I'd split this into two areas.

1) Re-adjustments.
2) Quality of life.

But first two comments:

- Europe is staggeringly varied and while it's great you've narrowed it down to around 5 potential nations, you are still looking at very very different places. To make this answer valid for all, I've had to talk only really about commonalities across most of those nations which make this a bit vague. I'd find Austria an unbearable place to live with narrow minds, cold people, terrible food, conservative values, whereas the Netherlands is the total opposite.

- Most aspects in life in Europe are not better or worse, they are different.
It's useless to make direct comparisons, trains are way faster, cheaper and more frequent in Europe but cars are way more expensive - what does this mean? Transport is better in Europe, is it worse? It means that it's way better for some people that it is for others, and all depending on what you value.

It's much more useful to think of aspects to life that are important to you and find ways to maximize this, rather than to look for things that are "better" or "worse".

Anyway, to the answer.

1) Re-adjustments.

Language.
People in these nations speak English and you can likely in some roles and cities do you your job in English, but speaking passable local languages and being able to communicate with people does not mean you are fine. The reality is that you will for 10-30 years never feel at home, you won't get to feel part of a country in the same ways that locals will. They may be warm and tolerate you but you won't ever be one of them.

Attitudes to Americans.
Quite frankly even in the Obama world, a lot of Europeans are not that warm to Americans. Sure, they won't be hostile, they won't be rude to your face, but a lot of Europeans are scornful of a lot of American values and this may make your time a little uncomfortable.

Attitude to work.
If you are a fairly typical American, who wants to better themselves, progress, takes their job quite seriously and is competitive, you may find it hard to find a lot of people with the same level of ambition and thirst. Do they exist? Yes, but that doesn't mean you won't often feel a bit like you have to be mindful of expressing yourself and of acting true to your beliefs.

2) Quality of life.

Salaries.
Are a LOT lower for most roles, for many, they are going to be way way less than you expect. Earning the equivalent of $100k in Europe is really rather remarkable.

Taxation.
Contrary to other answers, I don't find taxation living in the US to be that different, what tends to happen in most of these nations is that taxation above a certain threshold gets very very high, quickly. But given most roles earn less than these levels, taxation may not be as killer as you expect, especially if moving from California or New York. In the UK, I broadly paid the same tax as I do here. What I note is that I earn about 50% more, so if I was to earn what I do now in the UK, I would be taxed a lot higher.

Expense of Goods .
Most things in Europe are way more expensive. The big ticket items like Cars and Electronics are especially cheap in the US relative to here. This really changes the perceived quality of life. In the US it's expected to own large LCD TV's in most rooms, drive a nice new car, own nice clothes, tumble dry clothes, own posh sporting equipment, have air conditioning, buy scented candles, all that sort of material fluff. When it comes to PURCHASED based quality of life, Europe is WAY behind. If MTV cribs looked at a European based Athlete/Singer/Celebrity, it would simply not be the same show. Europeans don't strive for excess or ownership, we have much smaller homes, we don't really do things like guest rooms or worry that we don't have nice sheets or walk in wardrobes, everything is more simple and paired down.

Lifestyle Quality.
Again, this is really where things are different and not better, but the US tends to promote a lifestyle which is by some measures is more "fancy" feeling.

I play golf in the USA and every time I visit a golf course my car is parked for me, my bags are taken, I am treated like a celebrity.

Every time I want to escape NYC for a weekend I rent a large SUV for the weekend and it's all posh inside and gas is cheap, I can then explore the countryside, never too far from a 24 hour store selling ciabatta.

In Europe things just are not like this, you are likely to get more genuine food, but from places that open half the time, you get interesting vignettes from a life based around locally owned places and not large brands, stay in a hotel and it may be an amazing treat of a place, far more interesting than a Sheraton, but you also get nasty bedsheets and odd shaped rooms and weird owners.

The US makes life more comfy, more predictable, more selfish, more luxurious, but WAY more dull and individualistic.

It does indeed have many positive aspects, but there is a definite downside, and you are wiser than I was to inquire about it in advance.

Bearing in mind that this is just my personal take, and someone else's would differ, here's what I would caution anyone contemplating such a move to consider:

The novelty wears off. All the art and architecture doesn't mean as much after the hundredth or thousandth time, and it becomes part of the background before long. The people who grew up here can be just as blasé about it as Americans are about wide streets, spacious houses, open spaces, and big cars, and will often pepper you with questions about all the seemingly wonderful American things they've seen on TV and envy us for.

You might find it hard to keep up with your friends for long. It's really a very long way away, and physical proximity is more important than you think. Social media, though, have recently helped in this regard. Maybe new expats or immigrants won't face the same problems with this that I had in the 90's.

You will not be the same person in a social sense. This can be good and bad. Your class, background, accent, taste, upbringing, schooling, family, etc., as they were in America, become irrelevant. Nobody cares here, or, 9 times out of 10, will even be able to tell, once you start shopping in local stores as your American clothes wear out. Instead, your identity will collapse to your nationality and only the broadest characteristics, such as age, occupation, and gender. If you have encountered discrimination on account of your background, such as having a regional or ethnic accent or having grown up in an unfashionable neighborhood, this may be a relief. If you are used to enjoying any status on account of these, you might feel put out by the sudden loss of such privilege.

Speaking of ethnicity, all of the European countries I have been to seem far more homogeneous, ethnically and culturally. Immigration is much less common or accepted, and where present on any scale, leads to poorly integrated and under-privileged enclaves. When I show class pictures to German friends and in-laws from my school days in southern California in the 1960's and 70's, in which my classmates were of all colors and origins, they seem truly nonplussed by just how diverse American society really is.

The language barrier is much more formidable than you anticipate. Your communication may remain frustratingly superficial for a long time, if not permanently. Even in larger cities with lots of people who have learned some English, the level is only rarely beyond intermediate at best, and you'll mostly just be making banal small talk. This gets old fast.

It's simply silly to say that most aspects of life are unqualifiedly better in these countries. Many are worse. Do you like the state making most decisions for you? Do you like crowds and traffic jams everywhere you go? Do you not mind working for modest pay and little chance of real material advancement? Do you not mind very long, dark, cold winters? Can you do without a car for most of your business? Will you tire of living in a small apartment, not unlikely for the rest of your days, and paying as much for it as you would for a house in most parts of America, apart from places like New York and San Francisco? Are you willing to send your kids to overcrowded, middling quality state universities, or do you want them to have a chance at the better offerings in America?

All this is not to say that it is a clear mistake to move here, but only to make you aware of the downside. On balance, I really do mostly enjoy being here, but it comes at a higher cost than I expected.

1) You'll lose a lot of "markers" and "waypoints" that made your life relatively simple and straight forward. Things won't be as obviously, simply and universally compartmentalized into areas, neighborhoods, brands, types, grids and area codes. Things are less black and white, less contrasted, but more diverse and subtly intermingled. This goes for pretty much everything from food, to nightlife, to entertainment, to careers, to professional attitudes and everything in between.

2) You may find it troublesome to travel throughout Europe armed only with a knowledge of English. People are somewhat likely to have a negative bias towards you because of your nationality. Furthermore, it's really more difficult for an American to truly deeply integrate themselves into a European country than it is for a European to integrate themselves into the US. Also, if you're openly religious, you may find that many people will politely ignore your religious statements, but will consider even mild expressions such "God has blessed me with.." or "I pray that.." as unacceptably religious in a secular society.

