+Marthe Endresen It probably also has to do with the fact that the USA is a LOT bigger in size than Norway is, so obviously there's an abundance of space and hence larger houses.
Haha, only Oslo and Stavanger? How about Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and areas sorrounding them (and I mean several hours away, especially around Oslo, but this goes for the other cities as well)? Aka where all the jobs are... you cant very well move to a cheap house if you have no job in the area
Take a look at housing prices in the greater London area, in west germany, in and around Paris, anywhere in BeNeLux. You'll see that norwegian housing really isn't that expensive when all things considered. You'll have to compare with PPP, but even with the housing bubble it is even worse many many other places.
Norway is a beautiful country, and the nature here is also beautiful. We have been said to be the safest country in the world by United Nations several times. I love living here in Norway, but that's just my opinion.
Dude the reason most of us dont live in huge houses is because we cant afford it, we are not all rich, and Norway is one of the most expensive countries
***** One of the reasons might be that I know in the US people in good economic situations like to take up loans for their dream house, in Norway this is a rare occurrence, we don't like to take up loans as much as you do in the US, so we choose to live in smaller houses and have money to spare instead of living in big houses and always owe money to loan companies.
Aleholl as Here in Norway it DEPENDS on where you wanna live in the country, in Oslo its more expensive than it is in the North Coast and in the North side of the country..
I absolutely adore seeing all the spoiled comments about how we (norwegians) don't live in a great country. My father immigrated from a country of war and he always says 'Norwegians don't understand how great they have it'. Another saying which is well known is 'Nordmenn liker å klage' - 'Norwegians like to complain'. Most of us already live an optimal life hence there is nothing left to do but complain. This does not mean that we are perfect. The system could do with improvements and we could do with improvements. But trying to contradict everything in this video just for the sake of saying 'we're not doing THAT well', look up some country that never had the benefit of becoming one of the best places to live in the world and rethink your moans.
We're not morning people, we're just forced to get up early. 8 hours work day, or 7.5 hours if lunch break is included. As for houses, they're by far more expensive. I would love a larger place, but I can't afford it. And yes, pay is better than in the US, but it's higher cost of living.
Some are morning people, some isn't. It's the same wherever you go in the world, in my opinion. Ex. in the summer i'm up extremely early to enjoy the day. Teenagers and grown ups maybe a little different right here though
Thanks for setting him straight on this. My friend, Anne, lives in Ottestad. She visits every few years, and is BLOWN AWAY by how cheap everything is in the U.S. Everything from food, to clothing, to gasoline is much, MUCH less expensive here. A pair of shoes that would cost her the equivalent of $100 in Norway could be $20 here in the U.S. She buys a large suitcase here, fills it with clothing, electronics, make-up, etc. for her and her daughters, and even with the cost of the suitcase and the fee for bringing it back home, ends up saving a LOT of money. All of those freebies like "free" medical care end up costing Scandinavians a lot of money in everyday expenses. And the housing is INSANELY expensive in Norway. She couldn't believe how little we paid for our home. Her tiny house is cute and she loves it, but it cost her much more than the 4-bedroom home I bought...and I live in California!
Sheldon Helms I am more than happy to pay taxes to get lower medical costs, free hospital, free education, etc etc. I ended up in hospital a few years back, after a car accident, and at the time I was quite poor. If I had been living in the US, they would probably have sent me straight home without any help, instead I was taken care of without paying as much as a penny. This year I've been ill a lot, and been checked for a lot of things. I don't even want to think about how much my medical bills would have looked like if I lived in the US. After visiting the US, I am very happy I live here, and not in the US, I met and saw so many homeless people who would never have been homeless here.
Ali Frazier Just because they are narrow doesn't mean they are the worst. The quality of the road is very good, very pleasent to drive on So if you know how to drive a car you won't be having any problem so just learn how to not drive out of the way and you will be fine:)
Ali Frazier Yet our roads are the most expensive to build. Why, you ask? Because of all the mountains and fjords. We can practically drive everywhere, yet the roads are bad. It could either be that, or we can drive on wide roads, yet you can't drive wherever you want.
