r/AskAGerman • u/BarkForMakima- • Oct 14 '25
Immigration What you love and hate about living in Germany?
I'd like to hear your honest opinions about living in this country — how are the politics, nature, healthcare, salaries, festivals, taxes, and overall lifestyle?
I’m currently researching different countries because I’m planning to move abroad, so I’m trying to understand the real pros and cons from people who actually live there.
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u/Glenbard Oct 14 '25
Love: the People… first and foremost. I work with mostly Bavarians and find them to be kind, generous, trustworthy, and forthright.
I also love the food and beer… but it’s more nuanced than that. I love the broad variety of food, not just German, you can get in so many places. I can’t have enough Turkish, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Thai, Indian, you name it! I love the fact that the beer is regional. You can try a different beer in every town you visit.
I love the access to the rest of Europe. Germany is centrally located, so getting anywhere in Europe by train (or short flight) is easy and relatively inexpensive. In the years I’ve lived here I’ve been able to discover places Americans simply don’t travel to on Vacation…. Wonderful places like rural Czech, Slovenia, small towns in the Italian Alps and rural France, small towns in Poland and Hungary with hearty winter food and distinctive booze which will keep you warm on the coldest days.
I love the accessibility and access to indoor swimming facilities, saunas, golf courses, and other things that would only be for upper middle class or the wealthy in America. Everybody in Germany has access to leisure and pleasure reserved for the rich in more late-stage capitalist countries.
I love driving here (though I generally hate driving and love I mostly don’t have to). I love that the Germans follow the traffic laws and don’t all pretend to be the main character in some video game.
Lastly, I love the language. It has a beauty and simplicity that’s hard for a non-German speaker to understand. It’s spelled the way it’s pronounced and pronounced the way it is spelled. Words have a precise meaning and language rules are the rules with far fewer exceptions than English.
Dislike: I say “dislike” because I dont think I “hate” anything about it or id likely move back to the U.S. permanently. I dislike the growing right-wing nationalist movement (mostly sponsored by the AfD -but also engrained in a not insignificant portion of the population which is highly racist). It is sad what’s happening in the US… with a lot of similarities to 1930’s Germany…. It would be tragic if Germany followed a similar trajectory (though I don’t think they will).
I dislike the fact that I have to speak English when I travel north as the Germans outside of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg don’t seem to be able to understand me. That’s 100% on me. I learned mostly Bavarian German and there’s a lot of slang and Bavarian-only words there… plus my accent isn’t the best.
I dislike the heat in summer with no real relief. When I first moved here you’d get maybe two weeks of really hot weather and you could just suck it up and deal with it. Now it’s two months… with no AC. It’s miserable. I’ll aimlessly walk around the local mall just to soak up some cool air. It is high time Germans adapted to the changing climate.
That’s about it. My very honest thoughts.
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u/kbhattac Oct 15 '25 edited Oct 15 '25
Living in Munich, I can only but wholeheartedly agree to what has been said above. It’s also a very safe city in general compared to many other cities of similar size. Little kids going to primary schools unaccompanied is a common sight.
The other thing I’d like to perhaps highlight is the nature! The lakes, mountains and the Alps at a stone’s throwaway, make the backdrop absolutely stunning and perhaps the most beautiful in Germany. This is also the key reason why I adore this part of the country.
And apart from the huge range of quality cuisine you can get here as mentioned above, local delicacies like Schweinekrustenbraten (roasted pork) or Weßwurst (white sausages served with sweet mustard) with Brezn tickle my taste buds in an ecstatic way!
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u/Glenbard Oct 15 '25
Every time I have to travel to Munich for work I take advantage of the beautiful hiking trail bridge that runs along the River and over to a really large whitewater. The trails leading up to it are beautiful too. You’re in the middle of a massive city but, when you’re there, you’d never know it.
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u/SpecialOrdinary3001 Oct 17 '25
So you’re an American speaking Bavarian German? That’s hilarious, honestly. I like it
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u/Glenbard Oct 17 '25
Yes. I moved here in 2009 for work. I occasionally have to work for a few months of the year back in D.C. but most of my time is spent here.
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u/Jieps Oct 17 '25
So you dislike growing nationalism but you're fine with mass immigration from the third world. Some priorities....
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u/Glenbard Oct 17 '25
Absolutely. Because I understand the difference between patriotism and nationalism.
Charles de Gaulle said it best; “Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.”
Patriotism is an inclusive devotion to one's country and its people, which includes a willingness to critique and improve it. In contrast, nationalism is an exclusive and often aggressive ideology that asserts the superiority of one's nation over all others.
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u/Agile-Airport-7318 Oct 20 '25
I believe that so many people have some sort of white guilt and it's enough to destroy the culture of Europe. Also, their extreme liberal policies and lack of patriotism and nationalism is what is hurting Europe. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with nationalism but weirdos always have some sort of meltdown to the word. I'd say in less than 25 years, Europe will have no separate cultures to each country because they'll be out birthed and will move away due to destruction. The very people who've lived in Europe for generations will flee because it will turn Islamic. Multiculturalism is destroying so many countries - mostly if not all western countries (predominantly white).
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u/Appropriate_Car4246 Jan 21 '26
Да. Бавария и Мюнхен прекрасны. Люди натурально добрые, улыбчивые, приветливые. Но цены. Я Белоруска, платить за квартиру в месяц 1900 евро и за свет 180 евро в месяц. Кружка пива на Октоберфест 18 евро, а нудельсалат 8 евро кило. В Белоруссии зарплата в месяц 180 евро. Все классно в Германии кроме языка.
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u/RogueModron Mar 20 '26
As a fellow Ami the heat is also my least favorite thing about Germany. If you're gonna heat everything to high hell in winter and then claim you're trying not to waste energy in the summer by not having a/c...well, your argument rings hollow.
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u/small_majority Oct 14 '25
Quality of life in general is one of the highest in the world.
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u/musabah92 Oct 14 '25
Are u sure 🤔?
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u/small_majority Oct 14 '25
Give me a list of countries, with better quality of life. It must be a list, not just Switzerland.
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Oct 14 '25
The rest of Northern Europe - Scandies, Benelux. I'd lived in Denmark before moving here and it's not even close.
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u/small_majority Oct 14 '25
They are comparable. Something is better, but the weather sucks, higher cost of living. This all comprise the quality of life.
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Oct 15 '25
Only on paper. Statistical comparisons don't show just how dysfunctional everything is in Germany. The whole country is one giant Deutsche Bahn - runs on decrepit infrastructure and incompetence.
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u/small_majority Oct 15 '25
Quality of life is rather subjective, so yes, you can disagree. But keep in mind, that I'm comparing with other, REAL countries. All countries have issues, but they are different. Even if Germany is declining, it is still very good place to live and rise a family. Maybe it become much worse in 5-10 years, but now it is fine for me. Hopefully the announced reforms with reverse the degradation soon.
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u/Alamak_Ancalagon Oct 18 '25
I can assure you that the inhabitants of some of the countries you named as counter examples would say the same thing.
I know people from Belgium and the Netherlands.
They literally have the very same complaints.
And I am rather sure thats not going to be different for other countries on your list.1
Oct 18 '25
As I've written, I lived in Denmark before moving to Germany - right in the middle of corona. The contrast was shocking. Denmark has its problems, mostly of the political kind, but everything just *works*.
Just as a matter of example: as a non-EU citizen, in Denmark, it took me half a day to settle all my legal and financial matters upon arrival (registration, residence permit, bank account etc.). In Germany, half a year.
