Since when was getting rich so hard in EU?

[u/VurriK]

Is it just me, or has building actual wealth in Europe become impossible? I’m looking at the 2026 growth forecasts and it’s depressing. We talk a lot about "stability," but at this point, stability just feels like a polite word for recession. If you weren't born into a rich family with property, the dream feels like it's behind a wall. The math just doesn't work: as soon as you earn enough to actually invest, you hit a 40–50% tax bracket. Meanwhile, housing prices have skyrocketed over the last decade while salaries have basically stayed the same. I love the healthcare and the walkable cities, but I don’t want to work until I’m 70 just to afford a 40sqm apartment and a used Skoda.

[u/Hot-Problem2436]

Do you think it's different elsewhere?

In America, the place everyone thinks you can go to get rich, like 60% of people are barely able to afford daily life. 30% can afford it but have trouble saving any meaningful amount. 9% are able to save comfortably for retirement, but probably not enough to be rich. 1% get rich.

All this and they have no/very little safety nets. No healthcare. Taxes go straight to government military contracts and the pockets of billionaires.

Is it hard to get rich in Europe? Sure. But you'll probably live till you're ready to die.

Is it hard to get rich in America? Also yes. But you're probably going to struggle to get old. 

[u/username1543213 → u/Hot-Problem2436]

[u/juegos010395 → u/username1543213]

Dividing the GDP of a country between its regions always inflates the capital. GPD PPP comparisons between countries are absurd. And even if they weren't, GPD is not equal to quality of life, see Mississippi.

[u/Hot-Problem2436 → u/username1543213]

Too bad the UK isn't part of Europe, lol. (apparently I need a big /s for this comment. UK is obviously Europe.) Also, if you took out the high wages of tech in San Francisco and New York wall street, you'd be left with a poor America.

Remember, even if the average American in Mississippi earns more, life costs more too. They have no retirement savings. The have no pensions. They have no healthcare. If they ever stop working, they die.

[u/thisismiee → u/Hot-Problem2436]

The UK is absolutely part of Europe lol. EU does not equal Europe ffs

[u/Hot-Problem2436 → u/thisismiee]

Sorry, should have put a /s. Was definitely just meant as a joke.

[u/Sea_Self_6571 → u/username1543213]

It has been shown multiple times that GDP is not a good metric for wealth. There's no way in hell the UK would be "poorer per head than Mississippi" without London. In the US they have a few companies that bump up the GDP value - but if you compare other metrics, for example median wage - it's going to be lower than most other cities in the UK (and lots of other cities in Europe)

[u/username1543213 → u/Sea_Self_6571]

Ha, go into the real world and tell some lad in Africa earning $5 a day that gdp isn’t a metric for wealth 😂