Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Europeans Explain Which Everyday American Things Seem Like Luxuries

A table setting with a napkin of the American flag and the Statue of Liberty
silver fork and bread knife on white ceramic plate
Photo by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash

Reddit user AdventurousAd1943 asked: 'Europeans of Reddit, what do Americans have on a daily basis that you consider a luxury?'

It's easy for anyone to take for granted how lucky they are.

Many of us wish we were living in a larger home, had a more fulfilling or lucrative job, or wished our family would call us a little less frequently.


When, in fact, there are many others who would be thrilled to have our home, our job, and our family.

In fact, many Americans in general don't realize quite how lucky they are compared to the rest of the world.

Even from the point of view of some of the world's most prolific cities.

Redditor AdventurousAd1943 was curious to learn what things that Americans view as "common place" are, in fact, highly coveted in the eyes of Europeans, leading them to ask:

"Europeans of Reddit, what do Americans have on a daily basis that you consider a luxury?"

Lest You Scoff Before Filling Up...

"Cheap fuel."- MM556

"For most of you, fuel is a luxury."

"In America, because it was built for cars, it's a necessity."

"For many people there is no way to leave their house and do the most basic functions of living, like get food to eat, go to work to maintain income, etc. without a car."

"With that in mind, the average household cost per month on gasoline is $200."

"And that is not spread evenly."

"If you live in a city, you might only spend $30-50/month."

"If you live in a rural area or live relatively far away from work, you're spending $400-500/month in gas."- medicated_in_PHL

Or A Yard, For That Matter...

"Having big yards around the whole house."- IndependentToe297

Ice Ice Baby!

"American size fridges with the double doors and the ice maker."- Th3_Accountant


Kitchen Fridge GIF by bekoGiphy

Front Or Back!

"Houses with porches."- Select-Funny347

"… and 3-season or 4-season sunrooms."- Viperlite

"Oh Give Me Land, Lots Of Land..."

"Big national parks."- Basekid

"When I was in the Alps, I was blown away that there was no single location where you could look out and see only nature."

"Every single valley and every mountain had something human on it."- yeluapyeroc

...As Long As You're Not In Alaska...

"Great big f*cking oceans between themselves and Russia."- ClarkyCat97

Russian GIFGiphy

Doesn't Even Need To Be Central!

"AC."

"Everywhere."

"You get so used to it and forget how summers and winters can feel hot and cold and outright miserable sometimes without perfect indoor climate control."

"A European living in US."- Traditional_Ad_1012

And Yet The Tiny Home Market Is Booming...

"The houses seem so enormous."

"At least compared to the homes in England (London)."

"Even relatively modest American homes seem like palaces to Europeans."

"I also love that the homes are just huge and square."

"Big rooms with symmetry."

"A dream."

"In England our houses are such strange shapes for no reason, I just want a massive square room to put things in that does require a math degree when planning furniture arrangements."- Duck_on_Qwack

Just Watch Your Fingers!

"This grinder thing in the sink (if that's really a thing)."

"Would love to have that."- chelonioidea_style

episode 1 disposal GIFGiphy

The American Dream...

"Seemingly, all of you have huge fully ACed houses with huge fridges that fit a gaming room, playroom, home gym, 3 cars, and empty rooms of all your grown-up kids just in case they come back."

"And the time to somehow maintain it all while also driving significant distances daily to work."

"I have a new mid size house with a small plot of grass, and this sh*t is a nightmare to maintain compared to an apartment."- ShadowBannedAugustus

Blame The Public Transit...

"When I first moved to Europe, my wife’s family (a family of 5, the youngest of whom was 16) were shocked to learn that between me and my parents, we had 3 cars."- mejok

"It's A Privilege..."

"Free public bathrooms and free ice water at restaurants."- titsmuhgeee

Water Day GIF by ZinZenGiphy

It Is Always Assumed...

"Their language, how nice would it be too speak your own language and almost the whole world understands you."

"That's a privilege."- Pungsvett123

Those "All In Ones" Aren't Everything They're Cracked Up To Be...

"As an American that has traveled to Europe several times, the only thing I really ever missed was a decent clothes dryer."

"Every time I've used a dryer in Europe (if the flat even has one), the clothes dryer just seemingly whispered to my clothes to 'try to dry off a bit'."- WisestCracker

You Think YOUR Apartment Is Tiny...

"S O."

"M u c h."

"S P A C E."

"I'm in some architecture shaming groups in Facebook, and most of the posts are just normal spaces in Europe."

"Somehow each room not having its own bathroom is the most terrifying idea for USA people."- Silent-Victory-3861

Home Luxury GIF by The Pozek GroupGiphy

Many Americans have been doing serious research about expatriating to Europe since early November 2024.

Understandable as that may be, they might want to take some of the above-mentioned things into consideration...

More from Trending

Meghan Trainor Speaks Out After Getting Harsh Backlash For Using A Surrogate For Her Third Child
XNY/Star Max/GC Images

Meghan Trainor Speaks Out After Getting Harsh Backlash For Using A Surrogate For Her Third Child

Meghan Trainor and her husband, Daryl Sabara, welcomed their third child on January 18, but the joyful milestone was quickly overshadowed by backlash over their decision to use a surrogate.

Trainor announced the birth of their daughter, Mikey Moon Trainor, in a January 20 Instagram post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Phil Collins sitting on a chair on stage holding a microphone
David Wolff - Patrick / Contributor/Getty Images

Phil Collins Reveals He Now Needs A '24-Hour Live-In Nurse' Amid Serious Health Issues

From his early days as the drummer of Genesis to his prolific solo career, Phil Collins has been one of the most revered names in the music world for the better part of 60 years.

Even so, no one is immune to aging and health issues, and time has sadly caught up with the Grammy and Oscar winning musician.

Keep ReadingShow less
HER dating app logo; content creator @melisa.suzan
@hersocialapp/Instagram; @melisa.suzan/Instagram

Lesbian Dating App Leaves The Internet Hilariously Shocked With Suggestive Bowling Ball Ad

For advertising to be successful it has to make a splash, and that's exactly what lesbian dating app HER has done with its latest very unsubtle ad.

The company, said to be the world's largest lesbian dating app, is going viral because of a hilarious ad likening a bowling ball to... well, just watch the ad and you'll see.

Keep ReadingShow less
Meghan McCain; Fred Rogers
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Fotos International/Courtesy of Getty Images

Meghan McCain Gets Blunt Reality Check After Claiming Mister Rogers Wasn't 'Political' On His Show

Meghan McCain gained attention as a spokesperson for conservatives while constantly mentioning her father was Senator John McCain. After being fired by The View, she's remained mostly out of the public eye.

But every now and then she resurfaces to try to recapture the attention she once had. Her most recent attempt was on X with a vastly ill-informed hot take on public television icon Fred Rogers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael Fanone; Troy Nehls
Evelyn Hockstein-Pool/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Beaten DC Cop Coughs NSFW Message At MAGA Rep. For Blaming Jan. 6 On Capitol Leadership

Michael Fanone—who worked for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for 20 years until he sustained serious and life-threatening injuries during the January 6 insurrection—didn't take kindly to Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls trying to blame the attack on the "U.S. Capitol leadership team" instead of President Donald Trump.

Nehls spoke during a hearing where Jack Smith, the former special prosecutor who led two failed prosecutions against Trump for inciting the insurrection, defended the integrity of his investigation.

Keep ReadingShow less