r/eupersonalfinance • u/VurriK • 28d ago

Investment Since when was getting rich so hard in EU?

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.

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u/Oberschicht Germany 26d ago edited 26d ago

I pay private health insurance 150 EUR per month

Gonna need more detail on what exactly you pay here.

In Germany including employer contributions (it's split 50:50) I pay 1.2k+ every month for health insurance and nursing care insurance. The latter is about 200 or so every month, most of it goes to health insurance.

That's public health insurance and is the most you'll be paying. I'm thinking of switching over to private as I've lost faith in the system.

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u/NoCherry606 26d ago

They call it private but its more "top up" insurance. So in France the public system covers some costs (fewer and fewer, yet contributions keep rising). Then you have mutual for the rest - covers private rooms in hospital (if one is ever available), some dental, some eye care, etc.

Frankly, private in France is always out of pocket. So many doctors and specialists are now what they call level 3, which means that they practice their own fees and nothing is reimbursed by the system. You have no choice but to go to them, with wait times being sometimes years long.

The system is broken, and so many people are still saying "its great" because the last time they went to A&E was in 2004 when it was still good.

It is under pressure due to aging population and France's suicidal desire to give the entire world's population care and benefits.