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Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

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Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#11

Post by digianarchist »

version_five wrote: post #4

I'm in Canada and the US is very appealing to me. More money, more personal freedom, better healthcare, more choice of food and other goods. I understand there is lots of disparity and some people are very badly off there, and I hear bad things about certain cities (but I'd want to do my own research before I believe what I read online). Overall though, if you're well off, the US is very appealing. Just to add, recen…

I definitely agree with the diminishing returns of remaining in Canada as you become wealthier.

I’m making the move this year. As a single income household there are a lot of tax advantages in the US compared to Canada.

Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#12

Post by digianarchist »

KiranRao0 wrote: post #10
version_five wrote: post #4

I'm in Canada and the US is very appealing to me. More money, more personal freedom, better healthcare, more choice of food and other goods. I understand there is lots of disparity and some people are very badly off there, and I hear bad things about certain cities (but I'd want to do my own research before I believe what I read online). Overall though, if you're well off, the US is very appealing. Just to add, recen…

As a Canadian living in the US, here is my experience: Advantages - Higher Salaries (as a SWE, but similar for friends in other high skill professions) - Faster, more accessible healthcare - Easier access to COVID vaccines/boosters - Access to more products/services - Amazon has everything - Better credit card perks Disadvantages - Actually using healthcare is expensive - Losing my job is insanely scary (losing healt…

Most Canadians would have to leave if they didn’t have another job anyway for visa reasons. Those 60 days would be difficult though. I’m assuming non-US citizens or PRs can’t use COBRA?

Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#13

Post by KiranRao0 »

digianarchist wrote: post #12
KiranRao0 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Canadian living in the US, here is my experience: Advantages - Higher Salaries (as a SWE, but similar for friends in other high skill professions) - Faster, more accessible healthcare - Easier access to COVID vaccines/boosters - Access to more products/services - Amazon has everything - Better credit card perks Disadvantages - Actually using healthcare is expensive - Losing my job is insanely scary (losing healt…

Most Canadians would have to leave if they didn’t have another job anyway for visa reasons. Those 60 days would be difficult though. I’m assuming non-US citizens or PRs can’t use COBRA?

Partially. Depending on the Visa, Canadians need to leave within n days. However, it's extremely easy to re-enter as a visitor (B-2) and stay for 6 months.

Canadians are eligible for COBRA if they've earned income within the year. https://theea.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Whenisanemploye...

Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#15

Post by dataflow »

KiranRao0 wrote: post #10
version_five wrote: post #4

I'm in Canada and the US is very appealing to me. More money, more personal freedom, better healthcare, more choice of food and other goods. I understand there is lots of disparity and some people are very badly off there, and I hear bad things about certain cities (but I'd want to do my own research before I believe what I read online). Overall though, if you're well off, the US is very appealing. Just to add, recen…

As a Canadian living in the US, here is my experience: Advantages - Higher Salaries (as a SWE, but similar for friends in other high skill professions) - Faster, more accessible healthcare - Easier access to COVID vaccines/boosters - Access to more products/services - Amazon has everything - Better credit card perks Disadvantages - Actually using healthcare is expensive - Losing my job is insanely scary (losing healt…

> Losing my job is insanely scary (losing healthcare)

While this might be unusual, as I understand it, nothing really prevents you from getting your own insurance. Even if your health insurance premium were to cost $1000/month (which it likely doesn't), if your pay bump would be > $12k/year (+ tax) by moving as a SWE (which it probably would be), you could still go without a job for a whole year and still maintain your insurance. It would obviously be infeasible for someone in a profession with much lower income, but from what you said it sounds like it would be an option.

Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#16

Post by Mattasher »

version_five wrote: post #4

I'm in Canada and the US is very appealing to me. More money, more personal freedom, better healthcare, more choice of food and other goods. I understand there is lots of disparity and some people are very badly off there, and I hear bad things about certain cities (but I'd want to do my own research before I believe what I read online). Overall though, if you're well off, the US is very appealing. Just to add, recen…

We moved from Toronto to Florida at the beginning of last year. Could not be happier with the decision. The US used to be much more of a monolith, now there are huge differences between the states.

All of Canada is still in a mass hysteria that will continue for years.

Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#18

Post by vanusa »

vanusa wrote: post #8

Was it ever? Social atomization, hyperconsumerism and a generally blighted physical environment (who-gives-a-fuck suburban sprawl nearly everywhere) are what define your life in most parts of this country, if you don't earn a high enough salary to offset their effects. That, and the relentless "life == work" mentality exhibited even in other comments in this thread.

Lest I come across as a glass half-empty person, let me mention a few things about this country that I genuinely like and which rare (if not unique) throughout the world:

(1) Genuine ethnic diversity (simply unmatched in its breadth and scale), and a genuine, bedrock belief that (at least in principle) if you're a citizen you have a right to be here and to live your own life, dammit whatever your ancestry, religious belief, however you dress, etc. The fact that the racism which does exist is so virulent comes in part from the fact that it is a minority view.

(2) Truly awesome natural beauty, also very diverse (what's left of it anyways)

(3) Pioneering in LGBTO and abortion rights while much of the world remains a frightening place indeed in these respects.

(4) A away of looking at life in the large and as full of possibility which has brought many bad things but also Jazz, Rock'n'Roll, amazing cinema, etc.

Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#19

Post by Broken_Hippo »

dataflow wrote: post #15
KiranRao0 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Canadian living in the US, here is my experience: Advantages - Higher Salaries (as a SWE, but similar for friends in other high skill professions) - Faster, more accessible healthcare - Easier access to COVID vaccines/boosters - Access to more products/services - Amazon has everything - Better credit card perks Disadvantages - Actually using healthcare is expensive - Losing my job is insanely scary (losing healt…

> Losing my job is insanely scary (losing healthcare) While this might be unusual, as I understand it, nothing really prevents you from getting your own insurance. Even if your health insurance premium were to cost $1000/month (which it likely doesn't), if your pay bump would be > $12k/year (+ tax) by moving as a SWE (which it probably would be), you could still go without a job for a whole year and still maintain yo…

It has been a while since I've lived in the US, but I think it is completely possible to pay $1000/month for health insurance. For a single person, a family is more. Employers subsidize your insurance, after all. I was paying couple hundred a month for two people - subsidized - and that was years ago. A family plan was even more.

Even then, you have to have money to use it. On top of the insurance premiums, you'll have to pay a deductible. You'll probably pay $3000 (more or less) before the insurance even starts to pay anything, and then you'll have to pay a few thousand more before things start being free.

Prescriptions probably won't count towards these totals. If you are lucky, you will have good coverage. If not, you might be out a few hundred a month for a single drug. Depending. I mean, people have been rationing insulin.

Re: Ask HN: Is the US still the best place to live?

#20

Post by deanmoriarty »

Regardless of the salary, I have never seen a place as beautiful as the West Coast, specifically the cities of San Diego, LA and SF. It still gives me goosebumps and watering eyes today when I land there. It might be that I am conflating the opportunities that the area has given me with the actual beauty, but I don’t think so.

And I was born and raised in the beautiful Mediterranean coast in Europe.

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