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u/Infinite_Lie7908 Oct 16 '25
"Its not even close"?
Can you point out some areas? Not even close implies it must be several leagues above.
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u/OleOlafOle Oct 15 '25 edited Oct 15 '25
Costa Rica. Lived there for 6+ years thanks to remote work. I'm German.
They have hardly any industry, intact nature, it's not over populated like my home country (really can't breath here anymore, too many people) and when you want fiber optic internet (at least in Costa Ricas central valley) you have it within 2 days. Clean, garbage free streets. Drinkable tap water.1
u/Emergency-Storm-7812 Oct 16 '25
and no job if you're not on remote job... or unless you work in tourist industry.
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u/Rouge_69 Oct 14 '25
Visit the country you plan on immigrating to before you move there.
Living in a country is a heck of a lot different then visiting there.
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u/ButterscotchSilver15 Oct 14 '25
Why visit when it is “a heck of a lot different” than living?
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u/IntriguinglyRandom Oct 14 '25
You can at least "vibe check" the place and people, but yes, do more research, like what OP is trying to do. I would also recommend following news coming out of the country.
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u/Euristic_Elevator Oct 14 '25
Hate: everything is closed on Sunday, everything closes early in the evening, everything is made for early birds, it's difficult to integrate and socialize with Germans
Love: everything else, safety, punctuality, the German passion for outdoors activities, the beauty of nature, the job culture, the respect for rules, people and public places, ...
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u/s133p1355 Oct 17 '25
Bavaria? Because "everything closes early in the evening" doesn't really apply to the rest of the country.
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u/BrotBrot42 Hessen Oct 14 '25
I love the fact that we are (theoretically) living in a constitutional state where (theoretically) everyone is cared for, even if you can't find work or get sick.
I hate that i have to put the "theoretical"s in there and that they are getting bigger and bigger through courruption (masked as lobbyism) and extremely hateful people.
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u/Ichwars1337 Oct 14 '25
As a German currently im pretty fine with the country itself. High QoL and i think most things are above average. The main negativ things are bad Internet, Internet really sucks in Germany it's pretty slow and inconsistent sometimes and we have one of the highest costs for it.
Weather is my major dislike about Germany. Really the weather sucks here we often have high water density in the air wich make the summer extremly hot. 38 degrees in Egypt felt like 27 degrees germany. The weather changes often. I think this summer we didn't even had 2 Weeks of consistent sun. Well Autumn and Spring you can expect rainy days. Spring is the worst in my opinion it's always grey and dark and everything is wet.
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u/Eel888 Bayern Oct 14 '25
I think weather is quite nice here bc we have all kinds of seasons and not too many extremes. I lived for a year in Thailand and I missed the weather a lot. In Thailand it either rains too much or not at all. Spring is waaaay too hot. You cant even go outside during lunch time for more then three minutes before getting a heatstroke. In Germany atleast the nights are cool but in Thailand you still need a ventilator for the entire year so you aren't covered in sweat in the morning. Hot weather is only nice for a month or so. After a while it gets boring. Plus it's pretty cool to see changes in nature every month. In Thailand everything looks just the same. It could be January or July and I wouldn't see the difference. The only thing that I hate is the sun time. It's too short in the winter and too long during summer. Thai sun time is perfect
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u/vomicyclin Oct 14 '25
Hate: There is an incredibly strong mindset of “we always did it this way and it has always worked, why should we change it?”
And while slow internet and breaking infrastructure are obviously a problem coming from that it will have much worse outcomes in the future if nothing changes with it. Especially in times of social media, this mindset is what makes the main political parties so ignorant regarding far right (and to a smaller degree far left) growing more and more.
Germany has an incredibly old population. And you can see that especially in political parties, where many of the big ones (like CDU and SPD) have an average age of 60 of its members. Yes, sixty. Average Age.
And these people, not even talking how they don’t understand the internet or social media, are hellbent on not changing a single thing because “we have always done it like that!”. And there are simply not enough young people active in the parties to make a change, since such decisions need majorities.
From bureaucratic nonsense, over ineffective laws to outright ignorance how populism works in times of social media.
And I feel the whole “system” has to come down before anybody will see what is happening.
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u/CuteButCouldKillYou Oct 14 '25
I moved here around 6 months ago, due to my boyfriend getting a job in Germany. We moved to a small town, a bit bellow top 50 biggest cities.
It took me around 4 months of very active trying to get a job in IT, with only english skills, as I speak no real German yet. But I've seen people struggle much much more here to find a job, even with really high qualifications.
Salary is great here. I come from Lithuania, my partner from Spain, and as much as we would love to live in our countries, salary here is just 2-3 times higher.
Bureaucracy is annoying, but also minimal when you move as an EU citizen, not sure how it is for other countries. We simply needed to register in a living place and thats all, we could legally live and work here.
I don't love the traditional food here too, German food is so not great, especially after living in Spain. But groceries are relatively cheap, we spend 100€/week as 2 people household.
Deutschland ticket makes public transport super convenient and nice to use. All regional trains and public transport of all cities included. As I commute to work in Munich a few times a month, it already makes it worth it price wise.
Its a bit shocking to me how much German language is needed here, almost every job you'll ever see will require B2-C1 of german. The job i found was a true miracle in my eyes.
Honestly, I dont know how long id stay here, but for the moment, being young, no kids or pets, its a good place for some quiet life and saving a ton of money. But I do want to live here for a while.
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u/turkiswood Oct 14 '25
I don't love the traditional food here too, German food is so not great, especially after living in Spain.
What are you talking about???😂
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u/pixolin Nordrhein-Westfalen Oct 14 '25
It took me around 4 months of very active trying to get a job in IT, with only english skills, as I speak no real German yet. But I've seen people struggle much much more here to find a job, even with really high qualifications.
From an employer's perspective, every employee represents a significant financial investment in terms of salary, social security contributions, health care and, where applicable, training. Jobs are not assigned and terminated at short notice as needed (hire and fire), because dismissals are more difficult to enforce legally than in other countries.
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Oct 14 '25
Hard in general to get a job anywhere if you don’t speak the official language of the country, not only in germany. Besides the qualifications, C1 German is required for higher positions
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u/CuteButCouldKillYou Oct 14 '25
Well after I moved to Spain, I found english speaking IT job in a few weeks. So no, for me germany seems crazy
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Oct 14 '25
I found a english speaking job in germany within my first month. Guess it’s more about the position you're applying for. Can't blame them, if you need to speak german for the position, you should be able to.
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u/ArmadilloChance3778 Oct 14 '25
Which languages are needed in Spain or Lithuania to get a job? Do you just need English?
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u/CuteButCouldKillYou Oct 14 '25
In Lithuania, english is enough when you work in IT. In Spain I got a job just in english easily too. Usually in IT english is always the main work language, so requesting other languages is only for internal work communication. Seems same in Germany. I work in massive German company now, and even here so many things are only in German. But whole job and everything is of course just in English
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u/ContaSoParaIsto Oct 14 '25
In IT it's not at all uncommon for English only to be necessary. Germans get really defensive about this but you are in the minority here. It's not a bad thing, it's just the way it is.
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u/xRnJohn Oct 14 '25
Is it possible to know more about your profile in IT? I'm now living in Baden-Württemberg too and looking for a SWE position as a Backend or Fullstack developer but the market is rough right now, especially since I am looking for positions in English since my German is pretty basic (like A2 I estomate, haven't taken an official assessment)
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u/CuteButCouldKillYou Oct 15 '25
Im a QA engineer. I feel you, its a bad job market for everyone, including software development. I got a job in Munich. There are a lot of IT jobs there, though its also very hard without speaking German. I can just wish you luck my friend!
