“The Grass Is Always Greener”: 40 Stories From Americans Who Decided To Try Living Elsewhere

I had a "good job" in the US before I came here. Work was regular hours +1 Saturday out of every 3, and I was on call 24/7 for consultation. I had 1 week vacation plus Christmas and Thanksgiving each year. No insurance, and I barely made my bills each month. Still my friends were often jealous of my office job.

I left the US in 2006. Now, I have great health coverage for about $100 per month for a family of 3, and it isn't tied to my employer so if an employer is s**t, I can just quit and move on. It includes dental and eye care, and a yearly free check up. When I am sick, cost at the Dr and pharmacy are less than $5 each.

I now have 15 days vacation plus about 10 holidays each year. I work Monday through Friday and when I'm off the clock, I'm off the clock.

In my first year here, I paid off 10k of student loan debt, and had a bit of savings. By 2010, I had 50k saved.

The US is like an underdeveloped nightmare dystopia compared to the rest of the world. But the constant media propaganda proclaiming it is the best, most advanced country in the world, and paints every one else as backward thinking oddities keeps the population grinding away at the deadend, under compensated jobs.

Eye opening. I’ve always known that the US has a lot of propaganda and Nationalism. But it wasn’t until I moved to Europe that I got to experience the being an outsider looking in.

I’m not sure if what I said makes sense, it’s kinda hard to explain.

I moved to Europe seven years ago. At first, our motivation was the ability to have children without going into debt. After living here for a few years, we were able to buy a house and live a lifestyle that was once considered 'the American dream.' I also found that life is less materialistic here. People still have gardens and walk to places they want to go to. I just find it to be a more sustainable environment for my family.

Having lived in England, Sweden, Japan, Argentina, and Uganda; I can assure you that it's great! Honestly all Americans should spend at least a year abroad at some point. Most people here have such an insular view of the world and have been brainwashed to believe that we are somehow the "best." People are great and experiencing different cultures and ways of life can truly help you relate to others in a much more altruistic way.

I live in Berlin now, and I'm still trying to get used to my five weeks of vacation. All vacation is paid vacation, and it's standard everywhere. I also get a two-hour lunch and have a 32-hour workweek. All of this adds up to years that I can spend with my family. It just makes the quality of life so much better.

Black American. Moved first to Japan and was there for eight years. I won't say more about the place except to say I had some awesome experiences there (and met my wife there), but dear God, the xenophobia is real (I can't think of any of the places I lived in Japan, or visited, that I WASN'T stared at as if fire was shooting out of my head; wife too (she's European).

After that, moved to Hungary, where I've been for more than a decade now. There's lots to say. As an American, some doors are very open, others strongly closed, because Hungarian is the key. That said, at least in Budapest, it's possible to get around without Hungarian, even with jobs (mind, I do speak Hungarian, but not a high level).

Weirdly maybe, I find myself feeling more free here than back in the States. EVERY time I go back home, someone, somewhere, reminds me that I am in fact Black, and that information has to somehow enter the conversation or affect our interaction (seriously, how many times can I get an exaggerated 'bro' or 'was up' or whatever? Or, and I joke you not, have the N-word worked into the conversation somehow).

It's different here. Unlike Japan and the US (where being black was an absolute hinderance at times) in Hungary it just doesn't seem to mean much. In my work, much more than in Japan, I'm judged based on what I do and accomplish. It's nice to be just taken at face value. Mind, language is a barrier sometimes, but even that is slowly being chipped away at here (and the younger generation is WAY above the older in their language skills).

As someone said about Britain above, Hungarians REALLY like to gripe about Hungary (and to be fair, there's plenty to gripe about). That said, for me, it's been a pretty good place (and I say that as a person that came with basically nothing in the bank; moving from Japan was hyper expensive, especially back when I did it).

For example, as others have said, I strongly appreciate the healthcare system. Like, a few years ago, my wife and daughter had women's issues that needed surgery and a few days in the hospital. All I paid for, for both, was the "semi-private" room (and that was only 5000 HUF per night, so...$15?). When I myself had heart failure two years ago, I ended up in the local hospital for 10 nights, and then another one later for a check-up for 1 night. I paid absolutely nothing for that; even got a semi-private room for two nights for free since I was on the mend and they wanted to make space for patients needing closer care. My first hospital was even a suburban one, which tend not to be funded too well, but it was totally fine really (and fun side note - the room of old Hungarian guys I stayed with were super helpful and hilarious; one night, one of the guys decided for some crazy reason to take out his IV, which meant blood everywhere; guy next to me said (I think): "Nezd? Itt a fasza!" (which means: See? Here's a d**k); we then went out and got a nurse to help him).