3) Not only does a dollar usually get you further in the States, but you would find plenty of instances where there simply isn't an opportunity for you to pay more for better/extra service/product. You may not find aspects of convenience even in places where it would seem that they should be present. Customer service isn't all about you, it's about the attitude of the person providing it, and whether they happen to feel that they should be doing a good job.

Wherever you go, you will bring yourself.

Yes, that was a total cliché, but it is also true.

I have lived in a lot of places, including Europe and the US and I tell you right now that if you are searching for a perfect place, you will not find it. What you will find is that different places have different benefits and different challenges. But I've seen countless people move to what they think is paradise, only to be disenchanted shortly after because it didn't live up to their ridiculously high expectations.

On the other hand, if you move somewhere with realistic expectations and an open mind, you will find things to be happy about just about anywhere.

Yes, this is also a cliché, but it's true.

I don't live in Europe but travel there every year and stay for several weeks. I've lived in the U.S. but currently live in Canada. Consequently I get to compare how life is in North America vs. life in Europe. And here are some of my observations:
1. Europeans are more formal towards each other - Instead of addressing each other by their first names, they may sometimes address each other as Mr. so-and-so, especially at work. Or they will use people's full first names (not nicknames). If you like being overly casual with people and barrel right into business the first time you've met someone, then you may find the old-world formalities in Europe a bit stifling.
2. Europeans make an effort to present themselves well every day - They'll wear a jacket (over a t-shirt for example or a shirt without a tie) and loafers without socks instead of flip-flops. The only place they wear flip-flops is at the beach. If you like wearing shorts and t-shirts to work, this is not the place to be.
3. Europeans don't use their cars as heavily (unless they're traveling cross country for a holiday) - They use trains, bikes or their feet to get themselves to work or wherever they need to go. Consequently they're not very obese. If you don't like to walk, bike or take the subway and love your car, then you may want to keep on living in the States.
4. Some places in Europe (like Italy, France & Spain) still take long lunch breaks - Many people will actually leave their desks and go to restaurants for a full meal. And then some will take a siesta afterwards. While infuriating to North Americans (as retailers in some cities will close shop for an hour or two over lunch) it makes for a well-balance lifestyle.
5. Many Europeans in big cities live in apartments - Single-detached homes aren't all that common for Europeans as they live in tightly-packed cities. What this makes is a compact type of lifestyle where work, home and play are very close to one another (or a 30-minute train ride away at most) and consequently allows for more time to relax or for cultural pursuits. If you like stand-alone houses with big yards for your kids to play around, you won't find this as much in Europe.
6. Helicopter parenting is a no-no - Europeans are still mostly believers in 'free-range parenting' and won't to leave work early just to drive kids to their after-school activities (or even do this on weekends) like Americans do. They also allow their kids to walk alone to school or bike out on the streets without adult supervision. If you like to over-protect your child (or hover over them) then you may be shocked at the way Europeans raise their kids.
7. Europeans typically speak anywhere from 3 to 5 languages - Your typical European will speak several languages and switch effortlessly to whatever language suits the moment. If you're averse to learning anything other than English then you may be limiting yourself from the opportunity to totally immerse yourself in local culture.
8. Food portion sizes are smaller in Europe and salads aren't slathered in dressing - If there's one thing that visitors to America like to agree on is that food portion sizes here are much bigger than anywhere else (and food is plentiful and cheap), which is why it's fairly easy to gain weight in the U.S.. In Europe, it's more about quality rather than quantity. Freshness is important as well as flavor which is why they may spend up a little bit more time and money shopping for food every day (or almost every day) at a local market rather than once or twice a month at a giant supermarket. Food is already seasoned in the kitchen (as a result of longer prep times), or fresh flavorful ingredients are used which removes the need for additional salt, pepper or rich salad dressings. And since people here generally eat slower in Europe, you get full with a smaller quantity of food (eating fast causes you to eat more, thereby helping you gain more weight). The result? much skinnier people than their North American counterparts even though they don't exercise as much.

I have lived in Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. And have spent a good amount of time traveling throughout the continent and staying with residents or natives of France and Norway for longspells.

Europe is extremely diverse cuturally, of course. Yet I have found certain values shared by people from nation after nation.

The question was … What is a reason Not to move to Europe, generally.

Most people who move to a country want to make friends, but many Europeans have lived their whole life in the community they were born , or no more than a half hour car/train trip away, so logically their social life is full. Most married couples are set socially. So it would be a challenge to break into social circles as a married couple.

As a single woman, I have many more options to meet people … Dating, taking classes, language exchanges, etc … Couchsurfing, hostels, etc. I would assume much of this is true with single men. One thing, though, in some countries, such as Spain and Italy, people couple up fairly young, married or living together. So the singles scene is more on the very young side, and possibly the older, after divorced 1st time side.

I would say, if you are not willing to put some serious effort into learning conversational local language, embracing the local culture, learning a new way of living …. don't move outside of the US - period. For those of you who are annoyed about immigrants coming to the US who don't make an effort to learn English, and refuse to assimilate in any way to the American cultural norms … Then just know that Europeans across their continent also feel the same way with Americans that can't be bothered to say “Bonjour" when entering a shop in Paris, or feel they must complain that Italian pizza isn't the same as pizza in New York.

If you are by personality, a complainer, figure out what the locals are complaining about … In Italy, it is often any governmental bureaucratic inefficiency, or slow internet, for instance. You will find many opportunities to bond with the locals if you complain, in a way that does NOT include how the US is better but just generally how things aren't working well.

I have been lucky in that I have generally had an easy time of making friends in every country I have stayed for at least a week. Some of these friendships have lasted for years. Often people tell me that my personality is more European, than American. And even when I am walking down the street, people will often mistake me for a local or a citizen of a neighboring European nation. Why- because I choose to blend in, and speak the language, and immerse myself in my environment. You get to know people by shopping locally at the same shops, day in and out, going to the same bars and cafes. After a while you aren't this STRANGER, but an American who is local. You aren't some crass tourist whose eyes glaze over with ever interaction between a shopkeeper and waitperson, etc. You start to recognize familiar faces in the places you frequent. And of course, they recognize you.

What I love about Europe in even large cities, is that each neighborhood is like a small town. And that service people often are family owned, hire locally. And the people who work there, this is their life and have no shame at all in it for a lifetime occupation (which is a damn good thing! - why we in the US value a movie star more than our favorite friendly barista is anyone's guess - consider who brings more human value to your life after all) Service workers are paid enough to make this work for them. So if you bond with a cafe, bar, restaurant owner, become a regular … They have keys to the whole community.

When I am in Italy, within a week of living in any town, I could feel more at home ther than any suburb or city in the US after months. In the US, we don't value community and human interactions as much as we do money and status and things.

I would say, if you are a Trump-style American, even among the most conservative Europeans, it is best you stay home. Most Europeans understand more about American politics than the general cable tv news consumer, and they think of Trump voters as small-minded boors at best, and greedy arrogant bastards at worst. In the US we may be able to suss out the chaff from the wheat concerning Republicans, but Europeans, who will Definitely ask whether you voted for Trump or not, will not have the patience or respect for any American voter who did a naive or knee-jerk vote for Trump. There is no delicate conversational boundary separating politics from everyday discussions.