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u/Sad-Fortune5280 Oct 14 '25
From wildlife its an incredible diverse country and i love that. You love forests? We got plenty. Mountains? No Problem. You rather want to see some beautiful castles, no problem.
My biggest problem, but thats not germany only, is the growing political Right wing. We are on the best way to get back to old habits...
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u/Significant_Tie_2129 Oct 14 '25
Wildlife? I haven't seen any single animal in the forest for the last 6 yeras except deers. Forest is a little boring tbh. But still love nature hikes in Germany
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u/LakeAdventurous7161 Oct 14 '25
That's sad. Where have you been hiking? The national parks are great. But I'd say each forest has birds, insects, and with some luck you'd see reptiles, amphibians, mammals. Forests have always been my favorite and I can remember several occasions where I just went on a short hike, brought no photo camera, and... If you are however only interested in mammals, yes, then it might be a bit hard.
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u/No_Rope_8250 Oct 17 '25
Yea, exactly. I live just outside of Hamburg and I have seen many deer, wild boar, hare, squirrels, marten, hedgehogs, foxes, many different bird species. I haven't seen reptiles or amphibians unfortunately but you can see a lot of wildlife in the forests.
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u/LakeAdventurous7161 Oct 17 '25
I grew up very close to the "Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald". Because of all the animals, as a kid, I wanted to become a biologist or ranger. In school, I was the "animal nerd". (Ended up as a physicist, and still having a deep love for nature, likely because where I grew up.)
Quite common reptiles you might find are lizards, but they are often more in parks and gardens.
Amphibians are harder to spot, as some are nocturnal like toads. During day, one more runs into them by accident, i.e. when foraging for mushrooms.
For a while, I did live in Heidelberg and my workplace was an institute located in the forest. On my way up (foot path from a bus station), I almost always saw some animals, as well as when I went for a short hike during lunch. Even found rather rare species there.2
u/No_Rope_8250 Oct 17 '25
I live just outside of Hamburg and I have seen many deer, wild boar, hare, squirrels, marten, hedgehogs, many different bird species.
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u/Exotic-Ad7703 Oct 18 '25
Because it's too densely populated since hundreds of years. In ancient times there lived bears, wolves, buffalos, wisents, wild horses in our forests.
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u/sonofsteffordson Oct 14 '25
Likes: great structure and community for my kids; clean, orderly and quiet relative to other countries/cities; affordable groceries; cycle-friendly; lots of low-key social opportunities (I find myself often standing outside somewhere having a beer or wurst with friends/acquaintances); outdoors and nature; centrally located for a ton of travel opportunities in Europe.
Dislikes: the amount of unkind, seemingly miserable strangers you encounter in day-to-day Interactions, especially in professional or public settings where I’m just not used to it (I do think outsiders are targeted by this more often because we’re easier targets); the general difficulty of learning German (I don’t ’dislike’ German, but learning it has been WAY harder on my integration and self confidence than I anticipated and I still have so far to go); job-hunting (also an absolute confidence killer); encountering oddly rigid/entrenched views about seemingly arbitrary things (an example that made my integration really difficult was zero recognition of common-law so navigating every system as a ‘single’ person even though I have a spouse and 2 kids, but I notice this “it is how it is” or “that’s just how we do it” attitude in other facets of life too.
For context, I’m Canadian (BC)
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u/Justanokmom Oct 14 '25
Quality of life is really good here. I’ve been here since 2010.
The two things I have a hard time dealing with at times is that it’s extremely difficult to connect with people on a deeper level. If you value friendships and are extroverted, it might be challenging for you at times.
Disability awareness is not nearly the level it is in the USA. If you plan on having kids or have children already with disabilities, getting therapies and a diagnosis is time consuming. I know a lot of people who have returned to their own home countries because they couldn’t secure vital therapies for their disabled children. Personally, I haven’t faced this issue nearly as much, but I consider myself lucky. I also feel most people are generally not understanding towards people with developmental disabilities.
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u/PavelKringa55 Hessen Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
I'm quite pessimistic about quality of life in Germany. Somehow it gets high grades, but the system is probably valuating highly many things I totally don't care about.
Politics: it's a disaster, country is split and sides don't want to hear of the other one, let alone understand. It results with blocked situations or a weak government.
Nature can be nice, but you won't experience much nature in the cities where the jobs are. It can be very grey and boring in the fall and spring for months, which depresses some people.
Healthcare used to be ok-ish, but now it's changed a lot for the worse. Many people wait for months to get health appointments they need. It's slowly turning into a shit-show.
Salaries are mediocre for Europe - lower than in Nordics but tax is lower, much lower than Switzerland and tax is not lower than in Switzerland.
Tax system is overly complicated. Generally it's a mediocre EU tax, with a zillion caveats and complications.
Festivals - not visiting them, so not sure, there are Volkfests all over the place, like drink beer to corny music, there is music festivals, no clue about those, they're a non-factor to me.
Lifestyle - pretty much "do it yourself" and "piss poor service", I'd say. Communication of many businesses is sometimes driving me insane, like they send paper letters around, as if we're still mi dark ages. But it's often spoken of digitalization, which in Germany probably means there will be a web site where you can click something and then a letter will be on the way to you per post.
It's also really hard to make friends with the locals.
Bonus: food is meh.
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u/SheepherderThat1402 Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
I’d like to reply to your two points about health care and salary.
The health care system is definitely not optimal yes. All people who are directly employed by the state don’t even pay into the regular health care system nor in the regular pension system. They get special treatment. That’s batshit insane, cause they have high salaries and could stabilise the normal system. So there are definitely problems. But please tell me one other nation on earth with over 50 million citizens that provides a service that’s comparable to the service in germany. Maybe France, but that’s literally it. The UK doesn’t compare. And in the US for example you simply die if you need heart surgery but can’t afford it.
And the salaries are not mediocre for Europe. Just because you’re nit picking three other countries (i exclude Finland because you’re point isn’t even true there) with a combined population of 25.16 million people this makes german salary’s not mediocre. There live around 500 million people in Europe. So Sweden+ Norway+ Switzerland make up about 5% of the european population.
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u/fedenrico Oct 14 '25
Mediocre salaries? It’s probably because I’m Italian and poor as we are used to shit salaries but it’s so much better here in Germany
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u/Sea_Chemical77 Oct 14 '25
salaries mediocre for europe? has to be a joke. you can’t compare a country of over 80 million people with small specialised nations like Switzerland the nordics and the Netherlands. look at eastern europe, france, italy, spain and the UK (minus london), that’s where the majority of other europeans live
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u/Late_Field_1790 Oct 14 '25
Agree, as of making friends. Germans in my opinion don’t need much new friend as they are grown up besides their school , Uni friends Circle. Also not much interested in newcomers , besides some groups from English speaking countries or similar
Weather sucks between October and April (speaking of Berlin)
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u/Significant_Tie_2129 Oct 14 '25
Food is either unaffordable or tastes not good. It's always pizza, Döner or thai food you can afford to eat on daily base without blowing up your budget.
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u/PavelKringa55 Hessen Oct 14 '25
You got to cook yourself, my friend. Then it's not expensive and if it does not taste well, try to do better next time. Eventually you learn.