+- Porscheeky - Nei... egentlig ikke? Normale jobber (som jeg vil anta er 80% av folk som jobber, har) så er det som de klokkeslettene som er nevnt ovenfor. Så nei, nei det varierer ikke veldig :)
I don't want to sound racist, but it is a shame that my homeland is being polluted by minorities.I have nothing against other cultures, but we will lose our own culture if we integrate everyone into one. :/ Thats the whole joy of traveling, seeing other cultures, too bad the world will soon be one big mash culture instead of preserving what made us unique.
It's always difficult to see your culture change, humans tend to favor what we have over the unknown. But there are definitely some flaws in our culture (as with all cultures), and there is always something to be learned from other cultures. Besides, I gotta say I'm curious as to how the world would be without national romanticism in the present day.
+frida I dont even consider Oslo as Norway. Its by far the worst place you can visit in Norway. And its not even Norwegians that livee there. its a dumb.
+bladwin321 However its the capital, where most NORWEGIANS live. However if you are talking about the nature tromsø would be the nicest. All in all oslo still is worth visiting for alot of reasons.
+Amanda Jakobsson Jeg elsker å bo i Norge. Jeg bor i Stavanger, veldig fin by. hvis jeg var deg og skulle flyttet til Norge ville jeg ikke flyttet til Oslo.
+SirAiki AQW har vært i oslo et par ganger, perfekt ville jeg ikke kalt det... Ikke at stavanger er perfekt, eller noen byer i det hele tatt. Men på oslo s var det narkomane, fulle menn som ropte etter meg, venninna mi ble frastjålet lommebok, og jeg så flere slosskamper, og en som ble slått ned.. I tillegg til at ingen bilister stopper for å slippe en over fotgjengerfelt
200 000 USD is cheap compared to switzerland, i think the average in switzerland is about 800 000 USD, i'm being dead serious, look it up, housing is insanely expensive in switzerland
I have to agree with K O. I am Norwegian but I am studyin in the US now, and especially the bus system in Norway beat the US hands down. Train I am not that sure about, as I have only used it once, but in Canada I gave up trying to move around with trains because it was horrible.
Kent Olaf Steinhaug I read the other day in VG that in 2014, only ONE day all trains were on scedule from Oslo S (main train station in Oslo). That sounds pretty sad. However, I trained (intentional verbing) to work for two months while between cars, and it was quite nice. And cheap. Like 1/10th of car costs.
You know, in some countries, they paint holes in the ground to prevent people from speeding. But in Norway, we use 3D tecnology where you actually feel the holes in the ground.
Don't call me dude please. So why people coming out this 2016 january to protest agains Barnet. protest from: Washington, New York Gemany, Austria,Slovakia,Lithuania, Australia, Bulgaria, India, Russia, Hollandia, Sweden,Philippines and Turkey
As A American I would say your better off just staying in Norway and the reason is because in the US major cities like New York,LA,Chicago and Houston there is very high crime rate and there is A huge class divide in those cities. And in the smaller cities and towns there are A lot of small minded judge mental people who do not accepts people who thinks and believes differently than them there are positives in America just A lot more negatives.
I dont really care what the others that comments think, but id say your video was quite accurate :) Although one of the reasons ppl dont get bigger houses is because of the cost of a house in norway is rather skyhigh :)
That really depends on where you are located in Norway. In the countryside public transportation is quite poor. I live in Norway, but I am from Germany. Public transprtation in Germany is much, much better than in Norway.
Jolly Roger Because it's hard to find stuff to complain about here, so we had to pick something! It's not roads you fools! It's training courses for rally drivers !
You are comparing Norway to the southern culture of the U.S. I am from Seattle and everyone is environmentally friendly, the buses are full, and most everyone is working before 8am. Also, there are not more manual labor jobs, those are everywhere. Also, they get paid higher in Norway because of the living wage, it makes everything extremely expensive.
yes but you are lucky - the west coast is more environmentally friendly and socially aware. it is not representative of the rest of the country, I live in the Midwest and no one cares about the environment, social issues, or education. people here are very intolerant and uneducated, also very wasteful and not concerned with sustainability when compared to the coast.
