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It's amazing what wages these are for unqualified workers compared to what you get in Germany. Some academics with two degrees don't get that much here, and of course we have much higher taxes on top of that.
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@Soprano The problem is that many of us sell ourselves short and don't want to or don't dare to ask for raises or simply ask the wrong questions
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@Soprano But you also have to consider our social security contributions. They don't have statutory health insurance in the USA and have to pay for it themselves. That's why they earn differently over there
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@Soprano What example are you thinking of with regard to academics?
I think that the labor protection and social security that exists in Germany should not go unmentioned in this context. That doesn't exist in this form in the USA.
It's not as if we don't have higher taxes.
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@Soprano But you have to remember that America is expensive
And you don't get paid anything there
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@Mcl1991 That's a good thing. Health insurance is garbage. It's just the biggest piece of garbage ever, anyone who still celebrates the achievements of the labor movement really hasn't heard the shot. What's the point of paying a fixed amount each month if I can't get an appointment anywhere? My GP closed almost a year ago and since then all the GPs around me have refused to treat me because they have stopped taking me in. I recently had to go to the hospital emergency service because I had a cold and needed a sick note.

Apart from that, I don't see why social security contributions should significantly reduce the GROSS wage? It's clear that net is half a universe between US wages and EU wages. But not everyone gets €20 gross here either.

You'd have to think about why we need a minimum wage (€12) here in Germany just so that half of the Germans don't earn exactly one cent more ... and the Americans manage to earn three times as much even with a $7.5 minimum wage.
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@Soprano That is subjective. I am very glad that there is statutory health insurance. A private one wouldn't take me and the premiums would be too high for me in comparison.
It's difficult with doctors' appointments, yes. Unfortunately, that's the case. Nevertheless, we can be happy to have such a healthcare system. Things are different in America and some other countries...
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@JonathanPeachum My girlfriend's cousin studied some psychology and social work stuff and earns 17€/h - when she's not unemployed.

And as I said, do an example calculation for one of these social security contributions, where it becomes clear that I'm not paying massively more than I can ever get back. By the time I retire, I'll easily have paid a quarter of a million in pension contributions. How old do I have to be after the age of 70 before I see the money again? And at what point will I overtake an ETF with my state pension?
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@Barrd What do I get paid in Europe? I pay for everything myself. And yes, the prices are definitely different. Many basics are cheaper here (food, health, culture) - but many things are also much more expensive here (houses, cars, electrical appliances, energy prices). Depending on your lifestyle, there's no difference.
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@Mcl1991 Gross = gross salary. With your salary, the taxes are based on the hourly wage. So yes, 22 dollars - 21 euros as a driver in the USA is ok. ~3200 gross. In Germany also monthly salary in gross - then come the mandatory deductions and in the USA it is voluntary whether he insures himself.
The USA already had more net 20 years ago (because of the boat, cars, etc.) than we do.
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@Mcl1991 It really is subjective. It really depends on which illnesses you want to acquire in the course of your life. For example, I have bad eyesight and regularly need new glasses and special examinations. Since the health insurance company basically says "let's just screw it", it's a financial disaster because I only pay the health insurance company for fun and pay privately for my health on the side. There are endless other illnesses, e.g. lipoedema (surgery costs between €10,000-20,000), which the health insurance company generally excludes. That's really bad when you're paying hundreds of euros a month and if you're unlucky you get a disease that's on the blacklist of the insurance company.

On top of that, as I said, you can't get appointments and the average quality of treatment in Germany is lousy. German doctors take an average of 8 minutes per patient - US doctors / Swedish doctors almost 2.5 times as long (approx. 20 minutes). As a result, anything that cannot be diagnosed within 30 seconds is simply not diagnosed in Germany.
And if it is treated, they try to use the cheapest procedure they can find, because the health insurance company doesn't want to invest good money in some old carcass. In the USA, you are usually offered the latest and best procedure (which is usually also the most expensive)

So from a financial point of view, as a German you should have lots of children and have a kidney transplant every now and then so that your health insurance pays off.