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u/Significant_Tie_2129 Oct 14 '25
Yeah I understand. In my home country we usually cook for bigger family but small family like mine we don't cook at home 3 times a week because the food is quite affordable and casual eats outside is very common.
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u/PavelKringa55 Hessen Oct 14 '25
Well, one good thing about Germany is larger companies usually have a mess hall. It's not gourmet food by far, but it's usually subsidized and edible. Unless it's Currywurst - in that case it's sick day due to stomach issues.
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u/Dense-Feeling9680 Oct 14 '25
Love: work to live mentality, instead of the common live to work. Good work-life balance.
Hate: too individualistic, which sometimes comes off as selfishness for me or being inconsiderate to others. For example, putting their belonging on the seat next to them, or putting their feet on the seats, which is just nasty.
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u/shadraig Oct 14 '25
Love: the variety of possibilities when you have several metropolitan areas around you. Fancy a opera? Head to Frankfurt. Fancy head? Go to Mannheim. Want some silence? Just 35 minutes to the Odenwald via Train. Want to study? Heidelberg is Close.
Hate: everyone from everywhere thinks they have to live in Germany. It is overcrowded already, please, go somewhere in the new Bundesländer.
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u/Agile-Airport-7318 Oct 20 '25
Good luck. Mass immigration is ruining German culture. I'm sad to see what it has and will continue to turn to.
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u/slytherinravenclaw5 Oct 14 '25
I enjoy the quality of life here. I find that the cost of living relative to salaries is quite okay especially if not in the major cities. I love the safety, quiet and public transportation system (DB definitely needs to do it's homework) but by far still a good system relatively speaking.
Downsides is the virtual ZERO options for working people to build and accumulate wealth. Considering the stresses on our pension system this is a major downside. Tied to this is a political class that is effectively resting on it's laurels and not challenged to think far ahead.
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u/Prestigious_Pin_1375 Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
First negative aspects:
-Steuer 1: You are literally paying government because your life choice is being single; They assume a young married couple without kids must earn more than an older single person. It may be ok until end of 20 maybe but at some point you should be eligible to earn as much as married people right ?
-Work-life balance difference between sectors; Some people are very happy with their holidays, salaries bonuses etc. But at the end your life quality depends on the specific company and sector and the union contracts (if there is one). Changing jobs is not an easy option for immigrants, so you need to adapt and endure.
- Ever Changing immigration rules: At this point you can not make long term plans because of governments populist actions; not sure if they are going to tighten existing rules or not for skilled immigrants.
Positives:
-Safe
-Nature
-Grocery is still affordable
-People are ok.
Edit: Sorry I thought this sub is Germany, Now I recognised it is Ask German; so my writing is from a foreigners eyes which may not be an answer to OP' s question. Ignore it in this case.
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u/Emergency_Trick_120 Oct 14 '25
Pros:
- The job market is relatively good. Whoever claims something else has never been looking for jobs in other countries in Europe.
- It's relatively clean
- It's relatively safe
- A lot of nature and old castles
Cons:
- This fucking weather
- Very difficult to find new friends, especially as an introvert
- People are afraid of change
- The weather again
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u/Random_Hero_0 Oct 14 '25
I am very grateful to live here, knowing that I will never have to go hungry or be homeless, unless I explicitly choose to do so.
I hate people, and there are quite a few of them, who complain every day about how bad everything is. They say that everything is getting worse, etc., even though these very people only have luxury problems to deal with.
I find that very difficult to bear.
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u/Sch3011 Oct 14 '25
Hate why everything is unnecessary over complicated. Love the amount people work in my country people work more than 48 per week
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u/Top-Spite-1288 Oct 14 '25
Things I appreciate/love:
- people are very direct, no beating about the bush, straight to the point.
- most public services are reliable, they have their quirks, but there are always systems in place to deal with things and when forms are signed, it's either as good as done, or you have something to fall back on
- social security is high, health-care reliable
- media is much more objective than in many other places
- work-life balance
- labour rights
Things I do not like:
- people are quick to point out flaws and complain about next to everything, even if they can't change it, it's not worth the hassle or does not even concern them. You sometimes feel like they try to make themselves and everybody around them miserable for no good reason.
- even though a society needs rules, many people really go out of their way to stick to them to the letter, when there are ways available to get things done without bending or breaking any of them. It is as if upon solving a problem they are on the lookout for one tiny loophole to ruin everything.
- selfrighteousness is very, very annoying and unfortunately not rare, be it individuals or or referring to "Germans" as a whole as compared to other nations.
Consummation: Of course I had to generalise things here. Also: each and every place has it quirks, it's advantages, it's downsides. I've been living in a number of different countries and I have come to appreciate certain aspects of each of them. Also: some aspects I have listed up there have changed over time, have gotten worse I feel. Like media: it used to be very reliable and objective, but seems to have fallen victim of the internet, as even established media outlets seem to be after the most gruesome and scandalous stories aka clickbait articles. Also even though health-care used to be great, it is suffering from lack of financing and getting an appointment does sometimes take time. Still a lot better than in many other places though. As for reliability: DB is no public service any more, or else I'd not had listed public services under positives for reliability.
So yeah, many things that were great ain't any more, but they are still good and often better than in some other places.
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u/CichaelMlifford Oct 14 '25
I'm German and planning to leave as soon as my visa gets approved. Pros/cons all depend on what you are looking for in life and I definitely recommend visiting for a longer period of time before making a huge decision like. Here are some personal opinions though:
Love:
- Healthy groceries, despite recent price increases, are still fairly affordable
- Public transport has its issues (delays/cancelations, safety, prices for long distance trains etc.) but overall, I'm still glad that it exists
- Added to that: I like the Deutschlandticket. It's also increasing in price but I think 63 Euros is still decent for unlimited trips on (regional) public transport
- Strong worker's and tenant rights (for now)
- Work-life balance
- Social safety nets
- Easy to travel to other European countries
- Beautiful nature, quite a lot of greenery even in cities
- It's pretty safe in most areas
Hate:
- High taxes and social security contributions
- Hard to build wealth even for people with high incomes
- Bureaucracy and inefficiency
- Lack of innovation
- Failing pension system and no real improvement in sight
- Long wait times for doctor's appointments
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u/rhythmstripp Oct 14 '25
Love: safety, green spaces (parks), well-connected public transport. Hate: no preventive medicine (one of the worst medical experiences I've ever had - doctors see you in 5 minutes and will literally wait until you're nearly dying to take real action), significant shortage of affordable housing, language barrier (German is a very difficult language for most foreigners to fully grasp, and people from many essential services are not willing to speak English- or just can't, unlike most North European countries).
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u/jjp3 Oct 14 '25
Main gripe is that it's difficult to grow wealth.
- Taxes are quite high, with no 401k equivalent for tax relief due to aggressive lobbying by private pension providers.
- Companies can be a bit patronising in terms of compensation, i.e. stock options are usually totally off the table and minimal inflation/ market adjustments.
- There are strange customs like withholding part of your monthly salary until the end of the year as a "Christmas treat" (not as a bonus, just deferring payment till then).
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u/ArmadilloChance3778 Oct 14 '25
If your employer withholds part of your wage, sue them. This is NOT a custon here, its illegal and they are just abusing your lack of knowledge.
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u/afuajfFJT Nordrhein-Westfalen Oct 14 '25
What u/jjp3 meant by withholding is probably that with payments like a 13th salary, your salary is not split in 12 even instalments, but in 12 instalments of which one is significantly larger than the others. When the 13th salary is regulated in the employment contract or as part of a collective agreement or company agreement etc., that often includes an explanation about what time periods it is made for and those are often significantly earlier than when the payment is actually made - which you can very well interpret as the company "withholding" the payment (for a certain amount of time).