Some corrections (I'm Norwegian.) 1. Public transpiration is only packed in the morning with school kids and some adults on their way to work. Most people drive to work. The rest of the day you will in many cases be alone on the buss, until people are going back home in the evening. The same goes for trains. They're almost never packed with people. 2. 8 hours work day comes with a price tag. Cost of living in Norway is high and the reason is the way the system is setup. Nothings really free. 3. Crime has increased in Norway the past 5 years. More murders, rape, break ins, robberies, street fights and gang related problems. More crime than within the past 10 to 15 years as a comparison. The reason is more and more Eastern European mafia and immigration increase to Norway. The government does NOT take care of people that good. It's becoming more and more difficult to get help from the government when you need it. 4. Housing in Norway is expensive compared to the US. The reason why the houses are smaller has to do with cost of building them in the first place. It has nothing to do with the fact that Norwegian don't need much space. It's also government regulated how big your house should be and where you bought the rights to set it up. 5. $25 dollars an hour is not that much. The cost of living in Norway is 3-4 times higher than in the US. 6. NAV (The employment office in Norway) is a big joke to most Norwegian. They will make your life a living hell. Most jobs in Norway people find on their own or via friends or family members.
***** Some comments :-) 1. I think it really depends on where in Norway you live. 2. If you compere our income with the cost of living we are actually a really cheap country. A study in 2014 where they compered the prices on food to salary they found that Norway was the cheapest country in Europe (guess that also makes Norway cheaper than US) 3. Compering Norway to USA we still have less crime (agree that it has increased, but it is still less) 4. (look at 2.) We also have "The low of Jante" is also quite strong in Norway". I have some friends from Germany who vent to visit Stavanger. They where really surprised when they come home. After telling them that a lot of people in Stavanger had jobs in the oil that had expected a lot of larger houses. 5. (look at 2) We also have a "holiday pay" (payment the month in summer where you don't work), if the store you work in is closed because of a holiday you still get payed, or if it is a holiday and you have to go to work you will get the double payment. A german friend of me had stars in his eyes when he saw is paycheck after working the whole easter week. Saying it would be impossible for him to go back to german and get a normal german salary. 6. Agree it has been a lot of trouble with NAV, especially if you only watch the news. Most people have an OK experience with NAV, even if it is a lot of bureaucracy. NAV is only somewhere you go if you are not abel to get a job on your own, so it makes sense that most people find work themselves.
***** That's just so pessimistic! You make Norway (the best country in the world by A LOT of standards!) sound horrible. Almost allt he things he said in the video is true.
***** YES!! I scrolled throught the comments just to find this. Besides, younger people have NO CHANCE to get jobs in Norway that's well paid. I'm 19, living alone, and I do MAYBE earn 5 000NOK a month (around 660 dollar) for full work days, because alot of us younger have no privileged rights, and the only people/companies that will employ us are comission-work, and comission works only. I have maybe 2-3 friends who's paid by the hour, where the minimum wage-rules actually is a thing. I live just outside Oslo, and I do.not.feel.safe going home from somewhere after 8PM. Not at all. And another thing, - there are rules and rights of working overtime aswell. If I could work 12 hours straight, just to earn more money, I would, - but I can't. As said, I get paid around 660 dollar a month, but I get a little bit money from scholarships aswell, and that is a total of 1 000 dollar a month - and the apartment I rent is a total of 900 dollar a month, which leaves me 100 dollars for food and other stuff that comes in handy. Sad thing is that I know alot of people like me, and I still hear every day that "OMG you are so lucky to live in Norway, you're rich af" but no. No I'm not. I work and I go to school, I have no time for friends and the public family help organizations suck, and I am left with no family what so ever, and barely enough money to live.
Buy why would you then export "missionary culture of USA" to a country that seems so peaceful? As an African, I'm reminded of how everyone says Africans were so bad (they did not know Jesus) that is why they needed to be changed and look at Africa now. If I was Norway I would not allow anyone who is there to change their way of life.
I agree. It's hard to say you 'love a culture' when you are there for the express intent on changing the people that make up the culture. I wish more people would just enjoy various cultures and respect them for what they are instead of trying to change them (or at least let the people within the culture decide if they desire a change).
