Life in Ireland and UK the worst in Europe
A recent Quality of Life index situates Ireland and the UK at the bottom of the European barrel, and Spain and France as shining stars of success. The most current uSwitch.com report compared living costs, household income, and hours of sunshine among 16 total factors to draw conclusions about the happiest of nine European locales.
In the past, the UK was considered by many a light in the dark, but it appears not everything is illuminated any longer. Retirement in the British nation is now the fourth highest in Europe, the government spend on education and healthcare is equal to that of Poland, holiday time is a week less than the European average, and basic cost of living prices are among the highest on the continent.
The fact that the UK no longer enjoys the highest net household income – it’s fallen behind Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark – is just sickly sweet icing on a very bitter cake. Last year, the net household income appeared at an impressive £10,000 above the European average, this year it eeks out a mere £2,314 above the line or reckoning.
“Last year compared with our European neighbours we were miserable but rich, this year we’re miserable and poor,” said Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com.
The news seems to be a stiff right to the solar plexus in a country where the population was always assuming that what they compromised in “softer” quality of life indicators they were compensated for in “harder” factors like average salary.
Expats looking to live abroad in a European country should rather invest in a language course and thereby save themselves from the danger of dropping into the doldrums of British depression.
This is France’s second year at the top of the index, a leading role enjoyed as a result of statistics that credit the country with the earliest retirement age, the highest spend on healthcare and the longest life expectancy. Not to mention, employees can embrace a whopping 36 days of annual holiday leave – compared with the 28 allocated in the UK.
Spain, on the other hand, wrangles in the most hours of sunlight, the highest number of holiday leave overall and the lowest prices for alcohol.
In the past, the UK was considered by many a light in the dark, but it appears not everything is illuminated any longer. Retirement in the British nation is now the fourth highest in Europe, the government spend on education and healthcare is equal to that of Poland, holiday time is a week less than the European average, and basic cost of living prices are among the highest on the continent.
The fact that the UK no longer enjoys the highest net household income – it’s fallen behind Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark – is just sickly sweet icing on a very bitter cake. Last year, the net household income appeared at an impressive £10,000 above the European average, this year it eeks out a mere £2,314 above the line or reckoning.
“Last year compared with our European neighbours we were miserable but rich, this year we’re miserable and poor,” said Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com.
The news seems to be a stiff right to the solar plexus in a country where the population was always assuming that what they compromised in “softer” quality of life indicators they were compensated for in “harder” factors like average salary.
Expats looking to live abroad in a European country should rather invest in a language course and thereby save themselves from the danger of dropping into the doldrums of British depression.
This is France’s second year at the top of the index, a leading role enjoyed as a result of statistics that credit the country with the earliest retirement age, the highest spend on healthcare and the longest life expectancy. Not to mention, employees can embrace a whopping 36 days of annual holiday leave – compared with the 28 allocated in the UK.
Spain, on the other hand, wrangles in the most hours of sunlight, the highest number of holiday leave overall and the lowest prices for alcohol.
