“You Can’t Get Rich Here”: 35 People Reveal The Best And The Worst Thing About Their Countries
The phrase ‘there’s no place like home’ was probably made up by someone who wanted to feel better about where they came from. It’s not a secret that every country has its advantages and disadvantages, but since you can’t actually pick the place you’re born in, embracing everything about it is just a part of the process.
People from different places around the world joined this online thread to share the pros and cons of their homeland. From culture and food to politics, economy, and the quality of life, true experts share what makes their home so easy yet so incredibly difficult to love. And it’s a perfect opportunity to learn things about countries you would never find in tourist brochures.
Scroll down to find out the good, the bad, and the ugly about these countries in a list that could serve as a blatant guide to check before choosing a travel destination or a new place to live. And don’t forget to praise and expose your country in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
Switzerland.
Con: high cost of living.
Pro: the flag is a big plus.
United Kingdom.
Pro: Beautiful countryside that generally has public access.
Con: Run by a bunch of corrupt and useless tw*ts.
Australia.
Pro: No guns and free healthcare.
Cons: everything wants to kill you and the sun gives you cancer.
Norway.
Pro: incredibly beautiful and clean nature.
Con: the weather is often so bad you need to stay indoors.
The real con is the months of basically complete darkness imo. That's so much worse than bad weather.
Finland.
Pro: people avoid you.
Con: that's kinda lonely.
Canada.
Pro: free healthcare.
Con: it takes so long to get that you might die waiting for it.
Same in Mexico. There is free healthcare, doctors are well trained and the attention is good, but it is so understaffed, bureaucracy-ridden and slow that most who can afford it just go for private care.
Scotland.
Pro - it's pretty stunning.
Con - The weather is s**t.
Scotland: Pros - One of the most beautiful places to explore. Food fit for the climate. Con - Midges!
UK Pro: We're like a USA lite. Some of the good parts of the US without the guns and religion.
Con: We're like a USA lite.
México. Tacos and narcos.
I'm Venezuelan.
A pro is that our food is delicious, a con is that for like five years we had none of it.
Venezuela is one of the most beautiful countries on the world, sad what's goin on there
Armenia.
Pro: We still exist.
Con: Unsure for how much longer though since 3 neighbors repeatedly genocide/ethnicically cleanse/invade us.
Looking up the web for civil war in Armenia. It started in about 200 BC. The first Nagorno-Karabakh war started in 1988.
Pro: if you're rich it's one of the best places in the world.
Con: you can't get rich here.
Italy
USA.
Pro: I have the freedom to choose the profession I love.
Con: I have to practice active shooter drills with my sweet kindergarten students.
Bonus!! Pro: my pay is funded by the government.
Con: My pay has me constantly worried about having enough money for my bills.
That's a weird choice of pro. Even most people living in dictatorships and autocracies have the freedom to choose a profession they love. And certainly everyone in a democracy does.
I think they were trying to think of something that was free in the land of the free and got stuck.
Load More Replies...Even though I usually say negative things about the states: Pro: amazing achievements in sciences e.g. NASA; amazing scenery e.g. Grand Canyon; amazing cities e.g. NY; Great cultural impact in movies and music. Cons: Republicans and MAGAs and their consequences.
Why the heck are you getting downvoted? God, this site is so damned toxic.
Load More Replies...To be honest that con is too well known, we need to talk about something else with y'all sometimes!
Load More Replies...I've got 2. USA Pro - We are the world's dominant culture. Con - We are uncultured. Pro - Let Freedom ring! Con - We lead the world with most inmates (2.24 million). Its almost more than the next two countries (China - 1.68 million) and Russia (.68 million) combined.
There is no point to incarcerate all the law breakers. The better way is to rehabilitate and educate people so that they have the means to change.
Load More Replies...Pro- let me get back to you on that Cons - that's a long list. Let me get back to you on that as well. In a nutshell: Pro- blue states/con- red states. Guess which one I'm trapped in
As a pro I would say (just because is not a thing in my country) Thrift Stores! Cons: too many crazies.
