More people in the US are now moving to Europe and the trend has been evident in recent years. Several families in the US have bought properties and shifted to European countries for peaceful and better life amid serene natural surroundings due to a range of reasons including affordable housing, cheaper living and quality life.
According to a report in CNN, a Dawkins family from Texas bought a home in the Italian town of Latronico after they got tired of the political climate in the US. Similarly, Tibb family from North Carolina shifted to Italy’s Umbria region and opened a new restaurant.
Apart from the economic reasons, the turmoil back home in the past few years coupled with other political, social reasons like racism and violence have made people rethink their priorities and decide to start their lives afresh.
Migrating in Large Numbers
Between 2013-22, the number of Americans in the Netherlands increased from about 15,500 to 24,000, in Portugal it tripled to 10,000 and in Spain it rose from 20,000 to nearly 34,000, according to a report in The Economist.
Other countries including Denmark (4,689), Switzerland (4,513), Ireland (3,831) and Czech Republic (2,513 ) were among the top ten countries granting the highest number of residence permits to Americans in 2022, according to the data by SchengenVisaInfo.com.
The numbers grew or remained steady in countries like France and Germany. Meanwhile, in the UK, the number of resident Americans rose from 1.37 lakh in 2013 to 1.66 lakh in 2021. Moreover, at least 4,000 Americans moved to Denmark and Switzerland last year.
Reasons Behind Migration
The reason behind migration ranges from quality of life, house prices, political stability to lower cost of living and frustration with the political situation.
Many American in the US said they vowed to leave if Donald Trump was elected. Trump went on to become the US President in 2016.
According to a 2018 poll, the share of Americans who said they would like to move permanently to another country rose from 11% under Barack Obama to 16% under Donald Trump and grew to 17% by 2022.
For many it’s the work-life balance, as an average American works for 1,811 hours a year while Europeans work just 1,571.
Racism and violence were another factor that played a central role for some Americans. For Sylvia Johnson and her family, who were black, the murder of George Floyd in 2021 was one of the reasons behind their migration.
Affordable property and Quality Life
As it becomes increasingly difficult to own a property in the US, many buyers look up to Europe’s affordable housing for renting and ownership. In countries like Portugal and Spain, Americans find houses much cheaper and could afford much larger houses than they would have in the States.
Apart from the quality of life, there are other favourable conditions like mild climate and low cost of living. While America has a car-dependant lifestyle, Europeans enjoy a lifestyle which is more about living a vibrant life closer to nature.
Post-pandemic the increase of remote working has made living abroad more feasible and tempting for the Americans. While Europeans countries like Netherlands target the foreigners by exempting 30% of skilled foreign workers’ income from taxes.
Best Countries to Live
Many European countries have been voted in surveys and polls by major publications as the best places to live. Spain and Portugal Expat Insider survey by InterNations were rated as the best European countries to reside by Expat Insider survey by InterNations.
The participants of the survey voted on the basis of weather, culture, nightlife and opportunities for leisure activities among other things.
According to European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), Portugal was rated at the top for its “Rich History, Sunshine, and Enjoyable Social Life,” Spain at the second spot for its “Quality of Life,” Germany at the third for “High Standard of Life,” then Norway for being “A Safe, Modern-Welfare State” and Croatia for its “Hospitality, Mediterranean Climate.”