I am Norwegian and I love my country. I live in the captial (Oslo), and I really enjoyed listening to your fantastic experience of the best country in the world
+Submissive Morgoth I am a 16 years old blonde, tall, girl, and have been living in Norway my entire life.. so yes, i consider myself "really norwegian". :)
I loved this video! I've watched a lot of videos about my country on youtube, and there are just so many people who don't understand our system and culture who will utter their opinion anyways. This guy really knows what he's talking about :)
It's funny seeing how others see our country. We have smaller houses for several reasons. The building cost is high. It has been common to have a mortgage to the government (Husbanken), at low interests, but then there is a maximum sqrmetres requirement among others. Even when you own your house and lot, you have to pay taxes for it every year. Bigger house, higher taxes. It is also common to lease the lot, but you still have to pay taxes as you owned it. The heating cost during winter is high. With an american style house with large rooms and high ceeling, the hearing bill would rip you off. Crime: In the larger cities (Oslo, Bergen) there are areas/streets who is wise to avoid during night time. High crime rates in those areas. And drugs are sold openly, its also common to see addicts inserting the needle. It's a high rate of OD's.
Sepirek1 You forgot * Law of Jante aka Janteloven * Rich people feel bad when they buy something extremely expensive and impractical, and people who started from nothing gets embarrassed.
the reason norway is "The Richest Country" is because the leaders takes like 50% of the money that a person make in there whole life. Even if you just want to drive out of the city u need to pay 10dollars. Its redicoulus (or how i spell it) Even a gum costs like 5 dollars, like common.
Ok, Norway is nice. I enjoyed it very much when I was there. But this video is the most one-sided perspective on the country imaginable! It is almost laughable. I was waiting for him to say that nice little elves come riding into the towns on reindeer and give out presents to the children every new moon. Come on! Many questionable points could have at least been raised in the interest of balance and intellectual integrity. But if you want to believe that Norway is actually a chunk of heaven that has fallen to earth, I guess this is your vid. LOL
Nikky where did you get that from? and how this this make it more dangerous than a slum? How you ever heard of someone getting killed there? or is this troll?
Man Of Steel That's not entirely accurate; while there's no general minimum wage, there is a minimum rate specified for certain sectors: www.arbeidstilsynet.no/fakta.html?tid=240096 (English)
E7Editing well some people have to... they are not skilled enough or have the atitude to do a good paying job. ive been an aprentice for 2 years. i was payed 30% 40% 50% then 80% divided in 6month raises of the originale salary of a certified IT worker. at 30% i barely got paid 750-800euro after tax. now im at 80% getting about 2000euro a month after tax. its still nothing compared to the cost of living. you would need to be 2 people to hold a house even at a 100% salary in my profession.... thats why im doing another 2 years of school to add about 20keuro a year. thats gonna give me a total of 4 years of work directed education and 2 years of working with the proffesion. then i might end upp on about 55k euro a year.
We have labour unions (for different types of work) that are powerful and mandate the minimum wage for that set of job, if they do not get their way they strike
True but we have system of Industry/Sector unions which are mandated by law. They negotiate the standards for the wages. Often in the news you hear about the threat of "Tvungen lønnsnemend" that means if the strikes/lockouts have occured far enough the goverment are obliged to put together a "wage commite" and whatever findings that commite makes has to be accepted.
As for wages being that high, it gets balanced out by the extremely high cost of living. Norwegians do feel extremely wealthy whenever they visit most other countries though. For example Norwegians going to Sweden to buy alchohol, or just shopping in general, even if Sweden is considered expensive compared to most of Europe.
I think we get ''paid well'' because it's so expensive to live in Norway. But I am a proud norwegian for sure. About the summers, you obviously haven't been to Trønderlag. Whenever you leave the house, you got to bring an umbrella, a scarf and sunscreen.
+SusanneJooo Yes, but you are also much better taken care of. Your healthcare and education are paid for, and your crime rate is exceptionally low. Things that the US cannot brag about.
