person nationalist wellness insurance. On apical of that, I don't person the fearfulness and anxiousness of being changeable successful nationalist due to the fact that of the rampant weapon unit successful the U.S. Germany is not a sexy spot to live, and it's hard surviving present erstwhile you're not fluent successful the language. But surviving present is 1,000% amended than the US."
24. Lastly: "We lived successful Brazil for 7 years for work-related reasons. Although determination are important societal issues successful Brazil, determination were important advantages, specified arsenic the deficiency of high-processed foods. Repatriating to the USA was a horrible acquisition that landed maine successful intelligence wellness therapy. So, we are preparing to permission America for bully and spell to a state wherever we tin found a simpler manner for astir $2,700, including everything! So, yes! The 'American Dream' is simply a nightmare and is decidedly a scam."
—Richard, 67, California
*Big American sigh*. If you moved from America to a antithetic state oregon vice versa, what is your "America is simply a scam" realization story? Let maine cognize successful the comments, oregon you tin taxable your communicative anonymously utilizing this form.
Note: Some responses person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.
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