Also, really like that most government services are online. A lot is done online in fact. In the US, I get the impression we only do online government things reluctantly with technology, and then we make it as difficult as possible to actually use them (and of course, in the US, we don't update anything, ever; my brother-in-law works for the army and tell me they're still using pay systems that run on Fortran 77). I also had a case once where I had to call for some issue to the state government in my home state, and I couldn't, because the line didn't accept calls from abroad; despite being a suggested number for people to call from abroad!

Anyway, the downsides. I'm originally from the east coast and I MISS seafood like crabs and shrimp and stuff. You can get it here, but it ain't cheap. Also, sometimes, I kind of miss American optimism; people sort of think "Well, maybe we can!" A few of my Hungarian friends seem to defeat themselves before they even try. And the bureaucracy gets to me; there's an incredible amount of paperwork (I mean, a lot is online now, but you STILL have to do it; all of it - there's an old joke that if you go to an office to do anything, they're try hard to find something you forgot so that you have to come back). Despite all the bureaucracy, I feel things are disorganized or unclear anyway.

I think I touched the highlights. I mean, there's certainly more, but overall, I really like it here. I already passed the point of working enough to qualify for a pension once I retire (however small it will be); I have no intention of leaving anytime soon. And it's nice being in the EU (despite what others sometimes seems to imply), and being able to travel and what not.

I moved to Europe and always thought I would go back to the US one day. That changed when I had kids. As weird as it is for someone who grew up being fed the whole 'land of opportunity' narrative, Europe simply provides more opportunity, more security, and a better quality of life for my kids. Staying here for them has been a no-brainer.

I moved to Europe and my favorite thing about living here is that it's so easy to pick up and travel somewhere completely different. In America, you have to travel a long way to get to a place with a different culture. But here in Europe, in just a few hours I can drive to France, the Netherlands, or Germany. And in a few hours on a plane, I can be in Italy, Greece, Spain, or Portugal.

Lived in Italy for 5 years. Best time of my life. Let me point out I am from the suburbs and moved to a city, so I had the culture shock plus the shock of living in a bigger, busier place.

I paid less attention to things I didn't like, like politics. Didn't watch TV at all. Found it really easy to be enamored with everything (even stuff like going to the grocery store.) Didn't really feel legit complaining about things the locals complained about because it wasn't my place and I was just so happy to be there.

The food is better - cuisine and ingredients in general. There is a lot more history. I found learning about the culture and traditions really fun. Figuring out differences and new ways I could do things made every day interesting. Public transport and travel within Europe is a lot more accessible without a car than the states. I had to go to the emergency room and it cost me nothing. To me it was the most important thing I've done so far. It felt enlightening.

It wasn't _perfect_ because there is bs everywhere you go, but I don't really want to even act like there's anything negative worth mentioning for my particular experience. Your boy was happy.

My husband and I moved to Germany for my work. We loved every minute of it. We lived in a small farming village, walked the dogs in the national forest almost daily, bought bread from the bread truck that drove through town, had the best neighbors, loved everything about the area and the culture. We would have lived our entire lives there if my work contract hadn’t ended. At one point we considered getting citizenship and giving up our US citizenship. Maybe one day we’ll get back, but it’s a difficult move to make, especially with pets (we brought our 3 dogs: 2 German shepherds and a Labrador, and our 2 guinea pigs with us, it was quite a challenge!).

I lived in Taiwan for a year, six years ago. Almost weekly I wish I was still there. Unfortunately, I was engaged at the time and promised by my fiance that I'd come home and marry him, and I did.

The people were very friendly, the food was great, I loved the markets, and riding a scooter. I earned enough that I could travel when I wanted to and I had a group of friends to hang out with. Public transportation was easy to navigate and cheap. The Taiwanese never made me feel unsafe or uncomfortable even though I lived in an apartment by myself above a shop.

There was a cafe that I liked to take my work to. When I started going there, the menu was only in Mandarin and I would use a translation app to read it and order. After two weeks, they made their menu bilingual just for me! It's probably the sweetest thing strangers have done for me. I wonder what some of the people I used to order food from regularly thought when I stopped coming. I should have said goodbye properly but I was awkward with the language barrier.

