re: Do Americans Know What a Massive Ripoff American Life Really Is?

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The biggest difference is housing. They will legit argue their closet-sized rental is just as good as a home in the US. They will also always argue expense in terms of the peasant's life (remember Europe is still very class conscious). You don't hear about these people who "downsized and love it!" talk about things like, buying a home...or...investing for their retirement.

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For perspective:


I live in a craftsman, fully remodeled 1940s house with 2300 sq feet, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 2 living rooms and a kickass kitchen. After remodel costs and refinance, it was 230k and my mortgage is $1400 a month.

Somebody in NYC will think I’m a simpleton yokel because I’m not willing to pay $3k/month for a 1BR/1BA 1000 sq foot apartment that is a cab ride away from Broadway shows.

The problem is that I don’t begrudge them. If people are happy paying a higher premium to be closer to food and art they love, that’s fantastic. But they are sitting around stewing about the fact that I’m that far removed from “culture” and probably have a different opinion than them about dudes using girls’ bathrooms.