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Originally Posted by ngdawg
I can only go anecdotly as I have friends from the Netherlands and friends who went to visit them. Their wages are basically equal or slightly higher, but expenses are higher; gas is/was about $8 a gallon(so they walk for miles to go run errands instead of drive), buying anything American can cost almost twice as much there as it would here; in fact, when they want something from the US, they have it shipped to the other friend here who then sends it there because shipping costs more than the item. Groceries are pretty expensive as well, from what they've said.
I don't doubt the source, but I question their math.
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Buying American products while in Europe is expensive, but so is buying European products while in America. It costs a lot of money to ship things.
Gas in Europe is generally expensive, but also realize that in many European cities, there isn't as much reliance on cars as in some North American cities. Also, Europeans tend to use more fuel-efficient cars. While gas prices in the Netherlands tends to be highest, many European countries are currently paying around US$7.00/gallon.
Date July 9, 2007:
Cost per gallon
Netherlands : US$7.76
UK: US$7.33
US: US$3.18
(Taxes incl.)
Yes, it is expensive living in the Netherlands, but it looks especially so when you compare it to living in America. The two economies are out of whack, and much of that has to do with demographics and geography. But it is cheaper to live in Amsterdam than it is to live in Chicago, Zurich, London, and many more.
The thing is, people should do what they can to live within their means. Your friends walk a lot instead of taking their car. So do I... I walk 2.5 miles every day just going to and from work. I walk over a mile to the shopping area by my place to get books, go to movies, etc. I do this because it makes sense. There are many people who'd take their car if a walk would be over 15 minutes, which is a bit much I think. In France, many people would walk up to half an hour before thinking about taking a car. Walking is good for you and tends to make people happy. Both the Netherlands and France are high up on the list of quality of life.
Also, how many people in America live within their own means? It certainly is cheaper to live in America, but how would you explain the grossly increasing household debt loads and this:
CDC: Antidepressants most prescribed drugs in U.S.
...I thought heart disease was a bigger problem.
But to refer to the OP, the Netherlands as a package has a really high quality of life (no pun intended). There are many factors contributing to this. Despite the costs, people must be doing something right. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with not being so uptight about things.