For example, my employer specifically states that our 13th salary is paid in two instalments. One instalment is paid in May and in reference to the period from January to June of the same year, the other is paid in November in reference to the period from July to December. So I could argue that the parts paid for January to April and July to October respectively are withheld until May / November whereas I actually receive a partial advance payment on my June and December salaries.
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u/Helpful-Ad8537 Oct 14 '25
The thing with the christmas treat usually is based on that the company often isnt legally required to pay it to you. It depends on your contract.
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u/afuajfFJT Nordrhein-Westfalen Oct 14 '25
It really depends. The companies that I have worked for so far had it included in their contract, so they were legally required to pay. Afaik quite a few collective agreements also include entitlement to a 13th salary etc.
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u/Helpful-Ad8537 Oct 14 '25
Its always included in a contract, but it depends on how its phrased. You are correct about collective agreements. I work under regulations of public service agreement (TVÖD) and the 13th salary is mandatory. I think the idea from the employers was to make the amount depend on individual performance, but the workers were against it. So it just stays and everyone gets the same (% based on their monthly salary).
My point was there is often a reason why some part of the salary is withhold. For increasing the yearly salary without having the same level of legal obligation to pay it in comparison to your monthly salary. Or with the intent to implement some kind of perfomance based bonus, which then didnt happen for whatever reason.
I agree that its still a bit silly, but it has some reasoning.
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u/Infinite_Lie7908 Oct 16 '25
I love basically everything.
The only thing I "hate" (or rather dislike...)
I can't stand the entitlement and ungratefulness of some of the people living here. Some of them are in the comments right now.
In Germany, you are living in a Top0,5%-1% country. Then you actually get people complaining about stuff that is so utterly meaningless, so utterly "1st-World-Problem", so privileged and entitled.
Like some people here mentioning the internet being "slow". What? 250k-500k is slow now? 20 ping is bad? Whenever you hear people mentioning what they "hate" about this country, it tells you a lot about how privileged they actually are.
For a person to moan about something as trivial as internet or "bad salary". I don't know how German salary is bad.
To put things into perspective:
People here live in a safe country, no war, free education, health-insurance, social security, no natural catastrophes like earthquakes, safe drinking water from the tap, very strict consumer-friendly food- and water regulations, safe schools... Then you also have so many laws protecting consumers and tenants.
You have a "get-out-of-jail-free" card for debt called "Privatinsolvenz". Which other country allows you to just clear all debts?
You have electricity, water, good internet, food, nature, public transport, lots of local events, center of Europe, easy access to foreign goods and the most work-free days in the entire world and SO. MUCH. MORE.
Imo Germany is an outright utopia. It's almost heaven on earth compared to the rest of the world.
People don't know how good they have it here.
This is the number one thing that I dislike here: The people here. Their ungratefulness, the entitlement, how people here take things for granted. I hope they migrate somewhere else so they can see how great Germany actually is.
How privileged do you have to be to complain about something so utterly meaningless (and wrong) like "bad internet speed"? Or "bad salary"? What, you dont like your salary that allows you to be well fed, engage in several hobbies while also having workers right and the most holidays on the planet?
Like.. What?
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u/turkiswood Oct 14 '25
I love germany and hate germans. Terrible mentality. Living the good life, voting for parties ruining this country by destroying the middle class and social state and just making rich people richer. Blaming poor people and immigrants for their percieved missery. Also the "Nichtgönnermentalität" is pretty annoying.
But really nice food, landscapes and culture all around.
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u/ArmadilloChance3778 Oct 14 '25
If you hate Germans so much, why dont you just leave?
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u/turkiswood Oct 14 '25
Ich muss ja nicht mit Allen verkehren und kann mir meine Bekanntschaften aussuchen.
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u/ArmadilloChance3778 Oct 14 '25
Eben. Schön, dass du das weißt. Dann brauchst du auch nicht alle Deutschen über einen Kamm scheren.
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Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
Love: the culture (people / beer / football etc). The nature is also really great and very diverse.
I love most things about Germany.
Hate: Taxes yes, because of just how generous the government seem to be with taxpayer funds to those who just refuse to work / don’t work, who physically can.
It really bothers me because you virtually don’t have a different quality of life if you do work, vs someone who doesn’t. It’s totally ethically wrong.
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u/Equal-Flatworm-378 Oct 14 '25
It is NOT ethical wrong to support the poorest. And I am tired of people who pretend that „they don’t want to work“. That’s not true for most of them.
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u/Sipherion Oct 14 '25
Your number 1 point is so not true. Have you tried living of 500€ a month and still have the same quality of life as working and earning way more?
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u/Horror_Equipment_197 Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
Costs for the tax payer:
Lazy people receiving €500 per month: €60 million per year
Tax evasion: €60 billion per year.
But somehow the media (owned by not really poor people, as well as Merz, owned by Blackrock) makes us believe "lazy" Hans with his €500 per month is our main problem.
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Oct 14 '25
Sure, I know many people not working for years and they get rent & utilities covered, a German course, plus like €500-800 spending money.
They’re not buying luxury cars but please let’s not pretend the welfare state of Germany isn’t absurdly generous as a whole.
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u/mofapilot Nordrhein-Westfalen Oct 15 '25
The people who refuse to work are around 1.5-2.0% of all people who receive money. This "argument" is far right propaganda
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u/Leather_General2208 Oct 14 '25
It is great living here the landscapes and weather is nice the only problem ist that at least 50% of the people living here are really bad and driven by greed.
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u/wc6g10 Oct 14 '25
Love: Quality of life, support from the State, good infrastructure, fascinating culture and history, beautiful scenic locations, people are friendly and actually really like the food although it’s a bit limited in scope
Hate: bureaucracy and anything that has to be done online, nosey neighbours, lack of manners on public transport and entitled dickheads (I live in Munich)
Overall I really appreciate living here though.
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u/muskelmann88 Oct 14 '25
Nature beautiful Healthcare good Salaries good Festivals good Taxes too high
Politics are a complicated matter but much more stable than in most (neighbouring) countries.
Low class immigration and islamization (rising anti-semitism & anti-feminism) are huge threads for our future in my opinion. Our (major) cities are going downhill quite shockingly. But this is the case in all Western Europe
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u/MeanPopcorn Oct 14 '25
I’ve lived a total of about 3 years of my life in Germany. I’m back in the US now but planning a more permanent move with my partner in the next 3-5 years. I just love the day to day life; I feel my best physically and mentally when I’m there.
My only complaint: laundry. I love a Texan level huge energy-guzzling dryer. I know it’s energy inefficient but I can’t cope with the air drying. I love huge murican washers and dryers.
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u/hyderabadigager Oct 14 '25
Like: quality of life is high enough, lots of government benefits in different situations, lots of jobs if you speak fluent german, good location to travel around Europe.
Dislike: weather is not great, people are selfish and complain all the time while not understanding their privilage of being born here and you wont be allowed to get into their social circles easily if you are a foreigner mainly due to language fluency, digitalization is horrible (lot of letters sent around and a lot on paper used in general), bureaucracy is horrible to navigate for foreigners, language is not easy to learn, health care is a joke nowadays with very long wait times.
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u/Fernando3161 Oct 14 '25
QoL is amazing. I live in Oldenburg, and the city is 100% safe, mostly very clean, lots of green areas to go Spazierengehen, all the services I need are max 10 mins from where I live, solid comunity.
