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Maybe so, but now even the mirage can’t be maintained now.
When you were there the gap would still have been pretty wide but Germany would at least have been on par with some of the poorer US states.
on par with some of the poorer US states
I think that's pretty accurate, a premier European city felt about on-par with a 3rd tier Rustbelt city, just with better baseline food at 3x the cost and window dressed with ornate (old) architecture.
Odd; I've never worked there, but have visited, and the quality of life seems very high. Great food, nice environment, easy to get around, lots of events happening. I think they've solved the bandwidth issue - last year in Germany and surrounding countries I got a travel SIM and had 5G access most places I went, good service.
Great food, nice environment, easy to get around, lots of events happening
Exactly the tourist mirage, the beaten path, it's a theme park more than a fully functioning economy... but when you look at the lifestyle of the common resident and get out of common spaces the facade starts to reflect the numbers.
I think many spots could offer a better QOL than most of the US if you're already set monetarily and just want a quiet hang, but if you're at all enterprising or considering your kids future it makes sense why euros seem so beaten down.
Had assumed so until I worked with a bunch of Euros, the austere mindset of Brits and Germans especially was a big shock.
Then I visited. The understanding I had that Germany was an economic peer was dashed further when I couldn't get decent internet or a cell signal in the heart of a major city of the most wealthy EU country.
Turns out it was always a mirage. They were propped up the entire time by spending basically nothing on defense while hosting US assets, and a currency subsidized by US swap line "EuroDollar" banks and check-valve trade.
The mirage was probably the real asset, luring in tourists.
Apparently restaurant tables on the sidewalk and denser public transit does not an economy make.