Norway is a tiny country with a tiny population. Public transportation is practical. The US spans a continent where a person can literally drive a thousand miles east or west to meet the coast. Norway expelled records number of Muslims last year to eliminate crime. So much for you're melting pot. Norway is one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world with a total tax burden of roughly 45% of GDP, almost 4x Hong Kong and nearly twice the US. VAT there is a whopping 25%. Personal income tax rates border 55%. Corporate profits tax ranges from 28% to as high as 78%. It's also the reason the average person doesn't have a larger American style home in Norway, Gasoline cost a whopping $9.97 per gallon in Norway which is a major oil producer. That's why Norwegians don't drive privately owned automobiles. It's nice that your friend makes $25 per hour for working in a low/no skill job in a grocery store. However, his salary is passed along to consumers. Norway has one of the highest price levels for personal goods and services in all of Europe; the cost of food is a staggering 47 percent higher than the (European) continental average. It's nice you enjoyed your stay in Norway, but remember the devil is in the details. PS. A little simple math: At $25 an hour your friend makes roughly $50,000 per year. If he is taxed at 55 percent tax rate his annual take home pay is $22,500 per year. In the U.S. an average grocery clerk makes about $28,000 per year. He/She would be taxed at a base rate of 15 percent before deductions and an effective tax rate of perhaps 7 percent after deductions. Each time your friend shops for food he pays a valued added tax (vat) of 25 percent. Most U.S. states don't tax food. I doubt he owns a car (hence the use of public transportation) and most likely lives in a tiny apartment and of course wears simple clothes (I believe that was one of the virtues you mention). Young people tend to idolize what they don't understand. Read a book, do the research, do the math, free your mind.
nofrackingzone There are other factors you seem to forget; health care (nobody dies in the street without care), free university, free schooling, the poverty rate is 3 times lower in Norway than in the USA, Norwegians work far less and have far more free time. Having lived in the 2 countries for working I would say that the quality of life is incomparable, far better and relax in Norway. So you have some holes in your maths, the average clerk in Norway has not to spend about health (he is insured automatically with no restrictions and will be covered for any disease or accident, no small prints), nor children's school or university (the children won't have any loan to pay after the university), he is insured to have an income for a year if he is unemployed, if he dies his wife won't fall in total poverty and will not have to steal in any Walmart, living in car with 6 children and depending on the charity of a good cop to get shoes and diapers for the children, if he becomes crippled he will be helped, if a child is born the mother has 49 weeks fully remunerated to take care of the baby and... and..and...too many differences. The Norwegians have very different values from the Americans, making money is not the priority in life and social solidarity is not an empty word. To become a millionaire (in USD) has no meaning for 99% of the Norwegians. They live even older and "curiously" the rich and poor have about the same longevity has they have access to the same medical care. When you study longevity in the USA you are amazed by the discrepancy between rich and poor. More curiously Norway spends only 10% of his PIB for health care while the USA spends 19% for an unequal and less efficient result, similar to the poor Cuba which spends 600 dollars year per person. And the Norwegians have no war to fund. At the end the best; the 5 millions of Norwegians are sit on a 878 billions dollars Government Pension Fund-Global, and no debt...That are the maths. So it seems to me that the Norwegian society has a better global efficiency that the American society, as you have to consider a lot of other factors than only wages.
we work 37,5hours to 42hours a week. regular: electricians plumbers carpenters painters cleaner earn around 25000kr a month, after taxes. which is about 4200 US dollars a month. id say thats good?
Free man People are different all over the country! You have nice people and you have assholes. Most people are nice and open and welcomming, but the assholes shouts louder. The cities are more or less melting pots:)
James Ford, I feel the same thing! Though i´ve lived here 22 years, i am originally from South America, and Norwegians are often skeptics at first - once you get to know them more personally - they´re not that racist after all! Norway is a good country working and achieving successful goals.
for those ho think that norway take in so small amount of refugis is becouse we are such a small populashon, soo the popelation can't take inn more, iff they have taken in more then when turist comens they won't see norway and norwagien pople but rather a bigg steuw of culters..
in norway we allso live in small houses for two reasons: one the prices on a house is very exspensive and nummber two a lot of the houses are old and from the time when norway did't have to much money.
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl and there is not many norwegians working in the construction buisniss it's often people from easter europe, here in norway there is very many people working at offices and at oil riggs
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl and there is no minnimal wage an houer in norway but you have to be paid reasonably according to your living standars. and i do not think that 25$ is what you are allowd to pay an houer since that equals the same as 4kr and that's nothing
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl 25 dollar does not ecual 4 kr, I don't know hiw mutch it is at the moment, but around 6kr = 1 dollar. So 25×6= 150, so the minnimum pay is around 150 kr pr hour.