On a similar note, if you are a evangelical style protestant, most Europeans aren't interested in preaching at or receiving the old “news.” In Catholic countries such as France, Spain, Italy, and Spain the majority of citizens have been baptized and/or received years of religious education and are practicing or are atheist. So unless there is an American army base and/or large expat community in the area, protestants, especially evangelicals may not be able to find a community or church to join where you can share your beleifs.

And lastly, I have been delicately avoiding the discussion of race …. while Europe may be progressive on many fronts …. for the most part the population is white, except for a select few urban areas and their suburbs. The darker your skin, the more you will find it to be a challenge to fit in. And one would have to make a concerted effort to not only dress well according to the local norms but also to be fluent in the language and customs in order to break into things at all socially. This is very much so in Southern Europe where the majority of faces are various shades of white, with a sprinkling of Chinese or Indian shopkeepers, and African street vendors.

Ironically, the whitest places on the Earth are the places where Trump's alt-righters would feel the least welcome once their brand of politics and religion was revealed.

And last of all … If you are physically disabled, or have difficulty walking a block or two, Southern Europe, generally, and little towns across Europe most probably will not offer the accessibility you need to get around. This is because much of the architecture was built centuries ago, and it lacks the architectural predictability that Americans are used to, and cannot be easily modernized with ramps or elevators. In all my time in Europe, I have never seen a person in a wheelchair going about their business independently in an electric wheelchair. This would be impossible due to the absence of ramps and elevators in many commercial areas. It is safer to have a lightweight manual wheelchair with a helper. If you had to use a wheelchair to get around and live independantly in Europe, I suspect the easiest places to live would be the cities of the UK, Scandanvia, Germany, Netherlands, and Switzerland.

In closing …. feeling at home in a place, means many things to each American. For myself, I love the range of creative and economic opportunities possible to me, the diversity of cultures sharing the same national language, the American optimism, the future minded American focused on improvement via technology and education …all very present in Urban America … And not replicable in much of Europe. But I love the care and pride Europeans take in their built environment, their establishments, their everyday interactions, their community ties, their friendships …. they value the things that last longer than what is fashionable on social media. They are less interested in impressing anybody, because they know exactly who and what they are, because of their consistent ties to their family, friends, community and work.

And these are values that we all share the world over, but a small portion of the powers that be convinced Americans (since the 1950's) it was more important to be a wealthy independent consumer than part of a larger community or tribe or extended family. All of whom would save money by sharing resources and living more simply and spending more time and money on things that make their life richer through human experience and community.

America is still great, but the way the Trump voter wants it to be great again, is counterproductive to the consumerist paradigm that has held our old American Dream hostage for nearly 3 plus decades. Sadly to find that dream, I believe I have to move to Europe, not because it is better but because the things that matter the most to me are more easily acquired there due to political and economic choices that prioritize human values over corporate values. But then, the US is the only country on the planet whose constitution guarantees corporations the same rights as an American citizen. Until we change this we are heading toward our flag turning into one huge Neon sign stating - U.S. are US!

One big word

PEOPLE

We can argue here like kids until dawn, we can spend hours showing off about lifestyle, standard of living, health care, cities, education, infrastructure, money, whatever you want. We will try to convince ourselves that we live in the better country, we will lecture the other side.

But for me,what matters the most are the PEOPLE.

I came to America for the people. I wasn't disappointed. I married one, but that's just part of the story. I met some people, random, men, women, old, middle age, young, which I could have spent hours just talking, feeling each other's vibe.

In Key West I was between two stops of the touristic train, that thing like this

The stop was 20 min. Here I sit on a bench next to some picture perfect old white couple, silver shiny hair, blue eyes, from the story books. The conversation clicked in 15 seconds. They were from Georgia, visiting. Lovely accent. In 15 min they told me where they live, they described me the town. I said I was in the process of moving to US. They told me, you should come to our place. If the stop would have been 10 minutes longer they would have gave me the phone nr and address.

This is one of the many encounters that I have in US, during my travels, during my bar escapes.

I did socialize wonderfully in other countries .

But there is something special about Americans, that I cannot put my finger on, that melts me and warms my heart. Like a huge , imaginary breast with milk and honey would open in front of me when I exchange my feelings with Americans( not all, of course, but a lot). There is a sweet naivete, doubled by a sane optimism and an innate gentleness. Also, some sort of a “positive “ arrogance, if there could be such thing. An underlying, childish pride.

Also creates a deep nostalgia in me, cause I know this part of America might be vanishing, slowly.

Or not?

EDIT

To understand better what I mean, when you have time, you should watch this PBS videos, on youtube, under the series “Around the Corner with John McGivern" . They are videos about Milwakee, the neighborhoods, the people, the community, the history. They are by far the best videos that I have seen about any city in America. Every state and every big metro area should pay somebody lime this guy to make this king of snapshots of the real, deep America.

I'm in American living in Germany. Here's my take:

To fully enjoy Europe you need to have a curiosity or interest in European ways.

If you expect things to be as they are in the US then moving to Europe will be a disappointing experience. Although globalization has created similarities in how people live, things are in fact different here. You will not have as much space in your home, you will likely take public transportation, and you will be a foreigner in a foreign land. Believe me, there are times when I just really really really wish stores were open on a Sunday. But that's just not how it is here and that's ok.

The saying "when in Rome..." is in fact a great mentality to live by. If you can accept that, Europe will be a fantastic experience. Enjoy the things that are uniquely European--heritage sites, art, local cuisine, etc. Don't spend too much lamenting the things you don't have like a big ass car, the beach, or 24/7 stores. Assuming you're gonna go back the states someday those will always be there so love the things that make Europe, Europe.

As a person living in Paris, I am not going to make judgment or value comments such as "Americans love money" or "Europeans prefer their friends" which in the end are not really measurable and are freighted with bias, if we are being honest.

To avoid coming off as a whinge, I would say that my family and I love living in France, and are happy to have made the choice to come here. The experiences are indeed different from what we had in the US (I lived most of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area, with about five years living just outside New York City). The pace of life is different; the type of housing is different. Attitudes of the people are different. Some of the differences are positive for us (I really like not having to drive, as we do not own a car, and take advantage of things like "Auto'lib" - something I guess similar to ZipCar in the US), some are negative (having your child get sick on a Saturday night and not being able to easily get access to acetaminophen because Monoprix is not Safewy, and thus not open after 8, and OTC meds are only available in pharmacies anyway).

But if you are seriously considering a move and not just looking to generate "the US is full of fat, religious troglodydes" 'answers', let me offer the following:

1) If you do not have a reasonable command of the local language, you are going to have a very, very difficult time living. Being a tourist in a city for a month is very, very different from living there. When our hot water tank failed, for example, getting a plumber to come and fix it would have been, at the least, difficult in English. Remember: shopkeepers along the Champs-Elysees can speak sufficient English. The guy who comes to repair a leak will not.

2) As others have said, be prepared to face difficulties "connecting" with the local people (here, I have to reserve my personal experience to France, where I live). One key difference between Americans and French - in my experience - is that casual friendships are not nearly so common. You almost surely will live in a flat with many neighbours, and they will already have a full set of existing friends and very likely, family. You will not be invited to parties or to dinner until you become real friends with them, which takes a lot of time. One odd thing - if someone has a party in your building, you likely will get a note - it's not an invitation, but merely a pre-emptory warning that there may be noise.