Which country are you from? (I'm in Scotland, where we don't have huge supermarket-sized thrift stores like in the USA, but we have many small charity shops where I buy most of my clothes and a lot of other stuff.) I've never been to the US but if I do in the future I definitely want to check out the thrift stores, especially the Goodwill Outlet stores I've heard of which get sent leftovers from other Goodwill stores which are then sold very cheaply by weight. I'm in a group which refers to these as "the bins" since the stuff is sold from big plastic containers which are wheeled out for customers to rummage through. I was confused at first because "bins" in my country normally means containers for trash disposal.
Load More Replies...You might have the freedom, but you probably can't afford it...or will be paying on your student loans the rest of your life. I started on the path to the career I wanted, but it would cost about $100,000, so I settled for good benefits and a short commute...
Pro - lots of stuff is fairly cheap. Con - people still can't afford it because their bosses hoard the money and pay them a pittance, so they have to beg customers for money to eat.
Pros: It depends because the US is vast. Cons: It depends because the US is vast.
I lived all my life in the USA. It is a hate filled country now. Trumpism is rampant. People with no education or mental capacity to see the Dictators arent talking to them. Poor people pay the taxes, the Rich get off scot free. You dont have choices. If you don't have money you can't get an education. So much hate. Health Care is for Profit. Even if you have insurance, your premiums aren't affordable and often it doesn't cover complicated care like cancer. I moved to Europe. My life has much more freedom now.
Pro: The richest country in the world. Con: 22.4 percent of Americans live below the poverty line.
Europe has free universities. That sounds more like the freedom to choose the profession you love.
Con: You sometimes have to spend your own money to ensure the students have the supplies they need.
What the US pays their teachers is a literal crime. Up here in Canada our teachers are paid twice the amount you are, if not more. For a capitalist country, your overlords are doing a great job of making sure no-one gets anywhere in life.
We could fix the problem with active shooters in a day. Our government likes it so we don't. End of story.
I don't know about that pro, my professions i love need college which i cant afford working a dead end retail job
This whole thread is depressing. Partly because of the accuracy of many of the cons as well as being referred to as a crazy shithead.
Pro: get to choose your job. Con: but only choose one that gives you free healthcare!
it can be helpful with the lock-down/out drills, one time when i was in fourth or fifth grade (for context we had class in portables outside of the main school building), my neighborhood bank got robbed and he cut through the neighborhood DIRECTLY BEHIND the portables where my class was, if we didn't have those drills, we would have no idea what to do in those situations.
Pro: Americans are very good about giving to charity, whether they're individuals or groups. And despite the economic downturn, we gave more to charity during that downturn than before. In addition, Americans gave more than three and a half times in charity to developing nations than the U.S. government did in foreign aid. according to the Hudson Institute's Center for Global Prosperity. Con: the majority of Americans are unaware of this fact and think we all suck as a country. Believe it or not, we actually cooperate way more than we realize when it comes down to on-the-ground, practical action. https://www.definefinancial.com/blog/charitable-giving-statistics/#:~:text=General%20Charitable%20Statistics%20in%20the%20US,-Over%2080%25%20of&text=According%20to%20The%20Philanthropy%20Roundtable,give%20about%20half%20as%20much.
I'm tired of how everyone is such a hatter on America all the time, even this "Pro" is weak. How about Pro - we don't have to rely on anyone else for our security, our food, our energy, or our prosperity. Con - People think we are d*cks while asking for our help
But you do rely on everyone else for your security and prosperity. USA is the typical d*ck destabilising other countries for your security and prosperity and then, when these countries lack in security and prosperity as a result, coming to 'help', but only if it contributes to the USA's prosperity. The USA administration is the world's biggest gaslighter.
Load More Replies... Egypt.
Pros: it has an airport.
Cons: I don't have money to get on a plane in that airport to get the hell out.