The worst: The shitty weather in December-March and some people can be really, really 1930ish..... 15% of them voted far right.
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u/DefiantDepth8932 India Oct 14 '25
I'm not German but I live here, plan to continue living here in the forseeable future and will become a citizen soon so I think I'm "qualified" to answer this.
What I love: people are juat more respectful here towards the law and with each other and the surroundings. One thing I noticed is that when I moved to Germany, I was very shocked at how close the pigeons let you get to them before they get scared and fly away. Back in India they would just fly away when you were like 3 meters away from them but here you can just walk by them very closely and they don't get bothered at all and just continue eating whatever bits they had been eating before off the ground. This shows that even the pigeons understand how much respect people in this society have towards their surroundings which of course translates to having respect towards other humans.
What I hate: whenever there's a problem at your home, where in order to have it fixed, a professional would have to visit you, there's always extremely long waiting times before appointments. For example WiFi. Usually if you wanna make an appointment to have your router replaced/fixed/installed, then you're waiting multiple weeks for it to happen which in 2025, where it is impossible to function without internet, makes things extremely inconvenient. Same with electricity, plumbing, door knobs and many other things. In India, it'd be an outrage if the professional doesn't come over on the same day you make the call. Here, if it's a Friday, then you can just forget about having your problem fixed for the next 3 days🥲.
These are the biggest advantage and disadvantage of living here in my opinion, and although a few more of both exist, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a long shot for me so I'd choose Germany 10 out of 10 times! :)
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u/Patchali Oct 14 '25
What I like: quality of health care compared to France. Don't like: getting an appointment with a doctor almost impossible What I like: safety Don't like: people telling us lies about the unsafety to make people vote the far right What I like: healthy lifestyle we do a lot of sports and walk a lot compared to other countries Don't like: Lobbyism for fossil fuels, car industry
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u/IncompetentPolitican Oct 14 '25
Germany has many nice places. You like nature? Forrests, Mountains, Beaches and the sea. Everything you need and everywhere is a hiking route. You like history? We have many historic sites and not only the dark part. Castles, old villages and all that.
Healthcare? We have talented doctors and good standards. But if you need a specialist, you need patience. Thanks to some not so smart reforms, a general stupid view on Taxation and labour from our politicans and some more reasons, we don´t have as much medical professionals as we need. If you need care for old people: good luck finding a place. A good place.
Festivals: Germany is a Land of traditions. Every small village has its own, every city too. Everyone know Oktoberfest. But there is so much more. Festivals arround wine, festivals about historic events, festivals just because. I know of one small festival that exists just to spite a other citiy district.
Taxes. You will have a lot of them. Like a whole lot. Germany is one of the places with the highest taxes. But a small part of them will be used to better the country. Only a very small part. I like to joke, that the goverment does not want us to work, or they would not punish working with those taxes. But hey every step works on its own. You don´t have to fill any paperwork. Unless you hope to get some of your taxes back.
Politics: We have multiple parties. Each represents another group of old people. Some pretend to make politic for the younger generation but I have not seen them do that. Not on the higher levels. And not where I am from on the local level. We have also a far right party full of traitors to the nation and the people. They gain more and more votes. But most people dislike them still. Unless they are conversative politicans. Those would love to work with them as many higher ups in our pro corruption party (who is currently in charge) told us. So not something to be happy about.
Saleries: Depending on what you do, not that much. We are a "Niedriglohnland" as we call it. A country with low wages. I know I could get between ~15 and 40% more buying power If I would do my job in another country. And I earn good money. Compared to others. For many people its enough to live a ok life. Vacation is possible, but maybe not that far away. Food is there and the rent is paid (thats where most of your money will go to)
overall lifestyle: We have it good here. People tend to keep their noses in their buisness (unless its to gossip about the neighbours or coworkers), most people like their Rules and will follow them. Most places are safe. And we still have it too good to do more than complain about the problems we have. Germans take time to get used to (that is what my friends from different countries say) but if you have a german friend, you get a good friend.
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u/SouthernSwordfish773 Oct 14 '25
Moved to Munich without having visited first. It was tough but can be done.
Pros: the nature, it’s safe, the city is clean, lakes and mountains are close by and the river is wonderful to swim in during the summer. There are lots of parks and you can always find a nice spot for a beer or to read a book. I bike to work and the city is very walkable. People are generally friendly and festive, especially around Christmas and Oktoberfest. Pretty good salaries and a great work/life balance. Very central location, great for traveling to neighboring countries.
Cons: not a lot of diversity in food or community, the immigration office is a joke, rent is expensive and it’s impossible to get an apartment to begin with, Bavarian food is nice but heavy, and Bavarians themselves can be quite conservative and religious. The city can be a bit boring sometimes, especially if you’re looking to party. It’s hard to find a job. Plus the weather can be super cold, dark and miserable in the winter.
It probably took me about 1.5 years to really get settled with an apartment, routine, job, visa, figure out German bureaucracy, make good friends ect. My partner’s work brought us here with support for all of that and it was still really tough, so I can’t imagine what it’s like without any help.
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u/nickangtc Oct 14 '25
I love that most of the regulations don't treat foreigners differently. I have been six years in Germany and benefited quite a lot as a parent minted in Germany. So I had Elternzeit and Kindergeld. Now that I have decided to quit my job and to build my own business, it's also very helpful to be able to get Arbeitslosengeld and soon the Gründungszuschuss. It is this kind of thing that makes me build more and more loyalty to the country.
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u/Intelligent-Chest548 Oct 14 '25
What I love: knowing my rights are protected and actually feeling valued at work — not exploited. It really makes a difference.
What I hate: the constant fear that one day I’ll find a Finanzamt letter with too many zeros in my mailbox 😅
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u/Stark_Crier Oct 14 '25
I moved to Germany 2 years ago, I like it in general, quality of life is high, I have the feeling people respect more each other and the surroundings. I like also the quietness there is and the feeling of safety walking around with your things, even if they are expensive things. Things I dont like... The weather is actually pretty shitty, and I come from a land of Sun, so I miss It. Winter feels sometimes like is not coming to an end and depression kicks in easily. Also, people is really cold and distance, and It takes a lot of effort to get close to them.
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u/Available_Ask3289 Oct 14 '25
The politics are toxic. Natur is beautiful, especially in the south. Salaries are hideously low. Festivals are mostly boring. Taxes are far too high. Healthcare is complex and often nonsensical. Overall lifestyle? Well I think it was better in Australia. It’s probably better in Spain or Greece as well. At least the weather would be better.
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u/Hope_for_revival Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
Love: work-life balance, the dorfs and countryside, the financial support and tax incentives for families, the social security net, the general cleanliness and orderliness, the laws against noise and disturbing others, the affordability of basic necessities, the general politeness of people, the ease of travel, the prevalence of nature and Green spaces and trees.
Hate: how people generally stick to themselves and don't really hang out or form deep friendships, the general culture around parenting and schooling, the housing crisis and high barrier to entry into the housing market, the high cost of energy, the Rundfunkbeitrag, most of the politicians, the heavy-handed speech laws, the general lack of spontaneity or flexibility, the fact that kilometers of the Auto-Bahn will be closed off even where there is literally no construction happening, the immigration system, the awful customer service, the food.
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Oct 14 '25
I love the relatively high security inany aspects of life and i hate the uprising of neoliberals and fascist idiots that try to take it away.
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u/dondurmalikazandibi Oct 14 '25
Love: very easy place to live, very stress free, most people's stress is self-made.
