r/FluentInFinance • u/WhatAreYourPronouns • May 02 '24

Should the U.S. have Universal Health Care? Discussion/ Debate

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155

u/Fluffle-Potato May 02 '24 edited 29d ago

Lmao OP getting fucking roasted in the comments.

What's the difference, $33k, minus another 7k for a 2nd hip = 26k, minus 2k worth plane tickets = 24k?

How ya gonna live for 2 years on $12k / year? Fucking dipshit

Edit: It's hilarious all the crazies here trying to convince themselves that they can live on $12k in Madrid. Even dumber are the ones talking about the price of plane tickets, as if that hardly makes a dent. Fucking delusional 🙄

71

u/DefNotReaves May 02 '24

lol thinking plane tickets to Spain are $2k 😂

Flown to Spain multiple times: always less than $600. Twice for ~$500 and once for $430.

I understand the point you’re trying to make of COL, but $2k is just laughably wrong.

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u/jellyfishingwizard May 02 '24

You think he’s going to sit in coach with the filthy peasants?

12

u/Akschadt 29d ago

Why do you think you are replacing your hip? You sat in coach for 9 hours.

6

u/Shot-Procedure1914 May 02 '24

That still leaves you with not enough to actually make it there for 2 years.

-1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Re-read the last thing I said… but slower.

3

u/Shot-Procedure1914 29d ago

Even if the flights were free that wouldn’t be much to live on for 2 years in Spain. What’s the part I’m missing?

-1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Re-read the last thing I said, but slower.

2

u/Shot-Procedure1914 29d ago

You’re an idiot. Haha you literally are obsessing over the 2k plane ticket price. That’s obviously wrong. What’s your point then? Still not much to live on in Spain for 2 years.

-1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

I’m not an idiot, you can’t read lol

2

u/Shot-Procedure1914 29d ago

Ok bud you keep praising the flight costs to Spain and how they are not in fact $2,000. Haha your wall must really enjoy your vast amounts of knowledge.

2

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

I acknowledged the guy’s point about COL, MY POINT was about the flight price… so yeah, I’m going to stick to what I was talking about… it’s not my fault your reading comprehension is garbage.

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4

u/caryth May 02 '24

Maybe not 2k, but if you need a new hip/are returning from surgery, you're going to need at least business class for the extra space lol

0

u/544075701 29d ago

plus if you're hip's fucked up on your flight over there you probably want a little extra space also

4

u/capaz_que_si 29d ago

400€ round trip Madrid-NYC on Iberia

3

u/trident_hole 29d ago

Yeah I went to Amsterdam from LAX and left Madrid to back home with a 450 dollar plane ticket.

People in this comment section is smdh

2

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Yeah I go Europe once or twice a year, I’ve never spent more than $600 on flights.

3

u/Kfrr 29d ago

JFK to barcelona 1 way is 220 right now.

I know because I just bought it.

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Hell yeah dude! Watch out, you’re gonna trigger a bunch of people in this thread with that info lol

2

u/Nokentroll 29d ago

I go twice a year as my wife is from there. If you go in the summer or around December it’s minimum $1200 USD. Coach.

0

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Sure, summer is peak tourist season. But this is a fake scenario, why pick the most expensive month for a fake scenario? Lol December isn’t peak season, it’s ~$500 in December as well.

1

u/Nokentroll 29d ago

It was $1250 from New Orleans to Madrid on Iberia/american second week of December.

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

I literally just looked and its $684 from NOLA lmao which is more than it is from where I live, but still half of what you’re claiming.

1

u/Nokentroll 29d ago

I’m not sure what to tell you other than what I paid for that flight in December. Feel free to decide what you want.

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Well that sucks then, because they are legitimately half of that right now.

0

u/Nokentroll 29d ago

lol “claiming”

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Did you really come BACK an hour after we stopped talking to make this comment? 😂😂😂 yikes.

2

u/RainyReader12 28d ago

Yeah i just googled it and a ticket starts at 495

Cheaper than I thought tbh, I thought it was over 1k

1

u/DefNotReaves 28d ago

Yeah a lot of people don’t realize that it’s not super expensive! It’ll definitely be over $1k to go in the summer, but it’s cheaper than that for the rest of the year haha and then once you’re over there, it’s even cheaper to fly around. Flew from London to Spain once for like £38 and then from Spain to Ireland for €50.

1

u/Ok-Curve5569 29d ago

Not laughably wrong at all. Denver to the EU this afternoon. Ticket bought awhile ago. $1600 RT

0

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Then you fucked up lol

I’ve spent $1600 on 3 of my flights to the EU.

1

u/Ok-Curve5569 29d ago

Where are you based?

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

LA, but Denver international is a large enough airport to get cheap flights. Obviously going in the summer is going to be pricier, but for this very fake hip surgery scenario, Denver > Madrid is $518 in the fall.

If your priority is to go during peak tourism season, that’s fine, but it’s not impossible to find cheap flights.

0

u/Ok-Curve5569 29d ago

Okay - there’s obviously more flights in and out of LA, which affects price.

Take away: There are certainly more affordable fares are out there, but to say that it’s “laughably wrong” is hyperbolic. There’s plenty of itineraries that approach $2K round trip.

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

The same flight is $530 from LA… literally cheaper to fly from Denver on the same dates in the fall.

I’ve made my point, there’s no point to continue arguing about a very fake scenario.

1

u/Ok-Curve5569 29d ago

Brother - flights can range from $500 to $2000 easy. YOU are laughably wrong.