Con -women are not safe here, many women I know have been groped and harassed, and a lot of men wont talk to you if you are with a man they will ask your husband/boyfriend instead, very agressive salesmen in shops, friend was puled into a shop and they locked the door telling her to buy something, she had to scream to be let out.
South Africa.
Pros: Amazing climate, amazing food, amazing people, incredible landscapes and natural beauty, affordable cost of living compared to the rest of the world, robust private sector.
Cons: Horrific corruption, poverty is rife, horrendous public service delivery, rolling blackouts, inflation, stagnant economic growth.
Brazil.
Pro: it's a beautiful country.
CON: we have 9000 bank robberies or street-armed robberies every day.
Two of my Brazilian friends were comparing bullet wounds they have and laughing about it. I'm just standing there going, wha.. that's terrible! and they were like, ahhh it's Brazil.
The Netherlands Too many pros so ill name a rather unknown one Pro: we have specialized tools for everything. Need a tool to cut out the seeds of an appel, here you go appelseedscutter. Want to get every little piece out of ketchup or appel sauce put of your bottle, here a flessenlikker. Con: house crisis, cost of living.
OP forgot the kaasschaaf, a tool to slice cheese. Very important!!!! Osthyvel_2...6d71e9.jpg
India.
Pro: amazing food & festivals.
Con: religious tension, overpopulation & corrupt government.
Terrible pollution, terrible air quality, and a lot of poor sanitation.
Germany.
con: we had one of, if not THE world's most infamous leader in history represent our country and it still haunts us to this day. Our education system is on par with American dumpsterfire and our current military would get soloed by our local gym.
pro: we got some hella good non-alcoholic drinks here, tho.
Pros: Beautiful beaches and views, great weather, hospitable people.
Cons: Corruption, exploitation of the marginalized members of the society, nepotism, bad infrastructure, low pay, and the culture of placing celebrities and politicians at the pedestal of our society.
Welcome to the Philippines.
I'm married to a Filipino and have visited many times. Pros: Beautiful scenery, incredible biodiversity, very hospitable people, great food, family-friendly, cheap pampering in the form of massages and manicures, etc. Cons: Poverty, celebrity worship/consumerism, pollution and (for me personally) the humidity!
Spain.
Pros: almost everything: weather, food, open minded society, relatively affordable, free healthcare…
Cons: Our people always thinking that life is better anywhere else.
Sounds like a great place, let the moaners go! PS: I enjoy going to Spain, specially in winter when the weather is grey and gloomy in France.
Greece: Pros: * The weather is nice, except in the summer when the sun just hates your very existence and you roast alive even with the AC on full blast. * Nice beaches, in the right weather. * Kick*ss cuisine.
Cons: * Greeks have a reputation of hospitality but honestly, we are not a very nice people. Sexist, closed-minded, always out to exploit others for gain. * Greeks naturally just hate each other over the shi*tiest things. We're talking actively, maliciously wishing misery upon one another, especially the ones we view as in any way successful or 'different'. * Anyone in the tourism industry is an exploitative shark, the islands are no longer places where people actually live, they are just glorified resorts for the rich.
China.
Pro: culinary peak of the world, I'm very objective.
Con: we kinda live under the facade of a monarchy in the name of socialism.
France.
Pro: THE food, landscape.
Cons: Strikes, and for foreigners, poor level of English (and others languages)
I'd consider the strikes a huge pro. You keep your government and their capitalist overlords somewhat afraid!
United Kingdom.
Pro: Universal healthcare, beautiful countryside, nothing that can kill you, good infrastructure, more cheeses than France, more beers than Germany, lush, no cockroaches, no snakes, almost no mosquitos, good education, religion in deep decline.
Cons: Cost of living, Pay rates, Non-income taxation (hidden taxation), Brexit, Conservatism, urban decline.