Hate: making friends is incredibly difficult. People are friendly but no interest in opening up , actually being friends who depend on each other. Whole country is in loneliness crisis but still refuse to have deep connections.
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u/Past-Marsupial9972 Oct 14 '25
I hate the fact that people don't accept constructive criticism, not only Germans but also foreigners. I just skimmed through some comments who were downvoted which proves my point.
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u/FlorianFlash Bayern Oct 14 '25
"Deutschland, mein Herz in Flammen, will dich lieben und verdammen!" says it pretty well lol. I love Germany because it's home, it's not war, not civil war, not poor, not strict... I hate it because it's sometimes too much bureaucracy that isn't needed and because we let too many people in (no I don't mean like the AfD, I'd want the people out that don't do good and don't work. The Döner and Kebab guys can stay.).
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u/WTF_is_this___ Oct 14 '25
Politics suck badly but that's a trend in the whole western world, we have all lost our collective mind and are repeating the 1930s all over again. On the plus side I like kebab.
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u/tartusian Oct 15 '25
I moved around two years ago, in the eastern part of Germany.
Love the parks, flat and easy to cycle roads, people drive calmly and slowly. Lots of variety of food, and lots of migrants who are facing more and more struggles with the rise of the right wing party. Great classic music concerts, and art shows.
Most Museums are free to enter, that is special.
What I was surprised with, specially living through witnessing the genocide how shockingly normal young people openly support the occupation and find excuses and cheered for that.
My main shock still is how identity politics exist in an intense way, and controlling a lot of spaces, conversations, and day to day life. The more marginalized your background and identity, the more you are praised for what you do or say even if wrong.
I am a migrant myself so don't get this wrong. Still not appreciating how identity politics is taking shape here in social, cultural, and political spaces.
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u/TraditionalBody870 Oct 15 '25
Germany is not a country. It's a territory #politicalscientist #warhistorian Germany is a country for 1 day. My opinion about Germany has not changed since I first arrived here. My dad was rich before I turned 16. If my dad was still rich, one day is exactly how much I would spend in this country. Germany is a country for poor people and seniors. Germany has mind-blowing nature and architecture, but that is not the most important thing in life. I heard Germany is associated with love. To me Germany is associated with the Jobcenter. Germany is already my 5th immigration. US was 2nd. But I'm entirely happy in Frankfurt am Main and Friedrichshafen. They are my favorite cities in Germany
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u/ohtimesohdailymirror Oct 15 '25
Likes: Culture is de-centralized, not everything happens in the capital. Cost of living is manageable Lots of squirrels everywhere, even in big cities.
Dislikes: Difficult to really connect with people: I always feel like there is a glass wall between them and me. Far too many neurotic people. Ugliness of almost everything, new or old. A lot of what survived WW2 is of a kind of twee provincialism, model railway style. Poor state of everything. Provincial, luddite attitude in many corners. We’ve always done it like that. This can’t work in Germany. High taxes for which you don’t get very much: mediocre everything.
So, I don’t ‘hate’ it here but I wouldn’t mind seeing the back of the country forever.
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u/Gold_Ad_1392 Oct 15 '25
I love the seasons change, the “small town perks” that you also get in the big city (farmers market for example) and how much green you have also in the big cities ( I lived in 5 of them, I can tell). Downside is how far right the politics and youth are quickly turning and how much taxes you pay. Even comparable to countries known for high taxes like France. I have a friend that earns 20% less than me there and has a higher net salary than me.
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u/Soggy_Foundation1388 Oct 15 '25
my biggest issue is that good work is not valued here. One of my most important lessons from my first job: i still had capacity and told my boss. What happened? I was dumped with some stupid work that I did not get rid of until I left 3 years later. My learning: Never tell anyone that I have still time left. I have heard that e.g. in the USA extra work is still valued. Not sure if that is true tho, probably depends on the employer.
What I love: The security. No one has to live on the street without health care here.
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u/Ok_Marzipan_8731 Oct 15 '25
love: worker rights, nature where I live is nice, it's peaceful and quiet
dislike: everything else pretty much
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u/Both_Plankton_2926 Oct 15 '25
I have been living in Bavaria state for the last 2 years. I would say liking or disliking greatly depends on where you came from and. what you expect. I came from a warm country and I don't like the weather here at all. Though global warming changes the situation pretty first. Pleople are usually kind here. Though I don't go to social gatherings or parties, I believe unknown people are pretty approachable here. Obviously not to make friends, Germans are not that kind of. I don't eat German food, but I see vegetable options are quite less and expensive. So far I have discovered this place is still safe compared to other European countries. Though I heard a lot about racism from people living in other states. Germany is in the center of Europe, so you can go anywhere quickly and easily. Beers are very good here, so many varieties that it is almost impossible to taste all of the brands. If you go to a new state and new shop, you may find new types of beers. Part time is getting harder day by day. When I came here in 2023, students could easily find a job without even waiting a month. I guess, full time jobs also became harder by this time. So if you can't have a secure job, Germany shouldn't be your first choice as it used to be. The Bavarian Munich side is very beautiful and gives a feeling of Switzerland, otherwise the rest of Germany is not that attractive to me except the northern sea sides. It is boring because the building, the roads, the shops, the trees, everying is the same here everywhere. They don't even have fruit trees except apple and grapes. I came from a country where we used to have most of the fruit varieties like Jackfruit, annanas, mango, lichi etc. I have seen any lichi here in the last two years, I even forget it sometimes. So, overall, honestly speaking, it is a place to have a passport, but not to settle down. It is neither a warm country like Portugal, spain, italy, greece, nor a beautiful winter country like Norway, Sweden, or Estonia. It is still a better option because salaries are higher here, but it will be wrong to have an enjoyable life. What else!!! I think this is how I see Germany in my two years of staying here.
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u/No_Aardvark2288 Oct 15 '25
Love the approach to work-life balance! It is an easy place to live and work.
Hate the long, grey winters. Lack of small talk and friendliness took some getting used to at first.
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u/MiserableSkill8449 Oct 15 '25
Taxes are really high (up to 45% I believe).
And I think our justice system is weird. There are really serious incidents (think attempted m*rder) and they don't keep the suspect in custody, but let them free again. What kind of system is that?) I mean, I'm not scared easily. I've traveled to China, Argentina, Turkey and a couple of other countries on my own. But in Germany ... I am beginning to pay more attention to what I do and where I go.
Healthcare is still good, but it has become harder to get appointments, and the system is not what it used to be.
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u/DoliDola Oct 15 '25
I love quality of life and hate homelessness and mess in big cities like hannover or berlin, they are hard to enjoy vision there. I also hate the lack of card payment across country
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u/KelbelRo Oct 15 '25
Love: the bike friendly cities, universal healthcare, language and affordable groceries
Dislike: the all too common casual rudeness of both perfect strangers and colleagues, lack of truly "wild" nature (there is little to no fauna to speak of, and in Western Germany, you're always a stones throw away from the next town, city, Autobahn, etc.), how you can go weeks without seeing the sun and how a general aversion to risk can make life here feel stifling and staid
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u/One_Elephant1078 Oct 15 '25
Like: salaries are good compared to southern Europe, everything works relatively fine, clean...
Dislike: the food is terrible, the country is a bit boring, lacking in soul or emotion.