This is not to say the French are unfriendly - they just have different standards and rules around how you become friends. You may find this shocking.

3) Etiquette is very different, and you surely will run into at least one uncomfortable situation. There are certain behaviours in the country you move that the locals will just 'understand' intrinsically. At some point, you will violate one of these and get 'corrected.'

4) Rules - some of which that will make zero sense to you - will be enforced as if they were articles of faith. In the US, someone at the post office or in a local park may be willing to 'look the other way' if you are 30 seconds late or an application is not perfect. In France (again, my locus of understanding), civil servants observe the letter of the law, irrespective of the spirit. An intro to you will be procuring a "Titre de Sejour" (essentially, permission to live in France), for which you will need to submit forms and photos. Do not make a typo on the form, and make sure the photograph is *exactly* what the regulations call for. My wife's application at first was rejected - a delay of weeks and weeks - because she was smiling in the picture. The Prefecture de Police in Paris rejected because of that.

Imagine how you feel in the US when travelling at an airport, and having to submit to the exercise of shoe removal, belt removal, being asked if you packed your own luggage, and (my personal favourite - an incident that actually happened to me) having to put two tiny plastic bottles of shampoo (carried on) into ziploc bags because the rules said that they liquids needed to be in ziplic containers according to the TSA, as if plastic bags somehow act as a shield should the liquids ignite.

5) Culture shock. There are, as others have aptly said, many things to be said for life in Europe compared to the US. I won't go in to the pros and cons of food or art or lifestyle. But it's simply true that things are different here, and if you are not ready to deal frankly with the fact that you will HAVE to adapt, and not the other way around, then that is the best argument IMHO not to come.

There were a lot of great answers here.

My contribution would be:

• Making friends among the locals is difficult: in Europe, people tend to have made most of their friends by the time they graduate university. Since for many university = grad school, i.e. there is no liberal arts college prior to grad school, new friendships tend to cap out early (~ 25). It's hard to make new friends as an outsider. In addition, continental Europeans don't have the same after-work drinks and gregariousness that Americans have: team spirit at work doesn't rank as a priority compared to going home or seeing your true friends.
• Work ethic: quality of life means being able to enjoy your time with friends, family and hobbies. That means work takes second place to pleasure and while Europeans are productive people (their standards of living attest to that) work is not a priority.You can get people to "pull some late nights" but you won't transform the office culture into a hard-driving, early-in, late-out culture all year round if it wasn't there to begin with (as it would be in some banking environments and startups). Something to be aware of if career advancement is important to you.
• Material wealth is not flaunted or talked about in Europe. For instance, in the US people will ask a stranger at a party what they do for a living. In Europe, that sounds vulgar, as if you were unable to think of anything but work. Showing off your nice things (say you own a nice car you really take car of) is flashy and uncouth. It's hard to adapt to these somewhat constraining rules about taste and good manners.
• 24-hour retailers don't exist: stores shut early in the evening. Many shut over the weekend. Most shut on Sundays. So you will have to adapt and take time out of your day to take care of errands.
• The culture will not adapt to your dietary restrictions: (this may not be true of Nordic countries) It's hard for vegetarians or gluten-free folks to have a good meal in Rome, Paris or Geneva. In addition, some food to which you are used at home in its "Americanized" version will seem strange to you in its original context. For instance, Italian pizza is different from what you eat in the US. In Rome, it's served by the square (3 squares = a US slice).

In general, if you value the comforts that are purchased, like working hard to make more money, easy access to commerce, buying a nice car at an affordable price, etc. Europe is not for you because a) things like that are more expensive there and b) you won't have a chance to flaunt them and share your enjoyment because it's rude to do so.

EDIT:

I feel a lot of posts, including mine, bucket Americans as being money-driven to the exclusion of everything else. I want to amend that a bit: deriving pleasure and pride from your work doesn't mean you are only after money; there's intrinsic value to it. I think those values are instilled in American children from a young age, whereas in Europe work-life balance is more valued early on. So whether you are working hard for the money or because of the intrinsic pride you get from your job, you will still be in for a change in Europe.

About a year ago the multinational firm that employs me here in America, offered me the option to work for a couple of years at our European headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium. And stay there after if I wanted to.

And as much as I would have been excited to sample a new country and culture, I took one look at the 50% income tax rate and said “Thank you, but no.”

It all depends on what one is looking for in their life.

I am a single man. And I have no interest in forking out half of my earnings in taxes to the state.

Now I understand perfectly well, that there are some major payoffs that result from that level of taxation. No doubt about it. And I do think that they are largely good things for the public in general.

But to be perfectly frank, those are almost entirely irrelevant to me personally. The major expenses that those levels of taxation go towards paying (outside of basic functions of the state like the army, police and infrastructure) are two - free healthcare and free education.

Now, I am in excellent physical condition and can buy health insurance even on the private individual market for less than $500 a month. In the past sixteen years since I’ve been in America, I have hit my deductible just once when I had an accident in 2007 while living in Boston. For all of the rest of that time, my medical expenses did not amount to even $1000 in any of those years..

I have no children and I’m done with my education. So I wouldn’t benefit in anyway from a free schooling system.

Now stack up those meager benefits against me having to pay over eighty thousand dollars in taxes each year.

Add to that the heavy value added tax (VAT) burden, a double whammy, which would effectively reduce the purchasing power of the half of my income that I get to take home.

And before you start to call me selfish, tell me-

Would you go for it if you were in my shoes? Does that sound like a good deal to you?

I doubt you would unless you were some kind of altruistic saint.

But it goes further than merely pecuniary considerations. It's about more than just dollars or euros.

The two chief careers I have had in my life thus far have been medicine/science and finance.

Now if you are a young person who is ambitious, there is no place you’d rather be as a scientist or a finance executive than in America. Even the most sought after employers in nations like Sweden are American firms (last I saw, Google was ranked No.1, Microsoft No.3).

• If you want to make your bones as a banker or in the world of corporate finance, where would you rather be - New York City or Stockholm?
• If you want to make it to the top in the tech world, where would you rather be - Silicon Valley or Paris?
• If you want to be with the best minds in the world of medical research which place has the highest concentration of the top universities, laboratories and research facilities?

Those careers I listed up there are arguably among the most prestigious in the West and sought after by persons who are hungry and ambitious.

Now I would probably feel differently if I were married with a couple of kids - though even there it depends on one’s income level.

But if you are young, ambitious and in a profession that’s at the top of the food chain, you want to be swimming in the biggest pond.

No question about it.

To men like me,

• America ranks higher for opportunity.
• Europe ranks higher for security.

And the last thing on the minds of men of my stripe is -

“What’s the safest option?”

Now once again, let me repeat - all of the above pertains specifically to me as a person.

Other people might have their own priorities depending on their specific stations in life and what they’re looking for. Fair play to them.

One last thing - the one freedom that America ranks higher in than virtually any other major Western nation is freedom of speech. And that one matters a lot to me. I am not interested in risking being fined (or worse still thrown into prison, though that happens rarely) for “hate speech” laws or hurting the sentiments of some protected groups and being hauled before ‘social justice tribunals’.

All the rest of the issues that come with going and living in a new nation, I can cope with in short order - I can learn a new language. I’ll adapt to the weather, the different mannerisms, the cuisine and all of that.