We have snakes. One species of which is venomous. It won't kill you but it will hurt for a while. Our education system has gone to s*it. We have cockroaches and plenty of mosquitoes (although our mozzies don't carry diseases - yet). Compared to the rest of Europe our infrastructure is dreadful and expensive. We may have universal healthcare, but the waiting lists are so long that people are dying before seeing specialists. Doctors and nurses and paramedics have been on multiple strikes.
Bosnia.
Pros:
probably one of the best and most delicious food in Europe - ćevapi and burek unimaginable for anyone who didn't try them, even vegetables is for some reason much more appetising than in Great Brittain and Germany.
Cheap restaurants - for 15 -20 euros you can eat whatever and whereever you want
Coffe culture - everyday, even at work, there is bare minimum of one paid, sometimes two half-hour long pauses when people stop with everything and socialize in cafe.
Crime rate - although there is a lot of crime like corruption there is not much robbery and things like that and is safe in almost every city to walk alone in any time of day.
Hospitality - it is part of culture that everybody greet guests in their house with table full of food, some rakija - homemade brandy made from plum, pear, quince - we're experts in that, they teach you how to make rakija and show hospitality from childhood basicaly.
Free education and healt care - I can't stress this enough. There is no student loans, most universities are state owned universities and healt care is also free, even most medicament are free!
Cons:
Corruption: everything, and I mean everything is ruled by political connections, and because Bosnia is country of Bosnian muslims, Croatian catholtick and Serbian Orthodox christians (plenty of citizens don't consider Bosnia as their country, rather Serbia and Croatia) there is plenty of corruption and stealing of money.
National tensions: war from 90s is almost everyday topic, we are living in the past
Standard of living: salaries are pretty basic, if you have salary cca 2000-3000 euros you will literary live like an milionaire in USA, but if you are without political connections or expert in you area of work, you will find it extremly hard to find a job and unfortunately plenty of people are emigrating.
The hospitaility thing seems like a little much to me. But maybe there's less introverts there and more people who enjoy having company.
Ireland
Pros: No guns, so a very safe place to live.
Cons: Totally unaffordable rent and near impossible to buy a house.
Pro : Anything, anywhere, any time. Food, alcohol, whatever.
Con : Way too much politics, casteism, division, racism, unsafe environment for girls, road rage.
Country : India
Portugal.
Major pros: Great food and nice weather.
Major cons: Incompetent government and c**p economy.
Myanmar.
Cons: One of the poorest countries in the world ruled by a malicious military dictator who kills everyone who opposes him. Unending civil war (Edit: World's longest actually). Economy in the sh**ter. Basically, everything is much worse than almost every other country on earth.
Pros: We don't tend to live that long
Colombia.
Pro: Great weather, biodiversity.
Con: violence, corruption.
For Canada, I would say this
A pro : Peace of mind. I don't have to worry if I will be able to afford college for my kids, I did not worry about money when my kids need healthcare, I don't have to worry about health insurance if I'm unemployed, I don't have to worry about being financially ruined if I get injured in an accident and the OTHER driver was at fault and not insured, I can just enjoy life and even if I have minimum savings and both my kids want to be doctors, money will never get in the way of that.
A con : Winter can be rough. It's cold, everything gets dirty because snow is only nice and white for some time before cars turn it to that brown slush, and taxes are steep. Almost 40% of my income goes right back in taxes and on top of that, we can easily pay 12-15% in sales taxes which is a lot.
Kazakhstan.
Pro: Best economy and tourism in Central Asia.
Con: Economy, tourism still s****y.
Netherlands - Pro: bureaucracy gets s**t done - Con: bureaucracy doesn't get s**t done It works really well when it works, it is really s**t when it doesn't work basically.
It really feels like the world is on the verge of collapse. Fascism is rising almost everywhere, people can't afford to live and have a home, wars and more wars - it seems like it's all about to come to a head. 😕
I don't think the world is in much worse shape than it's ever been, and better in some ways. We think it's bad because so many people focus on the bad while overlooking the good.
Load More Replies...Disturbing how many of the cons regardless of country were “corruption” and often specifically “corrupt government”. This appears to be a problem far wider than just a specific country.
