Quality of life USA/EU (Easyjet/BA/Ryanair)
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Thanks for sharing!. I love being here to be honest, but I also love the old Europe atmosphere and way of doing things, so I guess I'm kinda flexible there.
Only reason why I care that much about money is because of my parents/sister. They got me here, they paid everything and did sacrifice a lot, so I have a moral debt with them. I couldn't afford to live like a king while they live in a tiny apartment because I sucked all the money to get where I got.
So yeah, not an easy decision man.
Only reason why I care that much about money is because of my parents/sister. They got me here, they paid everything and did sacrifice a lot, so I have a moral debt with them. I couldn't afford to live like a king while they live in a tiny apartment because I sucked all the money to get where I got.
So yeah, not an easy decision man.
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I lived right by Barajas airport my whole life. I would walk everyday around Iberia hangars, looking at those airplanes and dreaming. I was a ramper for Iberia, for years, and it was my dream really. BUT then I grew up, I started looking at numbers, did some research, etc.....and lost all the respect I had for them. Clickair, Gestair, Vueling, Level.....no thanks. Pay is an insult
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Quality of life: Europe, really?
Work all the time for very little pay, and get taxed to death.
All to fund your own continent’s demise.
EG: Spanish LCC Level A330 f/o €2300/month. Disgraceful.
That’s approaching third world status.
Money and time off, and above all freedom: USA.
Easy choice really.
Not an easy choice, not at all. But you're right, time OFF and money here is ridiculous. You have major captains working 11-12 days a month, making 350k. Insane
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hard choice.
As a european i can say in the US there are very good restaurants!!! So the junk food story is a bit of a cliché.
It is a very difficult choice you have to make. Personally if you can reach the 350K a year, just stay in the US. (But how long would it take for you to reach that number???). Much less taxes to be paid and i believe if you have money, US can be a really nice place to live. Quality of life in general is better in Europe for common man. But as a pilot in Europe.....quality of life.....does that exist?
It is a very difficult choice you have to make. Personally if you can reach the 350K a year, just stay in the US. (But how long would it take for you to reach that number???). Much less taxes to be paid and i believe if you have money, US can be a really nice place to live. Quality of life in general is better in Europe for common man. But as a pilot in Europe.....quality of life.....does that exist?
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As a high earner you'll definitely have a better quality of life in the US, where things like earning money are encouraged!
Quite the opposite in Euroland. You'll be punished and frowned upon.
Quite the opposite in Euroland. You'll be punished and frowned upon.
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In my opinion, if you only look at what quality of life you get in Europe vs. the US I'd say Europe is better. That depends of coruse where in Europe you live. Europe consists of both wealthy and not so wealthy countries, so just saying "Europe" isn't really correct.
If you want to make money and have a low living cost, the US by far. Less taxation and where nobody will judge you for having a large paycheck, unlike where I'm from where you'll be punished and taxed in any way possible. In the end, I feel like you get to keep way more money in the US than in Europe generally, and the governments of some countries in Europe are more lefty than in the US. Here in Sweden, we have a good quality of life (so far, but not for much longer as it's rapidly getting worse) but you'll be taxed to death compared to the US.
I guess it all comes down to what's mroe important to YOU. But I really hope you make the right decision for what you think is best for you!
If you want to make money and have a low living cost, the US by far. Less taxation and where nobody will judge you for having a large paycheck, unlike where I'm from where you'll be punished and taxed in any way possible. In the end, I feel like you get to keep way more money in the US than in Europe generally, and the governments of some countries in Europe are more lefty than in the US. Here in Sweden, we have a good quality of life (so far, but not for much longer as it's rapidly getting worse) but you'll be taxed to death compared to the US.
I guess it all comes down to what's mroe important to YOU. But I really hope you make the right decision for what you think is best for you!
There are ways of keeping a high percentage of your salary in Europe, ( Portuguese NHR scheme , for example), but they require a commute or hassle, which is what you are trying to avoid in the first place.
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All this talk of low tax in the US is slightly inaccurate. When I flew over there I took home a smaller percentage of my pay cheque than I do in the UK. While income tax is less, people constantly forget about the added cost of medical insurance. I took home roughly 60% of my total pay in America. At BA I worked out that I take home about c.66-67% of my total pay. That’s not on a cadets salary, that’s on a figure not all that far below six figures a year.
As for all this nonsense about Europe becoming a third world country; well, while I enjoyed my time living in the US, I know where I would rather live. I’m by no means a ‘liberal’, but I find life in Europe much more palatable. Yes, it has its problems, but I was very happy to return a few years ago.
I have no anti-American agenda, my wife is American. But it is a hugely divided nation, racism is still very much alive and well and I got fed up of the constant lack of culture or identity outside of many of the major cities. I tired of driving past strip mall after strip mall, biased TV ‘news’ (both left and right wing), and fast food. The cities are some of the greatest in the world, but day to day life lacked any real character FOR ME. (Emphasis on this being my own PERSONAL opinion).