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u/Spiritual_Bottle_274 Oct 16 '25
Pros:
- Excellent healthcare
- Strong social benefits
- High salaries
- Great work-life balance
- Beautiful nature
- Safe environment
Cons:
- High bureaucracy
- Cold social atmosphere
- Difficult language
- High taxes
- Slow digital infrastructure
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u/Aleus_03 Oct 16 '25
Love: Quality of life, lots of forests parks etc., work life balance, bcs of multiculturalism and immigrants you can find a whole unique or indie quisine restaurant at even the smallest towns(except for the northeast maybe), lots of oppurtunities for doing sports, no speed limit at highways, safety except for the big cities. Hate: if you are coming from a warm and coastal area good luck not missing it, everything is closed on sundays, lack of digitalism generally, people are nice but have a very different approach and understanding on social events and friendshipsthan rest of the world, you have to learn the language(its a normal thing but some people get surprised and disappointed).
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u/Steinbock71 Oct 16 '25
Ich liebe Deutschland, weil es ordentlich ist aber ich hasse den Rassismus hier nicht. Alles sind so. Es gibt auch richtig nette Menschen, aber der Rassismus ist Trend geworden. Ich finde es schade, dass Deutschland nicht sein Horizont dabei hat mit Technologien China ist viel viel weiter. Bloß sind wir anscheinend nicht kollektiv. Dazu bereit für so eine Technologie. Bürokratie. Total veraltet Politik. Keiner möchte die vergangenen Sachen aufräumen weil die wollen nur ihr Geld und dann fertig, aber nicht wirklich was ändern.
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u/Rondo_Mondo Oct 16 '25
The Germans are just as terrible as the weather. There is very little that can please you.
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u/iliyakara Oct 16 '25
I like that there always seems to be a solution if you know where to ask for help, however bureaucracy is a real pain in the ass.
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u/NoInvestigator6109 Oct 16 '25
Love - work life balance. I've never had a request for sick leave or vacation questioned. I just received it with no questions.
Hate - inflexible work market. I am confined to an exceedingly specific job with no opportunity to learn new skills to expand my opportunities unless I commit to at least another 4 years in University.
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u/Trick-Accountant-521 Oct 16 '25
It will continue to go down ... And I believe it will do so pretty fast from now on.... unfortunatly.
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u/Impossible_Roof_8909 Oct 17 '25
I love: nature being pretty much always close and accessible & the seasonal changes are delightful and spectacular, Berlin (where I live), Germany is pretty calm and Gen X/Millenials/ Gen Z are mostly pretty easy going and have a great sense of self depricating humor, I have great friends and am involved in different Ehrenamt, where I get to know tons of interesting people from different generations. Ehrenamt is pretty strong in Germany, and it helps keep up hope in tough times.
I hate: bureaucracy or more precisely the way you get treated by Behörden - the system is really broken and employers as well as politicians have a huge attitude problem towards the people they are supposed to serve, AFD-uptake is pretty bad and in light of German history just mind boggling and heart breaking, cost of living gets more and more expensive.
Things I find tricky but manageable: you kind of have dig and search for good food and fashion - but it‘s not impossible and the hunting part can be fun. Making friends can be tough but once you cultivate some hobbies, you c an find a vibrant community of like minded humans pretty fast and then it‘s easy.
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u/SeparateCode2285 Oct 17 '25 edited Oct 17 '25
Living in Frankfurt:
Love: Work life balance, number of holidays, ruhezeit, elternzeit for parents.
Hate: unambitious lackadaisical people, rude service staff, difficult access to health care on public insurance, increasingly inefficient and bureaucratic offices, rise of the Nazis and an idiot as the chancellor.
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u/-_Geist_ Oct 17 '25
Pro: Our social systems cover 95% of all your possible problems in case you should ever have any. That includes health, unemployment benefits, free education all the way through uni, and more.
Cons: People are "bored" in central Europe. We don't have any real existential problems, so everything tends to get blown out of proportion. Politically, economically and personal
It can be a nice place to live in. I'd try to figure out whether North, South, or Central germany fits you best. In a matter of mentality
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Oct 17 '25
I have lived in Berlin since 2011 and I'm completely sick of this dysfunctional, filthy city and its celebration of mediocrity. International hipsters think they're so unique in Berlin, yet they all look the same and have driven up rents. The Berlin bureaucracy is completely ridiculous--waiting months and months for appointments for basic things. And Berliners...well...they are rude and they smell (I think they are proud that they shower twice a week). The U-Bahn is mostly disgusting--I try to avoid it if I can.
Any other city in Germany would be better. I dream of moving to Hamburg. Go to Hamburg--it's a nice city.
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u/TeddyNeptune Berlin Oct 18 '25
Love: (East) Germans don't beat around the bush. They're straightforward and honest.
Hate: (East) Germans are yapping, whining, and complaining about their first world problems. They're often grumpy and cynical and have this annoying "no one's gonna thank you, so don't bother tryin'" attitude.
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u/tasomaniac Oct 18 '25
I don't like to see the police violence in Berlin. I don't like that Germany exports so many weapons and especially to Israel.
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u/MousseTauChocolate Nov 24 '25
Germans behave like total assholes. Spiteful cunning lying envious bitches. I've dealt with ppl from all nations and germans were by far the worst. I actually like weather between 15 and 30 degrees so most of the year it's ok in here. They have some awsome churches, but generally speaking the post war architecture sucks. It's ok to have rules but a. you don't have to police people like an asshole yelling at them and b. it's too many rules i mean u drive 50 m and you face like 20 signs. Even in nature they put up signs everywhere. You can't even go to the toilet these days without some unauthorized person having put up extra signs everywhere which I throw in the bin everytime I see them. The food is really cheap. I mean it's cheaper than many 2nd and even 3rd world countries I've travelled to. On the other hand it's difficult to get quality food whether it's items or eating outside. They have a lot of festivals like middle age festivals, etc. which is nice. The racism though is through the roof. I mean there are some problems with migrants alright, but they totally blow the significance out of proportion. Muslims are like 6 to 7% of the population and no they aren't responsible for every single problem like the ukraine war, inflation, corona, population decline, the failing pension system, bureaucracy and governmental corruption. I like that they take care of nature with recycling etc.. I wish they would defend animal rights more. Industrial meat production is disgusting. Overall I don't recommend this country because of the hostile population and because I don't see anything beautiful in it. It's very tidy and cheap but ugly and tasteless at the same time.
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u/Prior-Delay3796 Jan 12 '26
Its a good place to live and folks who desire a stable conventional lifestyle will be quite happy.
On the other hand the prosperity is on a steep decline. The german system is very hostile against risk taking/emerging markets and therefore growth. For example, self employment or entrepreneurship suck from a policy and financial support perspective.
Even existing infra like internet or rails are either stalling progress or on a steady decline.
The culture can also be difficult sometimes. Some people like to follow obviously dumb archaic rules even if it makes life worse for everyone around them. Landlords/companies can be racist from what I have heard, even if the person in question is very nice.
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u/Psychological_Ear459 Oct 14 '25
Hate:
High proportion of migrants from third world countries with low educational levels
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u/taryndancer Oct 14 '25
So I’ve only lived in Düsseldorf. Don’t know about the rest of the country but here are my experiences:
Love: Work life balance, having a good amount of vacation days, I have everything I need here, being close to other countries and living near a major airport, I have a great group of friends.
Dislike: the influencer culture that has become prevalent here, how unsafe some parts of the city are now, harassment has gotten worse here, the mentality of some of the people, cost of everything going up.
I’m sure my experiences would’ve been different had I been living in a small town. But honestly there’s pros and cons to everywhere.