Benjamin Tomassen Nordahl Ikke tenk på det, ville no bare rette opp i det. Det er ikke sikkert det er helt rett heller siden jeg ikke sjekket hva dollaren er på nå. Håper du har en videre fin dag :)
Please note: yes we earn more money than americans at average, but its more expensive for an norwegian to live in norway then it is for an american with their salary in america, if that makes sense.
+Emilio Parveen What the heck are you talking about? There is definitely a minimum wage in Norway, but it's not a single number. The minimum wage depends on many factors, including your age and education level. If you are 18 years of age and have no relevant education the minimum wage is around 14 USD, so that is about as low as it gets.
Hence no minimum wage. Maybe you should search up the definition. I am fully aware of that there are laws and norms that prevents social dumping, but it does not change the fact that there is no minimum wage in Norway, even though many included you seems to believe so. The question should rather be what the heck are you talking about?
Awww! 💛 This is a cute filter to see Norway through. It's a peaceful country, but it also has its flaws. Norwegians are a little scared of new things and things that are out of normal patterns. That freak us out a little bit. And being that it is super expensive for an apparent, we have to settle for what we can afford. But I love that you like liked Norway that much. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😉
You might find that it is not just Norway where there are more manual labour jobs but alot of Europe too ! there are a lot of office jobs in Europe too but no where near like the USA.
***** hmmmm, I don't really know any who work in manual labor, but they do indeed make a good salary. But basically, the young people are not choosing manual labor (huge debate now, because students feel they need a master's degree to get a decent job), and there is a lot of immigrants/Swedes who do take those jobs. The most common job here is work in a government office. From the top of my head I think about 40% is employed in the public sector.
Very nice video, I love americans that has really done their homework. Come to Norway, americans have a reputation here as good hard working people. You will get a job easily. Or start a business.
Simone Weber a teaching assistant in university, master thesis student in Bjørnbygg, and at weekends washing dishes at restaurant, what is your offer kompis
Arve Elv Hows your health care, I suffered a gunshot to the stomach after being an idiot with a .22 as teen. Doctor here just hand me anti nasuea pills and say deal with it
THE GUY Our health care is free. You only pay a small fee for (of about 25-30 dollars), and you'll get a heart transplant if needed. Of course this is the public Health care. You could og private and cut Down the potential waiting time for an operation, but you will be prioritized if you are in pain, or if Your injury is Critical. The private Health care system here COSTs, naturally, but from the stuff I know about, I would say the prices are about 1/4 of the American prices. (I'm on a work computer With german spell check I think. Sorry for big letters - can't change it! xD )
i wouldn't mind living in Norway one day because i can't stand the heat in New york i love the winter more when is hot i usually get heat rashes too much but the cold is my thing more
My summer job is from 7 am to 2:30 pm (the people who work full time work until 3 pm), and the minimum wage is less than 25$ (mine is for example less than that).
I am considering moving to Norway in about 3-4 years this will be somewhat outdated but the culture wont change so quickly so thanks this is still going to be helpful.
Before you're all Oh I'm going to norway then. The summers is not like he explained, very rarely its 80 degrees and sun all the time. Mostly its either cloudy or raining/windy.
We do not have a minimal wage in Norway. However, we have great unions that takes care of their clients. And most people are in unions. So in theory we don't have a minimal wage, but in reality it's somewhere around 100 kroners an hour on part-time job for people under 18. The train system in Norway is well used by most of the residents and is absolutely packed in the morning and afternoon, you are very lucky if you don't have to stand (at least around and in Oslo, where I live) however, it is not great compared to other European countries. There is places you don't want to be late at night in Oslo, like "Brugata", "Grønland" or "børsen". Aswell as Groruddalen where you do not want to be at all. The reason why a lot of people in and around Oslo don't live in big houses with a lot of land is that it is crazy expensive (In the city a nice apartment cost about 7 million kroners (about 1 million dollar). And a small 2 story house with a garden could easily cost you at least the same. Where I live (in Oppegård), about 20 minutes from Oslo, a big nice house with a big garden can easily cost up to 1,5 million dollars. If you move away from the city and suburbs the prices drastically drops and people by big houses with a lot of land.