Yep. There's parts of the world where if you don't have the ability to slip a bribe during a handshake, you may as well avoid the country. And, yes, I have learned that skill.. And that's just to get out of the airport. The corruption is one thing that *does* trickle down. (Profits, not so muc.)
Load More Replies...Pro when I moved to the UK: part of the EU :) Con now: Not part of the EU :(
Since I used to live in Kenya: Pros - A large amount of diversity with language, communities and landscapes, great weather, affordable cost of living Cons - it's quite unsafe bc of high crime rate, limited transport options and roads are s**t, SO MUCH corruption, good luck finding water, little variety with food as low imports.
Canada, Pro: vast landscape, diverse culture, high standard of living, universal healthcare, clean drinking water, low crime rate, good infrastructure Con: Because of our close relationship with the USA we import all their political hatred. Our politicians are constantly trying to pit the working class against each other so that we forget that the rich and mega corps are bleeding us all dry.
Trinidad & Tobago Pro: Beautiful island, diverse people and wonderful food infused with all different cultures. Con: We are fast becoming a crime ridden and corruption nation.
The World has, is, and will always be a horrible place...of that you can always be assured.
This isn't just US-bashing, we're at world-bashing at this point.
Not a country, but a province. Newfoundland. Pros: Beautiful scenery, free healthcare, and most of the locals are quite nice. Cons: The weather is sh*t, there's barely any hospitals here, and most of the nicer locals are in rural areas.
Taiwan, pro: beautiful scenery, friendly people, very safe, excellent health service, great food. Cons: noisy, governing party just screams and does nothing constructive, humid, crowded. Neutral: we've been hearing that the PRC is about to attack for the last 70+ years, so let's get something to eat instead of worrying about that.
It really feels like the world is on the verge of collapse. Fascism is rising almost everywhere, people can't afford to live and have a home, wars and more wars - it seems like it's all about to come to a head. 😕
I don't think the world is in much worse shape than it's ever been, and better in some ways. We think it's bad because so many people focus on the bad while overlooking the good.
Load More Replies...Disturbing how many of the cons regardless of country were “corruption” and often specifically “corrupt government”. This appears to be a problem far wider than just a specific country.
Yep. There's parts of the world where if you don't have the ability to slip a bribe during a handshake, you may as well avoid the country. And, yes, I have learned that skill.. And that's just to get out of the airport. The corruption is one thing that *does* trickle down. (Profits, not so muc.)
Load More Replies...Pro when I moved to the UK: part of the EU :) Con now: Not part of the EU :(
Since I used to live in Kenya: Pros - A large amount of diversity with language, communities and landscapes, great weather, affordable cost of living Cons - it's quite unsafe bc of high crime rate, limited transport options and roads are s**t, SO MUCH corruption, good luck finding water, little variety with food as low imports.
Canada, Pro: vast landscape, diverse culture, high standard of living, universal healthcare, clean drinking water, low crime rate, good infrastructure Con: Because of our close relationship with the USA we import all their political hatred. Our politicians are constantly trying to pit the working class against each other so that we forget that the rich and mega corps are bleeding us all dry.
Trinidad & Tobago Pro: Beautiful island, diverse people and wonderful food infused with all different cultures. Con: We are fast becoming a crime ridden and corruption nation.
The World has, is, and will always be a horrible place...of that you can always be assured.
This isn't just US-bashing, we're at world-bashing at this point.
Not a country, but a province. Newfoundland. Pros: Beautiful scenery, free healthcare, and most of the locals are quite nice. Cons: The weather is sh*t, there's barely any hospitals here, and most of the nicer locals are in rural areas.
Taiwan, pro: beautiful scenery, friendly people, very safe, excellent health service, great food. Cons: noisy, governing party just screams and does nothing constructive, humid, crowded. Neutral: we've been hearing that the PRC is about to attack for the last 70+ years, so let's get something to eat instead of worrying about that.