> pension In many European countries (e.g. UK), the pension contributions are a form of income tax (i.e. proportional to income), while the pension is a fixed

> pension In many European countries (e.g. UK), the pension contributions are a form of income tax (i.e. proportional to income), while the pension is a fixed sum that barely allows you to survive - regardless of how much you've paid in contributions. I don't know how SS works in the US, but it's hard to imagine a worse system. > cost of living I've compared two random third-tier cities in US and Western Europe: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/El-Paso https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/El-Paso https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Bordeaux https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Bordeaux The costs of living are actually really close within each other.