I moved to Norway 15 years ago. For the first 10 years, there were no regrets. Recently, though, I'm not as certain. I will likely reside here the rest of my life, but it's not quite as wonderful as it seemed at first. Here's a few reasons why:

1. You will always be the outsider. In Norway, identity is closely tied to language. If you can speak Norwegian well you are more accepted, but never totally accepted. You will always be "han amerikaner" (that american). This is far less pronounced in the US. You might be from somewhere else that the states, but if you are a citizen few people will dispute you being american.
2. Norway is a small country and as such they are have a need to compartmentalize others so that they can retain a national identity. You will be stereotyped. Even if you've never owned a gun, people will expect you support gun ownership, because that's what they think all americans do. They will expect you are big american football fan, because that's what they think all americans are. Even good things, like cooking, you will be expected to make the best "real american" burger in any given group. Which is kinda embarrassing , if you are not good at making burgers. This is not restricted to Americans, I have German and Spanish friends here, and they are subject to the same "us and them" thinking. In the US people don't stereotype nearly as much, but that's mostly because they don't care. Which for me, if a good thing.
3. Do not criticize Norway as a foreigner - but especially as an American, you should be wary of saying anything that can be perceived as an negative towards the country or its politics, laws and culture. You shouldn't speak up about places you are visiting, I understand that, tourists are not qualified to make analysis of the countries they are visiting, but if you have lived here for years and years you should be able to say when you think something is awry. Not in Norway, it's not your place, because (see note 1 - you are the outsider.) This is even more true when you are from the US because they look at the USA as third world country now. People have the perception that most americans are dying in squalor without any healthcare - this is supported by some very popular but biased and one-sided documentaries made about the US recently, which aren't concerned with nuances of the american situation. All of these 3 point have to do with Janteloven. Look it up if you are interested. It is the dumbest cultural concept which is basically codified nationalism.
4. Lastly, there's some very strange laws here. There are also very strange laws in the US, but here they often have to do with alcohol. You can't buy alcohol in shops after 8pm, or 6pm on Saturdays and on Sundays you can't by it at all. You also can't buy alcohol the day before or the day of national holidays. Also most everything is closed on sundays, even grocery stores (but small ones can stay open) due to labor laws as such. Not necessary a bad thing - but some of the laws take getting used to and it seems there are ways to improve service. Due the føre var principle (the precautionary principle) change is very slow here. "The old ways are best", "slow and steady"...this is the crux of it.
5. Norwegian food is so-so. I like some of the dishes a lot, but there isn't much amazing. In the cities, there is a focus on foriegn food (Asian and American are most popular) which underlay the fact that norwegians also could do with more than kjøttkaker (meatcakes). American food wins.
6. Getting a driver's license is very expensive. Think upwards of 3000 USD.

Now, I'm still here, so there's a lot of good in Norway too!

1. It's beautiful. Especially the west coast and up north, but also in the south with small cozy villages and lots of nature. The US is also beautiful, but it's so much bigger, making it a bit harder to get places.
2. There's a lot of attention paid to work life balance. Workers have real power in Norway and Unions are strong enough to demand wage raises and worklife improvements...much better than the US.
3. Which brings me to vacation, you get 5 weeks! To start with! You can save a certain amount for the subsequent year, so it's possible to have longer vacations if you are willing to put it off a bit. It's a lot better that the US.
4. Your taxes are easy. They are deducted from your monthly wages and if you owe something at the end of the year you are notified. Same if you are getting a return. No need to send anything, you can review the tax papers if you like, but if you trust the calculations you don't have do anything. None of that hire an account cause april 15th is coming.
5. Travelling to other countries WAS easy before Corona. There were a lot of flights for a small country. I think this will return later on.
6. There is a well functioning healthcare system that is of good quality mostly (if you have a rare disease, sometimes there are not facilities in the country to treat you, but the national health insurance often covers treatment abroad if its a serious condition.). The wait times are reasonable and it's nothing like the beauacratic hell that FOX news wants you to believe it is.
7. If you have kids, there is a lot of focus on their well being. It's a great country to grow up in.
8. There is a positive focus on economic fairness that at least tries to avoid big income differences, and as a consequence, there are less social problems that come with income inequality. Not so say that there is no rich and poor here, but it's much less pronounced.
9. Public transport is much better than in the US, or at least outside of New York.
10. Norway has Haaland who is the next Ronaldo.

Overall, moving to Norway has been a net positive. But it helps to be mentally prepared for living abroad. It does something to your perception of self and of the world, both for the better and the worse. In my opinion the negatives in norway for Americans are social, but the positives are structural. If you like a challenge, I would recommend it.

Been living in NZ for the past 3 years now. It has its issues but man it is an amazing and beautiful country. Highly recommend.

Expat in Germany for the past 5 years. I moved out here for graduate school and now work at a university and am married with a kid on the way. For the most part I really love it here, but there are of course drawbacks.

