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Comment by yardie | Hacker News Reader

Name another country with an economy as dynamic as the US where the adults choose to stay with their parents. I’m aware this is the norm in other cultures yet it’s born out of necessity, rarely a choice. Where this is the norm usually young adult unemployment is in the double digits.

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https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/dynamic

China is listed at the #2 dynamic economy and it is common there.

Singapore is listed at #6 and it is common there. Singapore is also substantially richer than the US.

Economic dynamism, however you would measure such a thing, is not the best explanation for this. Housing prices are. If housing is affordable, people tend to leave extended family situations to be in their own dwelling.

It's probably more about politics than culture in Singapore. Most people live in public housing, because open market housing is expensive. But the eligibility criteria for public housing make it difficult for young people to move out.

You can’t get a flat in Singapore until 35, 21 if married. Staying at home is not a choice, you’re forced to or be rich enough to buy a million dollar flat.

India is at #9 and it's very common here too. It's become even more so in the tech sector after remote work. Almost all of my single colleagues live with their parents. And even some of the married ones live with parents or in-laws.

I can understand the appeal - no rentals to pay, way lower cost of living if the parents live in a non-metropolitan area, and - if you have kids - you have someone to take care of them during your meetings.

> China is listed at the #2 dynamic economy and it is common there.

I don't think that is really true, at least for kids going to university. In fact, lots of kids virtually move out before they are even finished with high school because boarding schools are so much more common there. After they graduate from university, it is very very common for young adults to live in another city, visiting home maybe once or twice a year.

It is very common here in Gujarat, India. Most of them are employed and live in a joint family. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Gujarat

I was raised in the American South and grew up knowing it to be normal. That has changed as a norm though, and now when parents get old they move in with/near to whoever can take care of them best.

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