They Left America. Here’s How Life Got Better
They Left America. Here’s How Life Got Better
This week, a netizen asked American expats to share their experience from living abroad. They said, “What has convinced you to never return to the US? What do you like about not living in the States anymore? What does your residing country do better than the U.S?”
Here’s what others had to say about their new home countries after leaving America:
Work/life balance
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“Holy cow, it’s amazing. If my girlfriend has a day where she is too stressed, she can take a mental day off and work won’t freak out. Her mom needs help? She goes half a day and work won’t treat her like garbage.”
Public transportation
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“WOW. Oh, I missed my tram? it’s okay; another one’s coming in 4 minutes. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen a tram/metro and it’s been packed. I just wait for the next one and can sit down.”
Walkable city
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“I need to go to the grocery store? It’s a two min. walk. I need to go to the post office? it’s a 3 min. walk. I want to go to my local cafe for a beer? Oh, it’s across the street.”
Cheaper beer
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
The cost of beer in the U.S. really is astronomical. I typically pay $2 for a Kolsch here in Deutschland (Germany), but I’ve seen them for $.50…”
➤ Learn more about moving to Germany
Collectivist society
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“I live in Japan. People are generally not apocalyptically selfish where I am now. Society is both less polarized and less politicized. Politics aren’t crazy where I am.”
➤ Learn more about moving to Japan
Feel safer
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“Japan is an extremely safe, honest country. I could leave my belongings at a cafe unattended and leave for a while and they’d be completely untouched. I’m not endorsing it, but I’ve seen locals and foreigners alike do this and have absolutely nothing bad happen.”
“There’s no guns or gun culture.”
➤ Learn more about moving to Japan
Accessible home ownership
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“I bought an 915 sq ft terraced house in Cork, Ireland that was move-in ready in early 2022 for under $270k. Where I’m from in D.C, that price will get you a 380 sq ft studio apartment with a monthly fee.”
“People from abroad really can’t wrap their heads around the cost of living in the US. They know we make more money, but it really doesn’t go very far here.”
➤ Learn more about moving to Ireland
Universal healthcare
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“I need ADD meds and I get reimbursed for 100% of the cost of the doc and meds.”
Less gun violence fear
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“I moved to Mexico last year. I feel like I could knock on an unknown neighbor’s door without fear of being shot by whoever answers.”
➤ Learn more about moving to Mexico
Better food quality
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“The quality of the food is different and largely better. A lot of my chronic health symptoms are alleviated here, but I cannot tell if it’s related to food or to the fact that I’m not working when I’m here and therefore not as stressed.”
Kids are welcomed
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“People actually like kids.”
“We’re in the Netherlands. My 6 year old daughter can bike to school and not die.”
➤ Learn more about moving to the Netherlands
Republicans
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“There’s no Republicans. The source of everything wrong with the U.S.”
A lot of things, really
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
“Everywhere being kid friendly, no guns or worry of guns, walking to the grocery store, the people are kind (because they generally aren’t worrying about choosing between buying gas or getting to eat this week), the curriculum at school is way more advanced, much more healthy food, cheap beer and food at restaurants, no tipping 🤣, the beauty of all of the history, the culture, the lack of crazy political nuts who accost you for wearing a rainbow lanyard…. there is a lot.”  Source
Thinking About Moving to a Safer Country? Here Are the Top 25 Options
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
What are the safest countries in the world? The Legatum Prosperity Index (LPI), an annual ranking system that measures nations on a dozen measures of social progress, guides us to finding the answers. Where does the U.S. fall on the list?
➤ Thinking About Moving to a Safer Country? Here Are the Top 25 Options
11 Reasons Women Are Fleeing the USA
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
While the number of people emigrating from the United States grows, there’s one thing the news isn’t reporting: many of these people are women.
The number of solo woman expats is soaring, while married women work to convince reticent husbands to move abroad. Here are some of the reasons women are fleeing the USA:
➤ 11 Reasons Women Are Fleeing the USA
The 10 Worst Reasons to Move Abroad
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.
There are plenty of excellent reasons to move abroad, if you’re not happy with developments in the U.S. There are also terrible reasons to move. These fall mostly into two categories: trying to solve your problems without working on yourself, and taking advantage of locals. The first category just flatly doesn’t work, and the second is unethical. If you want to be unethical, stay home.
➤ The 10 Worst Reasons to Move Abroad
Brett Andrews is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps expats discover how to leave the U.S. Brett and his partner Jen developed the Expatsi Test to recommend countries to move to, based on factors like budget, visa type, spoken languages, healthcare rankings, and more. In a former life, he worked as a software developer, IT support specialist, and college educator. When he's not working, Brett loves watching comic book movies and reading unusual books.
Brett Andrews is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that helps expats discover how to leave the U.S. Brett and his partner Jen developed the Expatsi Test to recommend countries to move to, based on factors like budget, visa type, spoken languages, healthcare rankings, and more. In a former life, he worked as a software developer, IT support specialist, and college educator. When he's not working, Brett loves watching comic book movies and reading unusual books.