What I will not get in Europe in the same measure are those three things listed above that I value the most.

And with no intention to brag, a man of my education, ability and skills can make his bones successfully in any developed nation on this planet.

But I choose to stay, live and work in America for some very good reasons that are based in part on cold and logical career considerations and in part on a genuine attachment to its cultural values and freedoms.

To each his own.

I can only speak knowledgeably about Switzerland, Zurich specifically.

For starters, I think one should only move somewhere after having evaluated that country's values and mores and feel they more or less match your own. The rest you can figure out.

You should NOT move to Switzerland if you are an introvert and depend on others to create a social life for you. This will not happen here. It's better to move here with a partner...best if they are Swiss.

You should NOT move to CH if you depend on a large variety of online services for everything from your dinner, groceries to clean laundry at cheap prices. You should be a self sufficient person who can be inconvenienced. For example, most people line dry their clothes. I know this is a small thing but I found it odd that anyone would line dry their clothes when a dryer was available in the laundry room of our building. The reasons varied from sustainability, noise or that it caused your clothes to wear out faster. We were the only people to use the dryer.

The Swiss and many other European nationalities are more private and formal than Americans, but especially the Swiss - this is a HUGE cultural difference that I found difficult to become accustomed to. I would disagree with comments regarding the Swiss culture revolving around money and wealth. I don't find this to be the case if you are actually speaking to Swiss people...the expats are a different story.

Should you live and WORK in Switzerland, you will likely find yourself doing alright. Taxes are low, wages are high and if you have kids - nowhere is better.

It takes a lot longer to have a satisfying social life in Switzerland than maybe anywhere else. But you can get happily by with only English, an open mind and an appreciation for travel, nature and responsible living. Language skills improves things considerably.

Hope this helps.

Not all aspects. I can tell you this -- as a well traveled American who loves Europe (esp. Spain -- where I could live the rest of my life in happiness and peace). There are many reasons to stay in the US and those reasons are in no way slanderous or negative about Europe. Europe is amazing and I could see myself living there. (I think Amsterdam and I would love each other dearly). But, pointing out the differences isn't a value-judgement on either nation/location -- we're just a bit different.

• Generally, if you are in a good trade (but not always), especially engineering, medicine, IT, chemicals, petrol, etc., you can make a LOT more living in the USA & Canada (I include Canada because -- well -- the markets are very similar, if not better up north).
• If you are like me, and define a good deal of your life by your career (and truly LOVE your career in a way that is positive and personally fulfilling), then Europe may drive you mad. Europeans (with their own good reason) do not usually define their lives by their careers. In fact, in many (most?) European circles, it's very taboo to overly focus on your job in conversations and such. With me -- in general conversations -- it almost always dominates what I talk about from what I make to what I do. I love EVERYTHING about my job and I truly look forward to Mondays. I only pepper vacation days here and there, and even then, Rick pushes me out the door when it's time to return to work (generally with me sprinting in front of him). I work day and night and on weekends too. Europeans would punch me in the face after a while.
• Languages. Man, those pesky Europeans haven't given up their native languages and adopted Americanese has their lingua franca yet. Buncha' jerks, I know! It's so fucking annoying. There are some countries where English is incredibly well known (Netherlands and Luxembourg) and other places where people will expect you to speak the local tongue (ahem . . . I'm looking at you France!). If you're a monoglot, then you're gonna' have some troubles.
• Odd conveniences. The hours of places like shops, restaurants and such are generally better in the USA. I'm a convenience driven fellow and dammit! I want my 24-hour Circle K! In Europe entire industries shut down for holidays and Sundays. Drove me nuts.
• Prices. On. EVERYTHING! Shit's expensive in Euroland due to complex factors like regulation and taxes. I mean, sure, stuff like local produce is pretty well priced, but everything else is just so much more pricey. While housing prices vary in the USA, on average, a home here is larger and less expensive than in most places in Europe.
• Europe is a lot more crowded (though, personally I found this to be its biggest selling point, I'm a man about town and seeing people actually walking about town was always a huge plus for me).
• The pace of everything is much too relaxed for me. I'm a hyperspaz and I get in and out of my activities as if the world were about to end. Eating. Shopping. Talking. Burying dead hookers in the desert. Everything in my life is a surgical strike mission with a plan of attack and escape, generally choreographed down to the milisecond. People in Euroland don't go in for that. Eating in Spain (with mis amigos) is arduous and painful because I'm finished with my food in under 10 minutes, they casually chomp on tiny bites and take what appears to be long enough for the fucking pasta to fossilize. . . . COME ON PEOPLE! I've got things to do!
• The food is TERRIBLE! (kidding, it's pretty fucking good)

There are plenty of reasons not to move, but DO IT ANYWAY.

Vodka Martina, straight, no vermouth, olive juice, shaken with ice. Ten ounces of alcohol.

I remember sitting at a bar, drunk on vodka martinis telling my friend Andrew(now dead of brain cancer, found out on Facebook last year) how I was going to get out, how I was going to leave and never come back to 'this wretched, wretched country' again.

It was all I could think of. For weeks. I worked like a man obsessed as I hunted for a job online and gathered together the many documents I needed for the move to Europe, working overtime and saving money to cushion my impact when I made landfall.

I dreamed of a life of cafes and intellectuals , art galleries and dramatic romance, all set against of backdrop of ancient, ornate architecture; I dreamed I'd write the next Tropic of Cancer.

. I talked breathlessly of my dreams to my friend Alice--(so close to me at the time. Haven't talked to her since).

My friends supported me, got sick of hearing it. (never saw them again, anyway.)

I'd always dreamed of Europe.

I talked to my friend Daniel, who ended up moving to Berlin at about the same time. He lives five hours away from me. Haven't seen him since. Our mutual friend Phillip, a man who I'd had such stimulating conversations about art and sex and life came out in 2011 to Berlin to direct his first film film. , I heard about that. But we never could meet up. Right after wrapping, Philip had a heart attack and died back in Denver at the age of 43.

First things first, though.

LIfe is not that much better in Europe, unless you're very poor, perhaps.

Though if you're truly poor, life is going to suck wherever you are. But at least going to the doctor will feel less stressful in Europe.

Europeans here on quora are probably going to tell you that life in Europe is just peachy keen, leading you to think that it's all a soapy utopia. American leftists tend to feel the same. I should know. I am an American leftist.

It's true that they have some very fine systems in place in the EU, better than we have in the US.

But not everything in the world comes down to money and systems and so on. There are emotions and people and relationships you should consider.

Because take it from me. Life is life.

Life is what you make it.

I realize this is not profound, it's not original. Henry Miller I obviously am not.

That doesn't make it untrue.

If you're unhappy in America, you might be unhappy in Europe too. Happiness is not related to where you live.

That's just a bunch of nationalist (or super-nationalist, if we're talking EU) bunk. Treat it like the cow-patty it is. Anytime someone tries to sell you a vision that seems too good to be true, guess what. It is too good to be true.

Trust me.

I'ts not all this:

An awfu lot is more like this:

Reasons for not living in Europe

They are personal, not political.

Forget politics. You'll likely never vote in Europe anyway.

