Meatpie, generally the Euros always think that the cost of living is so cheap in Amerika; when the added/hidden taxes/fees/special assessments/insurance costs/healthcare costs are added to the lack of public transport/lack of personal/social security, outrageous costs for education (checked a four-year degree lately?), and the regional differences [New York & LA are uber-expensive compared to "fly-over country such as Des Moines, Iowa, or Omaha, Nebraska] the differences between Berlin and LA, for example, are trivial. The "quality of life", that nebulous factor, is also a huge reason so many choose to live/travel/relocate abroad; I can take as little as 45 minutes to drive to my job, or as long as 2.5 hours, depending on traffic--our national infrastructure has deteriorated to a disgraceful degree; a major freeway bridge in the east collapsed recently, with traffic on it. In Berlin, I can leave the car at home, it's a very short constant journey to work on public transport. Yes, petrol or diesel costs approximately €6.61 per gallon in Berlin compared with €2.98 per gallon in Amerika; the difference is that a car is a necessity here compared with all of the public transport choices available in Berlin. If I'm homeless in Berlin, my "warm" [rent + utility expenses--heat, power, etc] apartment AND and a monthly stipend are covered under Hartz IV; in Amerika, I will be living in a cardboard box under a bridge with little or no other support. I'm not going to get into the Euro Social welfare mentality costs vs Capitalism debate now, that can continue somewhere else; I'm just saying that we pay mucho for our "beautiful" (and it is--I drove to the Westside, Hollywood & the Valley yesterday--it was one of those gorgeous clear days where snow on the mountains was visible everywhere!) life in LA, and I haven't mentioned other relativeley low-cost regions such as some Asian, Latin, or Canadian (eh?!) cities . . . I know that Sofia is also a "hot" town, with great real estate values, and uber-hot men . . .