Not sure I agree.<p>Good things about Germany:<p>- Great job opportunities, even if you only speak English (less jobs than if you speak German, but with EU orgs, international companies, etc its possible)<p>- Rent is not cheap in the more attractive cities with good jobs (Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich), but it&#x27;s not that expensive either compared to say Paris or London<p>- No out-of-control housing market, as Germans don&#x27;t have the same lust for owning property and property speculation that you see in much of the English speaking world<p>- Cost of living (food, drink) compared to wages is really good, compared to much of Europe<p>- Amazing cheap beer, great festival culture. The food here is <i>seriously</i> underrated, Schweinbraten, etc is amazing. Yes it&#x27;s not pretentious like e.g. some French food, but it&#x27;s no-nonsense and delicious, especially in Bavaria. Even the weather compared to the British Isles is decent.<p>- Low cost university<p>- A culture of paying for things upfront (e.g. Energiewiende and pensions for old population), hence high taxes but not kicking the can down the road is obviously the best thing in the long run (although it&#x27;s not much comfort to young workers)<p>- Soaks up talent from the rest of Europe, you can move with no visa from other EU countries<p>Regarding taxes, t&#x27;s possible to get a contracting job, where you are paid as a freelancer and certain social contributions are waived for a period of time. I also know that&#x27;s it&#x27;s possible to earn as a contractor, trading as a company from another EU country (earn German wages, pay Greek&#x2F;Maltese&#x2F;Irish corp taxes). You need a good tax advisor, but I&#x27;ve seen first hand that it&#x27;s possible.<p>Source: expat working in Germany.