Reasons might include:

• First and foremost your family.
• You'll hardly ever see them.
• Your siblings' children will grow up without you in their life;
• your family will love you but forget about you;
• and the next thing you know, you will be called back home because one of your parents is dying and you'll wonder where all the time went.
• You will feel totally cut off from the people you know and they won't relate to your issues or vice versa.
• You won't be able to relate as much to a lot of the people around you because they have a different cultural background:
• they'll have in jokes you won't get;
• quote movies you've never seen; and when you see them, they won't mean as much to you.
• You won't be able to get certain dishes or food products you crave.
• Ok, this is a small thing, for me. I can't get what I call good Mexican food here in Europe(which is really TEX-MEX, of course); but I can get other food. Still, you crave it and other foods.
• And when you mention your craving a lot of people will turn their nose up at you; they'll take it personally.
• It's little things like this that will make some people say: Then go back to America!!
• You will like an outsider because of your birthplace.
• This is something most people might feel sometimes. After awhile it goes away--you develop a thicker skin. But it can be something you feel acutely at first.
• You will hear constant criticism of the US. .
• Don't get me wrong. You'll hear nice things too. But the problem is:
• You will hear your friends, family, et al reduced to dehumanizing stereotypes
• It'll happen, unless you just shy away from conversations with any kind of depth. And sometimes you might not be in the mood for it. Eventually you get over this, too, though.
• You will lack for a safety net of family and friends.
• You lose your job; you get pickpocketed on the way to the bank; you blow all your money doing something stupid...and it's a lot harder for anybody to bail you out. Start thinking ahead and really responsibly NOW. Because if you get in trouble, you don't want to run home with your tail between your legs. How embarrassing! The guy who shook off his home country only to come crawling back like the Prodigal Son. No thank you.
• When you go back home, you will realize that living abroad has changed you to the point where you won't be able to relate to your countrymen.
• Because you'll always be comparing this and that to here and there--and they won't relate to that.
• Because you won't know who the hell Miley Cyrus is or why the hell everybody is talking about her.
• Because the social rules of conversation will be different and you will adapt to them; and then you will be perceived as rude/politically incorrect/insensitive or whatever.
• some people will radically change their personalities and beliefs to please the people around them, to fit in; others will develop a ridiculous idealization of their home country(in your case, the USA) that doesn't match up with reality.
• Either way, it's pathetic.
• Bureaucracy is a mother.
• There's not getting around it. You will have to deal with it. And you will rage about it. But it won't go away. It'll cost you money and time. Because you don't just 'move' to Europe. Not if you're smart. News flash: most Europeans don't WANT immigrants. There are Donald Trumps in every country; the rest of the world doesn't know about them, though. It's not impossible but it's a pain.
• Unless you move there really fluent in the language, you are going to face some serious, serious loneliness.

• I spent a whole summer, sitting by the river in my town, doing nothing all day but throwing pieces of bread of the old medieval bridge of the town I lived in to the trout which amassed underneath. I didn't have any money that summer, so that was my entertainment. Pre-e-book era too. Lonliness will lead to soul searching. It can strengthen you; it can make you a man; but it can also drive people crazy. I have definitely met some really cuckoo expats in my time. Like, a LOT of them. Maybe up to 50%.

Now, those are some reasons not to move.

DO IT ANYWAY

Having said all that, I absolutely think that if you're curious you should try it, if you are young and childless.

And I want to repeat that last bit: if you are childless.

Don't move abroad with a kid, unless it's for a job that pays a LOT of money so that you can afford to put them in a good international school.

Still, if you are childless and especially if you are young, GO FOR IT.

Do it smartly--research where you want to go; get a job there ahead of time if possible.

Give yourself some time there, too. Six months givs you a taste of a country: try two years. Live two years in Europe and see how you like it. Don't accept mommy and daddy's money. Unless they are really well off. In which case, milk 'em for all their worth!

Your ancestors, white or black or Asian, crossed the Atlantic(or the Pacific) in a 60 foot boat in conditions we'd call appalling today. If they could do that, you can stick it out and make it in modern Europe on your own.

In that two years, you'll go through good times and bad times, but after two years you will have settled down enough in a routine.

You will know yourself.

You will understand the country you've moved to.

You will see your own country in a completely different light.

You will see good points and bad points about where you are.

In the cocoon of not understanding what is going on around you, you will be forced to observe human nature.

You will gain the wisdom of being someone who is not a member of ANY nation.

But life will still be life. And when you really realize that life is still life and you are there where you are, wherever you are and all those other coffee mug clichés, then you make a permanent choice. To go home or to stay away.

Because the longer you stay away, the harder it's going to be to get back into the labor market back home. And that's going to matter more and more as you get older. The longer you stay, the longer you will HAVE to stay.

Most Americans choose to go back home.

But it's an experience, no matter what.. And whether you decide to go home in the end, or stay, you'll be glad you had the experience. I think anybody in the USA who can should move abroad: to Europe, to Asia, to Mexico, South America, wherever. Experience life! See what it's like. Learn another language.

And you might forever regret it if you don't.

Now, I'm sitting in my kitchen in my comfortable house in my small town in the country drinking...tap water. I don't go to cafés that often. I haven't written the next 'Farewell to Arms'. I mostly eat regular food I cook myself at home with my family.

I work about 50 hours a week because I'm a business owner and that means you work more, no matter where you are.

I'm a 45 year old man with heart disease, but I walk 7 kms every day for my health and I have 6 weeks of vacation time a year. I have a comfortable salary and I don't have to worry about stuff like deductibles and co-pays and all those other American insurance terms which I don't even honestly know the meaning of.

I have a beautiful and smart son who speaks two langauges and will soon start learning a third..

I get books in English on my Kindle(greatest invention EVER) and I can communicate in English online whenever I want.

My life is pretty good. But it's not perfect. No place is. YOu might be happy here. YOu might be happy in sub-saharan Africa. Who knows?

I fight with my girlfriend sometimes, and I have health problems; I feel major stress at work sometimes, just like you do in the states.

People who tell you life is so much better here are just vile natonalists...

But it was a good move overall for me. Even if that guy at the top is totally gone. But my family is here and so is my life.

From the perspective of an American student doing a full Master's degree in Germany:

- The University system here is much different than in the US. No one will hold your hand. There are definitely not as many organizations, sports clubs or large events to get students to known one another. The career services offices and alumni offices tend to be small, if existent at all. I know of friends who picked a grad school in the US purely based on the alumni connections they could make by going there. That would never happen here. Whereas when you first arrive to a university in the US, there is a huge orientation week where they help you step-by-step with everything about the university, that doesn't really happen here. There were a few small orientation sessions, but no where near as extensive or helpful as one in the US might be.

- In addition to the previous, No one will hold your hand when it comes to school work either. Whereas in the US I can remember professors constantly reminding students about the readings, assigning small writings each class to know they are keeping up, and allowing for "extra credit" work, German professors generally don't give a shit. If you don't do the work and you fail, that's your fault. They gave you the syllabus the first day of class, showed you where to find the readings and might remind you the week before your final paper is due, but don't expect much beyond that. I have found that professors, at least mine, sort of take their teaching duties as a last prioriety. They are leaders in theirs fields and very knowledgable, but as such are overworked almost constantly. They don't have the time or patience to sit with you to spell out every single thing you need to do to make sure you're doing well in class. Read the syllabus, do the readings on time, take notes in class (most lectures aren't mandatory) and put your all into your work and you'll do fine.

