Tell us what kind of lifestyle you have; what are your free time activities; city/state in which you reside; where would you like to reside in Europe (remember this is a Swiss forum); what is your profession; immediate family or not; etc. etc. etc.
Because, just like everybody has an asshole... they have their own opinions. You are asking quite a broad question and (from the looks of it) are looking for a precise (motivating) answer. Don't be surprised if the answers are from one end of the spectrum to the other!
Personally, for me, I love it here. You (or anyone else) could not pay me enough to relocate back to the states! FYI, I am American. Moved to Europe in 1984 at 21 years old. Moved to Switzerland in 1993. Am self-employed and don't regret one ounce of it
Good luck getting your answers, I am anxious to read the results of your questions.
bests
Life in the US is definitely more convenient (if you can afford it) and the whole economy is more dynamic which translates into better or at least more job opportunities for highly qualified and ambitious individuals. In the long run I fear that Europe will lag behind the US in terms of economic development as its structures make it difficult to adapt to a changing environment.
On the flip side, the US has less social security (even skilled professionals ca lose their jobs and end up in bankruptcy quite quickly), generally more inequality in income and wealth and a much larger truly poor population than most European countries. This also translates into higher crime rates (on a bad weekend in Chicago more people get murdered than in a whole year in Switzerland - and Chicago is one of the safer cities). Also medical care is inferior on average.
I'm European and have lived in the US. Personally, I enjoyed it and would have stayed if immigrations laws wouldn't make life so miserable. Overall, I agree with Phos - when you're young, US is better, when you're old Europe.
I live in Minnesota, studding Finance here. It very boring life here for me. Not many beautiful girls here around, mostly fat. I'm not married, so I can relocate easily. Ideally I want to move to Zürich.
If you live in Minnesota I take back what I said previously (better in the US while you're young) - this is not the place for young people. Move to Chicago or NYC when you graduate and things will look very different.
On the flipside, I sensed a high degree of stress among many people I met; and the long-hours culture in the US that seems to create this would be something I would have a problem with. Hence I could not see myself living there.
However to try and categorise such a vast and varied country on such a basis would be ludicrous.
Cheers,
Nick
St. Paul-Minneapolis is cool. It's small, but I had fun there.
I use to travel back and forth for a while because I really liked it here, particularly Italy. When a window of opportunity opened, I jumped at the chance to move here.
The first 6 months was a blast. So many fantastic places to visit. But then the novelty wore off. The next 6 months was just normal. The 6 months after that was miserable. I just couldn't figure out what to do with myself and fell into a dark depression. After 6 months, I got fed up with the depression and decided to drop it. So I focused on maintaining my state and started to get my game on.
I find that I have to constantly maintain my energy level and enthusiasm. I never had to do this in the US. It always came naturally. There's a momentum of ennui here. So I have to regularly travel just to break out of the morass. Friends and a well paying job is essential here for staying afloat.
I'm here because of commitment and personal objectives. Those transcend my geographical location. So in a sense, it doesn't matter too great of a deal where I am.
The standard of living in Switzerland is tops. Things are well maintained and things run well. There aren't really any slums here. The crime rate is very low, and that is a luxury in itself.
So my biggest issue with living here is boredom. But I work on it. I find that I don't really miss the US, I miss people. That's easy to remedy with a quick trip, or through Skype. The last time I visited L.A., I felt somewhat alienated at first. Such a large urban sprawl. Being immersed in Switzerland, it reminded me of Sao Paolo. I was shocked to notice the Braziliafication of my home town.
It wasn't a mistake to move here. I'm quite glad I did. But I did lose a lot of contacts in the process. But I knew that from the beginning. But that's alright, I could get them back if I wanted. Knowing that I can go back when I want to gives me some peace of mind.
Oh, I didn't mention the culture shock. Well, this website is full of those stories.
There are prettier things to see in Europe.
What you have to look out for is the cost of living. Many a lad was lured here by the vision of $$$ only to discover that his money would afford him bragging rights at home, but he can't keep up with the joneses in zurich amidsts all the porsches and ferraris. Pulling in 150k a year will earn you a very nice living here as well, but don't expect to yourself to feel "rich".
As was pointed out, it very much depends on your lifestyle. A flashy lifestyle is expensive in the US, and it will be even more expensive here. A quiet lifestyle is cheap in the US, but it will still be comparatively expensive here. For all the expenses though, you'll get the possibility to go down for a swim in the beautiful see-through waters of the zurich lake at lunchtime, you generally won't have to wear your wallet on a kevlar rope and your house won't be put up for general take-what-you-can on craigslist if you forget to lock your front door.
If you adapt yourself, your lifestyle, your self-sufficiency, your communications.... then getting things done here is just as stateside... if not easier!
OK, we don't have the 24/7 huge grocery stores with a staff of 200 at any time of day... But, we do have some early and late shopping opportunities now and some are even open on Sundays Even though I have never used one late evenings or Sundays.
Agree with you, that there are plenty of things to do and see here. Public transportation takes you just about anywhere and the events are plentiful.
The included text stated that if Americans didn't deposit the required funds into the Social Security... it would be empty by the year 2013.
I wish I had kept that letter, would be a hit here on EF.
So... you are better off in Switzerland when it comes to retirement, as long as you put a little aside on your own!
In 2008 we moved to Switzerland because of a job offer. We hate it due to many reasons and want nothing more than to get the heck out of here and back to the States.
Details upon request ...