Positives:
- cost of living (I have never once felt like I had to sacrifice other expenditures just to pay my rent, in contrast to the US)
- healthcare affordability and quality (had my appendix out last year for a grand total of 50 €, had an MRI in the US once and it cost $800)
- work-life balance (30 days vacation and no one makes you feel like a lazy POS for taking off. Also i am very happy that my wife will not be expected to go back to work after only 6 weeks of maternity leave)
- safety (granted that I am a 6'5" white male, i find that german cities are MUCH safer than US ones. I was mugged twice in two different cities in the US and had a gun pulled on me once. In general I find it far more comforting that not everyone is able to have a gun here.)
- public transport actually exists and is useful and well-maintained
- being able to travel to really incredible places that are relatively close by

Negatives:
- I do miss my family back home, but at least there is social media and I can call any time. It is mostly rough not being there in person for big events.
- Nosy neighbors. Everyone is watching what you are doing, which can be quite annoying.
- Finding friends is a bit difficult because Germans are quite reserved as a rule. This is especially hard because I am not the most extroverted person
- The bureaucracy can be very annoying. Especially if you have some special circumstances that require perhaps a bit more thought for a solution.
- Nationalism is definitely still a thing here. While it is maybe not quite as openly flaunted as it is with many Americans, there are definitely quite a lot of people who still hold the 'Deutschland über alle' mentality, they just are not as vocal about it.
- Food is a bit mixed in quality.

Moved to Norway for work 10 years ago, right after getting married. Best decision we’ve ever made. Great life here. So peaceful, relaxed, comfortable and secure. Have absolutely zero desire to move back to the USA. There were things we missed at first, mostly #firstworldproblems stuff like favorite restaurants and Costco, but we’ve found ways to cope without those things and in most cases realized we don’t need them at all. We’ve had 3 kids since moving here. They know they’re American but, to them, Norway is home. America is the place we go on vacation to visit Grandma and Grandpa. It’s kind of weird sometimes when I realize that we’re now the immigrant family making a new life in a foreign country, but it’s really put a whole new perspective on the many friends I had growing up whose parents made that same choice coming to America. I have a much more profound respect for them. The struggles of integrating, of learning a new language, of trying to adapt but not lose your national identity entirely, of trying to educate your children about their heritage... the list goes on. Despite the struggles, I would encourage everyone (especially those who have never lived away from “home”) to move to a foreign country to gain a broader perspective of the world.

I lived in Armenia for 3 years and loved it after the initial adjustment. My biggest life regret is moving back to America. I miss it every day and fully intend to go back when my child is grown to live out the rest of my life there.

My wife and I have been living in Japan for the past few years (wife's job had a temporary overseas opening). We actually are moving back to the US this year. We love it here.

Living in Japan has been the best time of my life. The language barrier was hard, but we picked up enough to manage. Being outwardly polite as the social norm is really nice. Driving has been also a big change, no one is in a hurry, everything is so chill, and driving in the city wasn't stressful at all (well at least where we live, can't speak for all of Japan). Not looking forward to the craziness of US city drivers when I get back.

We also live right by the beach, so we go snorkeling on the reef all the time in the summer. I'll miss that, and taking a walk on the beach after dinner to watch the sunset with my wife. We realized that we are going to have to retire and live next to the ocean, we never get tired of looking at it.

The main thing I'll probably miss most, besides snorkeling, is the food. It lacks variety that the states has, but it is delicious. There were some local items specifically that are not easily found outside the area, I'll have to bulk buy stuff before I leave.

That being said, it is very apparent we would always be considered outsiders and treated differently, even if we lived here. There is a general mistrust of foreigners that some people have, it has caused a few problems since we arrived.

Japan has its fair share of problems like any other country, and as much as I love it here, I doubt I would actually want to live here permanently.

Moved to Japan three years ago with my wife. Her family is here and this is where we wanted to start our family. I've loved it a lot.

We have a house in a mid sized city in west Tokyo. I have a job that is flexible with me taking Japanese classes and my wife can work from home. The transportation is reliable, the healthcare is affordable, the food is great. It's no perfect country by any means, though.

Fact is, no matter how long I live here and how well I speak the language I'll always be kept at a certain distance. But I knew what I signed up for and it doesn't bother me all that much.

I've got a good life that we managed to carve out and it works for our situation. I can't speak for anyone else's experience but I have no plans of moving back to America.

My wife and I immigrated from USA to Netherlands about 6 months ago. Work has been great and the people very friendly. Getting our two boys integrated into Dutch schools was a little challenging at first, but it's gotten much easier lately. My wife and I are still learning the language but we've noticed things generally become much more enjoyable with each word we learn.

This was intended to be a permanent move for us. We sold nearly everything we owned in the states before moving out here. 10/10, highly recommend!

Living in the Turks & Caicos and can't see myself ever going back to live in the US. Only been off island once in the last 15 years.