- There are strict regulations for non-EU citizens doing full-time study in Germany (not sure about other countries). Though tuition is basically non-existent (I pay just over 200 euro a semester), you still must prove to the German government that you have enough money to sustain yourself for the entire duration of your studies. That means having a bank account with at least 14,000 euro in it for a two year study program (though these special foreign student accounts can be set up, filled with the necessary money and then you are given an "allowance" from it every month, other than that you're not allowed to touch it except in an emergency). Additionally, if the program is in German there are generally very strict rules about language requirements. Even though I have lived in Germany for four years and have become fluent by using the language every day, I was still required to take an official exam, which set me back 200 euro. Along with all that, if you're hoping to earn some pocket money while you work, there are regulations about exactly how much you can earn in a certain period. I believe the limit is 400 euro a month... if you factor in apartment rent and food, and the fact that the money from your foreigner account isn't getting you very far, it might be very difficult to live in a more expensive city like Munich or Hamburg.

A religious American will find Europe quite secular. Atheists can hold any office anywhere in Europe; one does not need to be (or pretend to be) religious in order to get elected for anything; teaching creationism is out of the question, I'm sorry, and everyone accepts evolution. Religion is nowhere to be found in everyday life and demanding policies based on religion is frowned upon. An interesting side effect is that opponents of gay marriage need to find contorted non-religious rationalizations for their position.

Also, the majority of Europe actually speaks foreign languages - in some regions you'd be hard pressed to find an English speaker. Don't go anywhere near border areas if you don't speak the language of at least one side as people usually don't bother with a third language once they master their neighbours'. A notable exception is the Netherlands where everyone speaks English - but it's still hard to find a job if you don't speak Dutch.

My sister moved to Europe with her husband when his job took him there.

She found she took yearly trips home to buy clothing and supplies she found difficult to buy. They had a healthy expense account but it barely covered their expenses.

She never picked up the local language as people were impatient with her attempts to speak in their language, quickly switching to English.

Her husband found driving annoying and impossible, the expense was way more than in the US and they could only afford one vehicle, so she had to do her errands by taking him to work.

I've traveled a lot and the only place I've been robbed is Europe—3 times in fact, once in Greece, once in Spain but a heroic young woman chased down the villain and returned my camera to me, and once in Germany, where a young man took my phone which was locked and quickly deactivated, a very small gain for the likely penalty of getting caught.

Restaurants tend to not be service-oriented. I've been yelled at for not seeing a small sign about cash only payments when the wait staff could have provided the info. Hotels are better. Sometimes it's hard to locate groceries or ice.

Tightly packed neighborhoods with noise late into the night.

No air conditioning. Odd electrical systems.

I've enjoyed my visits—the culture, kindnesses, food, art, etc, but this answers the question about what's not so nice, sorry to say.

Somewhat in the spirit of Quora User and somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

You should not move to Europe:

Because you are doing well in USA, want to guarantee your children do well, even if by unfair means, and you prefer low social mobility to protect your kids from the tougher competition they might face in a more meritocratic society.

a.k.a. "pulling up the ladder after you have climbed it."

As George Carlin put it: "If Americans Want To Live The American Dream ... They Should Go To Denmark."

Or a longer, more statistics laden version of the same idea from TED talk by Richard Wilkinson

http://www.upworthy.com/if-americans-want-to-live-the-american-dream-they-should-go-to-denmark

As such, if you like the "Gilded Age" aristocracy, gated communities, the alumni track to university and the country club hiring circuit, moving to Europe would be a bad idea.

Counter-intuitively, social mobility is lower in USA than in most European countries.

Britain, with its royals and its rituals, its titles and its toffee-nosed traditions, has always been the class system poster child for Americans (I'm looking at you, Lady Mary Crawley!).

We're hooked on the upstairs-downstairs exotica of Downton Abbey, yet Americans should know that people in the UK have a greater chance than we do of improving their financial circumstances – 42% of Americans never escape the lowest income bracket, compared to 30% of Brits.

Guardian article on social mobility: Want to get ahead? Move to Denmark

And Britain has lower social mobility than many countries in Europe.

Or, as Kurt Vonnegut put it:

Honest, industrious, peaceful citizens were classed as bloodsuckers, if they asked to be paid a living wage. And they saw that praise was reserved henceforth for those who devised means of getting paid enormously for committing crimes against which no laws had been passed.

Thus the American dream turned belly up, turned green, bobbed to the scummy surface of cupidity unlimited, filled with gas, went bang in the noonday sun.

Yes, this is somewhat tongue in cheek. Somewhat.

You should not move to Europe if

- If you think anything smaller than a full sized SUV is a "death trap"

- If you think food means fast food (and even though it is common in some European countries it's usually better than your average McD and similar places). And get used to it, soda is not saturated with ice.

- If you have lived in a sheltered over-religious places and environment. Really, people in Europe have sex (mostly responsibly), drink (mostly responsibly - it's the tourists that exaggerate at Oktoberfest) and they don't let any religious BS get in the way (in the most liberal places at least).

- If you can't/won't talk anything but English. Yes, in most places you can be a tourist with only English. Or if you don't really matter coming and going from work and your company will set you up with an apartment (don't do that). Otherwise you need to talk the local language, however I seen people have some success with only English in places like Amsterdam and Helsinki (but that's not true everywhere)

- The houses/apartments are smaller in Europe. And contrary to what some say, it's not a lack of space (ok, maybe in the smaller countries), but old buildings (and limited height) but this has the side effect of making cities more practical (and you need less energy to heat them).

I'll share some "second impressions" of an American about life in Europe... The kinds of things that you notice after the glamor of its novelty wears off but that one might get over with some inculturation. Some additional caveats: First, Europe is, like any other vast, populous area, a diverse place, and I've only experienced a tiny fraction of it. Second, while this might sound harshly critical, I could probably be at least as critical of anyplace else in the world, except the United States where foreigners are able to spot comparable flaws that are just "normal" to me.

First, the xenophobia is shocking. A lot of Europeans legitimately believe that racism and other forms of bigotry are much less prevalent in their countries than in the US, but from an American perspective, their attitudes and practices are horrifying. Looking around in France, I found a number of instances where they swore up and down that "random lotteries" had placed only ethnically French people on the winning side. For example, there's a very nice housing project in Paris, and I saw pretty much only white mothers and their children walking around it... If you head out to the projects in the HLM, you'll find they are packed with poor middle easterners, blacks and Indians. It's pretty blatant government backed discrimination, but the French at least pretend not to notice. That sort of thing extends to job placement and countless other areas of French life. The same day that I found myself dismayed by that observation, I met a group of north africans who, worried that an American might not know of their elevated status, introduced themselves to me as white africans and explained that their not like the black africans. My french companions nodded earnestly.

On the same topic, it seems to me that it is harder for an outsider (racially, ethnically, etc.) to transcend that status in Europe. If someone comes to the US, culturally assimilates, has a wildly successful career, etc., Americans tend to be eager to view such a success story as one of our own. If you're not German (or Italian, or French, or Spanish...), you will never be, regardless of how much you adopt their culture, regardless of how much you accomplish. Since Americans only tend to wind up in Europe when they're positioned to do fairly well there, Americans might not be viewed as a lower class of people in the way that people of some ethnicities are... But, even so, an American is never going to be fully accepted as a part of an adopted European nationality.

