Why does the American consumer allow these companies to get away with it? Extortion like this won't fly in any EU country.
Nobody goes broke here when you get sick.
And still, ISP for me is 43€/month, fixed, unlimited and stable.
We have much better benefits here :p
I would never want to work in the bv US actually ( personal opinion)
Some years abroad and then come back.
It is true for salaried professionals. Salaries are about 30-40% higher in the states. Taxes (which cover education up to uni), health insurance, and 401K account for roughly 30% of our gross salaries, leaving us with more left over than our European counterparts gross (we also work more hours, but not enough to make up the difference). Of course, if you look at non-professional employees, it’s probably better to be European.
Ya, portions are a bit different, but meal prices still come under on average.
It’s like Tokyo, expensive place to live, but good food is cheap.
Take a look at the indices linked below—notice that food is pretty close, and notice also that the meal prices aren’t adjusted by serving size. Notice also the salaries. Notice also the rent prices (which appear astronomical in the US vs France until you realize that they don’t adjust for sq ft), then look at the adjusted sq ft prices.
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_resu...
The monopolies were probably exacerbated, rather than exasperated, though /you/ might have been exasperated.
To exacerbate a thing is to make something that was bad, worse. You will usually exacerbate the _aspect_ that is bad, but you might also exacerbate a whole thing (such as a monopoly or a house fire) if the whole thing is in fact bad.
Whereas to exasperate is to irritate very intensely when action to sooth the irritation is frustrated. So if a young child is screaming and won't stop but you know hitting them is wrong, you may be exasperated.
I've not had much sleep the last few weeks thanks to my newborn son so am making these kinds of silly mistakes.
I wish there were better alternatives in the area, as I pay a lot more than I'd like to each month just for mostly reliable internet. I can't use satellite because I need it to be up even during storms, as I work from home.