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vermont4runner t1_jdwnz01 wrote

I’ll be incredibly blunt. You’re probably not going to make it here long term.

Our housing costs are extravagant.

Heating costs are stupid high this past year.

There are very few jobs that pay a damn, fewer that provide a comfortable living.

Our winters are extremely cold some years, milder in others, but after hosting two students from Europe it’s way colder and harsher here. They still talk about the cold years later.

If you’re absolutely dead set on this I have to recommend the Burlington and Williston areas. Long term that’s your best bet for a restaurant. We just don’t have the population to support non chain restaurants most places in the state. Most towns have zero options for dine in or take out food and you have to drive 20-30min each way to find some.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck and would love to try some authentic Italian cuisine. We have pretty much no authentic foreign food in this state. It would likely do well here but with operating costs being what they are there are still many challenges to overcome.

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_ivantheterrible__ OP t1_jdwqdtp wrote

First of all thank you for your honesty and detail, i'm from a reality of paradoxes, for instance healthcare is "free" but it's so inefficient most people turn to private clinics anyway, where they have to wait for their inexorable fate in unending lines. The traffic is most of the times unexplicably unruly, and public transportation is insufficient and inefficient. Bureaucracy is extremely complicated and slow and the taxes are high for no reason at all considering the lack of public service in every aspect possible. Also the weather here is absolute hell, the mediterranean has slowly transformed into a sort of rainforest without the forest, extremely hot and humid and full of bugs in the summer, and unending rain in the winter, the last time i've seen snow was like five years ago and it lasted for 25 minutes. So yes, i'm aware that the housing prices and the operating costs can be a real pain but from my point of view i'm just escaping from hell (lol). I think i will visit anyway the next time i'm in the US, just to see how everything feels.

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vermont4runner t1_jdwrxbl wrote

Your experience lines up with what our students told us as well. Many in America romanticize European life but don’t realize that many Europeans do the same to American life lol.

If you need regular healthcare that’s something you need to heavily consider. We’re losing doctors quickly here for the same reasons I previously listed. Expect months at times to be seen for non emergencies. Longer for specialists. Then the large costs associated with them.

Tax wise, compared to Europe, it’s not that bad here. Expect about 25-30% for single. 20-25% if married filing jointly. You don’t get much for it but most taxes fund our military who also tend to get involved internationally. I’ve been told by a good friend in the Netherlands who’s much older than I that Europe banks on us for military strength if things really hit the fan. Yay no healthcare…

I highly recommend visiting in July to see our peak heat and again in February to experience our true cold. We’re a state of extremes but lean more towards the cold side.

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yeehaw_brah t1_jdzt6z1 wrote

This person is so wrong about food and restaurants. Burlington is the only place you’ll really find big chains. I live in the boonies and every town of a few thousand people has a couple of really awesome local restaurants. I was surprised at how great the food is. I haven’t had fast food in years now because there just isn’t any out here. But I eat great local food all the time.

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