Secondly, while we complain in the US about the prevalence of Walmart, 24-hour fast food joints, etc., their benefits become very clear when you don't have them around. In most of Europe, you're not going to find a 24-hour pharmacy everywhere you go. Even in big cities, if you start feeling sick late at night (and maybe not even THAT late at night), you might have to make several subway or bus transfers to get anywhere that will sell you cough medicine. I grew much more committed to free market principles when I realized that the law had left me to nearly pass out sick at a bus stop in the interests of preserving precious "work-life balance." Where one could do something like back to school shopping in one day in the US, you might need weeks to get that done in Europe. A lot of the stores have pitiful hours (like 11 to 4), so, if you have things to do with your day, you'll be lucky to be able to get to one store per day, and since it's probably not an American-style big box store where you can buy everything under one roof, that might mean that one day you're able to buy notebooks... And nothing else. Also, don't expect to be able to do that shopping on your day off, because the stores will all be closed that day.

Thirdly, remember when Burger King had the "Have It Your Way" slogan? Yeah... Europe does not embrace that attitude. Do you like breakfast for dinner? Get over that before you go. In one town, the cashier at the coffee shop screamed at me when I asked for milk in my coffee (a strange superstition about having milk in your coffee after 10AM seems to pervade several European countries). In another, I asked the waiter to substitute another cheese that was clearly present in the restaurant for the goat cheese that normally accompanied the dish (goats milk often upsets my stomach). He outright rejected the request because he preferred the dish the way that it was on the menu. That kind of attitude extends well beyond food service. God help anyone who wants to remodel their house in Europe... Each contractor will expect to tell you how your house should be done.

Probably related to the last two, be prepared for everything you do to take forever to complete. People will work slowly and then leave work promptly at their scheduled (early) departure time, whether they've accomplished anything or not. With the remodeling example, a given contractor will work for a few hours a day, half of which will be taken up by breaks, and will expect to be able to take days off mid-job. AND, since most of them will only work during the same times of day, it's not like you can rotate them through with one coming in the evening after the other has left. It's all frustratingly inefficient. When you wind up in some Kafka-esque bureaucratic trap (and those abound in Europe), you should probably plan to have five people explain to you why something that should take two minutes will actually take two months. I had to make three trips to the library just to be able to finally make a proper trip to the library because I had to fill out forms to request forms to request access to a set of books to request the books that I wanted, and of course each form had to be processed by a different person and that person was never present when I got there.

Most things in life are matters of trade-offs, and each of these negatives have corresponding positives. In Europe, people are able to lead slower paced lives with more time for family, there's a pleasant sense that the culture can actually provide a rhythm to people's lives that can keep them in sync. Life is less stressful (though I have to imagine that the economic restrictions only change the sources of stress for those who are poor). While there might be less "ra-ra" patriotism, there's arguably a greater sense of national community. But, Europeans didn't discover a perfect way of life, they just balanced trade-offs a little bit differently than we did in the United States. While the positives in Europe are glorious, they come with negatives that would cause most Americans to tear their hair out... And I'm sure the same could be said for Europeans in America.

It's a tough question, as Bulgaria is pretty different from Norway! But I'll relate my experience.

I've lived in the Netherlands for over five years now (also one year in Bolivia and six months in Thailand, in addition to the Pacific north west of the U.S. I'm from Alaska, and have traveled in about 35 countries). There are certainly good reasons to move to Europe, but I'll focus on your question. And I'm on my phone so I'll keep it brief, but feel free to ask for details :) In short, living in the EU is a lot of extra work if you're not from the EU

- Immigration law sucks everywhere, so why not avoid it? For one thing, if you're not from the EU it's more difficult to get work due to labor laws. All else equal, a company will hire a European over a foreigner since there's less paperwork. In Netherlands, most companies are not eligible to hire non-EU employees, as they have to first ask special permission from the immigration office to be able to hire a foreigner, then ask to hire a specific foreigner on a case-by-case basis

- U.S. has crazy obnoxious tax laws for citizens living abroad, so much so that many European banks won't accept you (Google "FBAR"). Why not avoid that too?

- The amount of bureaucracy and rules will continually frustrate you. Low salary and high tax might too.

- Europe is way more xenophobic than I expected. As Christopher Webb wrote, many Europeans are quick to reduce a person to their nationality, which is extremely tiring! I'm politically left, and thought Europe would be very progressive about social issues like race and nationality, but that is very much not the case, and it's pretty similar in each part of Europe I've been in. It's also something I noticed a lot more here than in other regions of the world I've lived in.

- You have to rebuild your social and professional network in a system you don't really understand. It's simply harder to create opportunity for yourself because you didn't grow up here.

- Tiny (tiny!) thing: say goodbye to ice in drinks when you leave the U.S. :P

I'm not unhappy here, but not so happy either. The highs aren't as high and the lows aren't as low as in the U.S. Personally, I will be excited to move back to the U.S. someday and most of my American friends feel the same (although we're mostly entrepreneurs so we're a strange group I guess). But certainly many expats love it here! As other posters have noted, it depends on the country as well, each is distinct (it is a continent, after all).

Many aspects of life ARE better in the EU than in the US, but you will find many of them very difficult to replicate these for yourself as a transplant. Most of my time here has been spent feeling like someone on the outside looking in, and thinking, "wow, life in the Netherlands would be awesome if you were Dutch!" If I could do it over again, I'd stick to trying to replicate the great things about the EU in the US.

I have met extremely nice libertarians that would have experienced living in Germany as a totalitarian nigthmare in which you are slowly eaten alive by paperwork. Now, Germany is one of the countries I admire most.

USA and Europe are different, and ultimately all absolute claims that a place is better than the other are self-righteous, although we all indulge in them sometimes.
So you might definitely find that some aspects of life in the USA are better.

As comments below show, people can give completely different assessments of the same thing, and so a big deal of it depends on the point of view of the observer.
As for what may be found annoying by Americans:

-Bureaucracy. In many countries (Italy, Germany, France) it can be a pain to comply with the subtle and shape changing nature of the required paperwork. This can become a Kafkian enterprise in Naples. Once to get a certificate I had to go to over 12 offices, and another time, a guy forced me literally to listen to one hour of idiocies just because I really needed a document and could not be unpolite with him.

- Pace. I live in Spain, but the same might be said for southern Italy -where I come from- and many other places. If you plan on accomplishing multiple things in a single day on a regular basis, you should reset your expectations as that might simply not work sometimes, even if you are gifted with an iron strong will.

-Work. Career has simply a different meaning. People value it but on a different level.
I believe there is a lot of truth in the saying that we are more risk averse, think only that in German, "Schuld" means both "debt" and "guilt"...

-Taxes. If you are a high earner and don't have a strong belief in common welfare (not everybody has to share our beliefs), then they might be painful.
Some can see them as a given contribution to build a society that is prosperous for everybody.
Some others see them as crimes against the individual and they have a completely different idea of how that prosperous society should look like.

-People. It's not always easy, language barriers can make it difficult. It is not always easy for Europeans either.

- Let some Americans live for a few months in Naples and they'll have a good reason to believe that European welfare is nothing but a myth created by a big-brother like goverment, and to miss the second amendment even if they come from a radical hippy/pacifist group. This is to say as other have said before me, that European countries are very different from one another, and so you might not expect similar experiences.

Finally, I really liked to read these different perspectives on aspects of Europe that I really value a lot. In diversity we prosper.