Seems like it’s a well known fact that being poor or even middle class (if that will even exist anymore) in the US disposes one to a very low quality of life (e.g., living in areas with higher crime rates, bad healthcare, the most obvious being cost of living, …etc)
On the flip side, what are some reasons why the top 1-5% percentile would also want to leave the US? (e.g., taxes/financial benefits, no longer aligning with the culture? I would assume mainly the former)
If you are in the top 1-5%, is living in the US still the best place to live? (as many people would like to suggest)
Depending on what your income is, your healthcare (as in your co pays and insurance contribution) is not so expensive that it’s going to eat up that difference in pay check.
And in those very good jobs, you frequently get better insurance with better coverage and lower co-pays.
Owning a car in the US I have found to be WAY cheaper than the EU. I am not the person you asked this of, and it’s been 16 years since I was in Australia, but gas prices in some parts of the EU/AU would make an American weep. I have family in the UK and EU and they pay almost more per liter than what you pay for a gallon here, and a gallon is 3.78 liters. MSRP on a lot of vehicles is cheaper in the US. I don’t know what car insurance rates are like, but unless you’re getting hosed in the US because you are a crappy driver, there’s no way that the difference in rates makes a huge difference on the bottom line at a certain income level.
https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/gasoline_prices/
Based on the current rates, my fam in NL are paying double the US cost in gasoline. And despite what people say about bikes and public transportation, the vast majority of people I know back there still commute by car.
A Toyota Corolla costs $22k in the US and £30k+ in the UK.
Cost of Living seems to be having problems everywhere. In the US there are places that span the range from cheap to normal to expensive to astronomical. Plenty of people in the EU saw costs rise a huge amount during the pandemic, and housing crises are making living spaces pricey too.
I recommend reading news sources of the places you want to be, subreddits too, and while some are biased towards what people complain about versus praise, it does give some info on what are problematic issues.
And don’t forget that car prices are generally the same or higher than the US around the world. Imaging buying a $22k car when you’re making $500 a month? Cars are essentially a luxury where I’m from