This video is great. And don't mind all my fellow Norwegian complaining. That's normal too. In the west in general. We don't know how good it is here. I use to say to those people. Well.. look at it this way: Norway is one of the least shitty places to live. And people who think Norway is boring. Boring means it's good here. Peaceful. Those people complaining obviously haven't travelled alot.. or felt it physical, psychological or economical how insanely lucky we are to be born here. Just the fact that we are complaining shows how good it actually is. This video is a good presentation. Like generally. No county is perfect. But like I said. We're one of the least fucked up ones.
Houses are smaller now cos it is insanely expensive a 950 Sq foot house 2 years or so old is like 230 000 USD. My house, built in the 70's, 1500 Sq foot is around half a mill USD and yeah it is that safe and yet our police is unarmed and our prisons are gov.run hotels, go figure.
I think people living in smaller houses here is more related to Norwegians having less purchasing power than Americans. It's not like we're inherently different in how we value material stuff. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't want a bigger house. Also, the government doesn't really help you find a job. The building you spoke of is a NAV building, and while they offer courses to help you find a job, you're statistically less likely to get a job if you actually take that course.
Alexander Andreassen An important fact to state is that our purchasing power is in fact larger than that of the United States. Norway has about 65 000 Int$ in GDP (PPP) per capita, while USA has 54 000 Int$ in GDP (PPP) per capita. It's true you must remember to keep in mind that cost of living scales with income, but that does not mean all countries will be equal. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita Also I think the reason houses are small and prices are very high is because they are more expensive to build and there is less space to build them on. There is no such thing as a flat surface in Norway, compared to Germany or USA, it's flat as far as the eye can see and far beyond...
Well, looking at PPP per capita using GDP is misleading. GDP does not differentiate between the private sphere and the government. If the government sucked up 60% of the wealth in one country, while the people of another country got to keep their income, it would not show up. It also ignores the levels of tax, VAT, sin taxes, licencing fees and so on. If you look at indexes tied to one commodity, you'll find that Norway is way more expensive than the US when using PPP. If you look at the OECD comparative price levels, where the OECD measures the difference in price levels between its member countries by calculating the ratios of PPPs for private final consumption expenditure to exchange rates, you'll find similar results. Prices are high because of the central bank, interest rates. With fractional reserve banking, banks can give huge loans with low interest. This is hugely inflationary, where the supply of money increases and floods the housing market, driving prices up. This is what happened in the US, though I'm oversimplifying the issue. It's a matter of the government distorting the market, and supply and demand. It's also similar to how the tuition prices in the US have been driven up and up and up. And the US isn't all flat, it's a hugely varied country in terms of terrain. You'll also find relatively cheap housing in some flat areas, and insanely expensive housing in other flat areas. Terrain is not very relevant at all.
Alexander, woah, you are incredibly informed and knowledgeable. I know exactly what you are talking about because I have studied this as well and understand economic terms such as GDP (PPP), disposable household income, median and average household income and so forth. I have also read a lot of OECD statistics and take information directly from government census data from different countries because these tend to be the most objective and reliable. The average person just quotes a statistic without doing thorough research and giving time to understand what they read. Sometimes people think GDP figures are actually related to or are the national income. People usually just grab a quote from some random news article to somehow make their country superior to another. Unfortunately, it appears most people online love to criticize the U.S. and will use highly subjective and relative statistics, studies and figures to make Americans feel like they live in a terrible oppressive backwards hellhole when it's actually not the way most people think it is. Another reason why homes tend to be larger is due to very large and generous state and federal government subsidies and tax breaks for the housing industry. House building corporations such as D.R. Horton, KB Homes and Richmond American pay very little federal business tax and the land that the homes are built on and materials used to build a home are subsidized by state and federal tax money. Americans who own their home or have a mortgage also get very generous federal income tax breaks as well. This has created the most affordable real estate market among industrialized nations as no other Western nation has such generous government subsidies and tax breaks for their nation's housing industry. Currently, the national average for the price of a home is about $130 a square foot. So a new 2,600 square foot home (241 square meters) built on 1/3 an acre of land (1.214 square meters) is about $338,000 USD (NOK 2.788.671) on average across the United States. This is extremely cheap relative to nearly all other Western markets. Especially compared to our Canadian cousins to the north.
No, I have studied a lot of economics though. It's not like you learn economics just by being someplace. I think just about every person in every country is proof of that.