As for all this nonsense about Europe becoming a third world country; well, while I enjoyed my time living in the US, I know where I would rather live. I’m by no means a ‘liberal’, but I find life in Europe much more palatable. Yes, it has its problems, but I was very happy to return a few years ago.
I have no anti-American agenda, my wife is American. But it is a hugely divided nation, racism is still very much alive and well and I got fed up of the constant lack of culture or identity outside of many of the major cities. I tired of driving past strip mall after strip mall, biased TV ‘news’ (both left and right wing), and fast food. The cities are some of the greatest in the world, but day to day life lacked any real character FOR ME. (Emphasis on this being my own PERSONAL opinion).
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If you are a soon to be U.S. citizen, make your decision regarding where you want to live BEFORE you take the step to acquire U.S. citizenship. If you are unaware, the United States is one of only two countries in the world which practices "citizenship based taxation". That means you are legally obligated to file a U.S. tax return and pay U.S. taxes regardless of where in the world you live or make your money. There are some things which can limit your U.S. tax liability, such as the foreign earned income exclusion and tax treaties. But none of those cover unearned income such as investment dividends. Even if you ultimately owe no U.S. tax, you must still file a U.S. tax return and prove via the numerous rules and treaties that you owe no U.S. tax. You are also required to annually report all non-U.S. financial accounts to which you have access to the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (The FBAR form). Failure to do so carries SIGNIFICANT penalties and THEY ARE enforced. This not only includes your personal accounts, but any corporate accounts to which you might have signatory access. Lastly FATCA (Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act) is a law that requires all non-U.S. financial institutions to report their dealings with 'U.S. Persons' to the IRS. Again, failure on the banks part to do so carries significant penalties for the bank which the United States does have the ability to enforce. The consequence of FATCA is that many banks around the world have placed limitations of services available to the so-called 'U.S. Persons', and some have completely shut off all dealings with people who have ties to the United States. Also be aware that these rules also apply to anyone who holds a U.S. Green Card, or who has held one in the past but failed to formally return it. Even if you retain your Spanish citizenship and are a dual citizen, you will still be obliged to comply with the above laws.
I am not trying to persuade you one way or another, but you need to be aware of the consequences of obtaining U.S. citizenship but then living some other place. Again, for you Green Card holders, the same rules apply to you unless you formally return your U.S. Green Card.
I am not trying to persuade you one way or another, but you need to be aware of the consequences of obtaining U.S. citizenship but then living some other place. Again, for you Green Card holders, the same rules apply to you unless you formally return your U.S. Green Card.
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If you are a soon to be U.S. citizen, make your decision regarding where you want to live BEFORE you take the step to acquire U.S. citizenship. If you are unaware, the United States is one of only two countries in the world which practices "citizenship based taxation". That means you are legally obligated to file a U.S. tax return and pay U.S. taxes regardless of where in the world you live or make your money. There are some things which can limit your U.S. tax liability, such as the foreign earned income exclusion and tax treaties. But none of those cover unearned income such as investment dividends. Even if you ultimately owe no U.S. tax, you must still file a U.S. tax return and prove via the numerous rules and treaties that you owe no U.S. tax. You are also required to annually report all non-U.S. financial accounts to which you have access to the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (The FBAR form). Failure to do so carries SIGNIFICANT penalties and THEY ARE enforced. This not only includes your personal accounts, but any corporate accounts to which you might have signatory access. Lastly FATCA (Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act) is a law that requires all non-U.S. financial institutions to report their dealings with 'U.S. Persons' to the IRS. Again, failure on the banks part to do so carries significant penalties for the bank which the United States does have the ability to enforce. The consequence of FATCA is that many banks around the world have placed limitations of services available to the so-called 'U.S. Persons', and some have completely shut off all dealings with people who have ties to the United States. Also be aware that these rules also apply to anyone who holds a U.S. Green Card, or who has held one in the past but failed to formally return it. Even if you retain your Spanish citizenship and are a dual citizen, you will still be obliged to comply with the above laws.
I am not trying to persuade you one way or another, but you need to be aware of the consequences of obtaining U.S. citizenship but then living some other place. Again, for you Green Card holders, the same rules apply to you unless you formally return your U.S. Green Card.
I am not trying to persuade you one way or another, but you need to be aware of the consequences of obtaining U.S. citizenship but then living some other place. Again, for you Green Card holders, the same rules apply to you unless you formally return your U.S. Green Card.
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A country as big as China with some 350 million people or so....and all these super smart guys can say is....fast food will kill you, school shootings, war addicts, etc.....Using the same reasoning principles you used---> you're retarded. And you know nothing about this Country.
To the other 95% of people commenting on the thread, thanks a lot for all the advice and perspective added, much appreciated :-)
To the other 95% of people commenting on the thread, thanks a lot for all the advice and perspective added, much appreciated :-)