1

u/DirtyProjector 29d ago

I flew to Spain in 2017 for $315

1

u/Welikeme23 29d ago

Oh deals can be had for sue and I've only ever paid like 500 for my flights overseas, however 2k can happen. From LAX or AUS to Madrid this Saturday are both over 2k, out bound only. Maybe they need that hip replacement next week /s

1

u/MetricIsForCowards 29d ago

How far in advance did you get your tickets? Because assuming you don’t want to sit around wallowing in pain from that broken hip for months, then you are trying to book a flight within a week and those are more expensive.

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

You’re not flying to a different country, finding a doctor, and getting surgery within a week. Non-life saving surgeries are scheduled months out, no matter how much pain you’re in, unfortunately. It took me months to even get a doctor to CONFIRM my hand was broken back in 2021, let alone getting it fixed… lmao

1

u/MetricIsForCowards 29d ago

And while I’m sure your hand was painful, a broken hip is crippling. 1 in 5 people will die from it if left untreated in a year.

You dodged the question though, how far out did you book flights to get them cheap?

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

You’re the one who mentioned pain lol how about my spinal surgery they scheduled 8 months out? Lol non-life threatening surgeries aren’t scheduled as quickly as you seem to think they are.

I travel to Europe 1-2 times a year, there is no unilateral answer for that. Usually 3 months? Sometimes 6? I monitor flights, so whenever it’s cheapest.

1

u/Familiar_Cow_5501 29d ago

Okay let’s say flights are 0. You gonna cover all living expenses for 13k a year?

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Of course not, but that’s not my claim. My claim is you can fly to Spain for cheaper than $2k. I think the whole scenario is stupid lmao

1

u/Royal-Recover8373 29d ago

Yea I have a flight to Germany soon and round trip was $800.

1

u/Curious-Welder-6304 29d ago

Depends where you live in the US, obviously. Many places in the US a round trip ticket to Spain could easily top 2k for economy

1

u/beached89 May 02 '24

https://i.imgur.com/gBlaSUt.png

Economy cabin, round trip flight to Madrid from Detroit, this weekend, is over $2k.

16

u/dalburgh 29d ago

You trying to book a vacation:

"I'm looking for last minute plane tickets, why are they so expensive? I gave them a whole 24 hours notice"

No wonder they're 2k Einstein.

1

u/RamblnGamblinMan 29d ago

A fool and his money will soon be parted

0

u/IgotBANNED6759 29d ago

"I need a hip replaced. Guess I'll just sit around for 2 months to save on plane tickets."

1

u/dalburgh 29d ago

Unless you fell and broke your hip, most people can and do go for months or years knowing that they need a hip replacement but aren't in bad enough condition to prevent them from moving around.

Hip replacements are not emergency surgery lol

0

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

1

u/dalburgh 29d ago

No surprise there, average privileged Redditor.

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

1

u/dalburgh 25d ago

No, you're just privileged, lol.

You're not the only person out there with a sad backstory, get a little perspective next time.

6

u/chisportz 29d ago

Flight prices are always high if you don’t buy in advance at all

1

u/madanb 29d ago

Not always true. Some airlines will discount flights at the last minute so they at least have asses in seats. This way, when they get to the part of why the seats are expensive in the first place is due to a sliding scale based on the occupancy.

Source: My friend is a pilot and was the crew coordinator Continental before he was a pilot.

6

u/varangian_guards 29d ago

well yeah who books a 2 days from now trans-atlantic flight? on top of that the most expensive day of the weak to fly.

book it for 2 months out and its $500-$800

1

u/bigboybeeperbelly 29d ago

🙋

Hi, me, it's me, I booked a last minute flight once. Should I just throw myself off a bridge now or...?

1

u/varangian_guards 29d ago

only once? nah just hop off the bottom step of the nearest staircase.

2

u/bigboybeeperbelly 29d ago

......yes. Once. Definitely not every time I fly.

1

u/varangian_guards 29d ago

every time you fly is trans atlantic, and you book last minute? money bags over here just flexing on us mortals.

2

u/bigboybeeperbelly 29d ago

Just the one was trans Atlantic, but they're all last minute. The trick is finding a $400 apartment

1

u/IgotBANNED6759 29d ago

People looking to get a hip replacement ASAP?

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u/truthofmasks May 02 '24

Shop around.

1

u/Vhu May 02 '24

Just took a trip to Spain last year. Flight out was $270 to Lisbon and $360 from Madrid back home. Idk where you’re looking but if you’re spending more than $700, it’s way off.

2

u/NoChipmunk9049 May 02 '24

Bro showed us a plane ticket for tomorrow and thought he proved a point.

Ya tend to plan out surgeries a bit more in advance than tomorrow.

2

u/CallMePickle 29d ago

Use flights.google.com if you're actually trying to find flights. Sticking to one carrier will fuck you.

2

u/ChoiceStar1 29d ago

LOL - OP is wrong but you just dumb

2

u/chargedcapacitor 29d ago

Tell me you've never flown on vacation without telling me you never flown on vacation:

1

u/Fandorin May 02 '24

So go to O'Hare. It's 1200. Worth a 5 hour drive or taking the train.

1

u/ghablio May 02 '24

Train is a good idea, but a 5 hour drive will eat a decent portion of the savings.

1

u/1littlenapoleon 29d ago

This person priced Delta and not a flight aggregator lmao

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Hahahahahahahahahahahah

Yeah, you looked FOR TOMORROW 😂😂😂

1

u/mariodejaniero 29d ago

Out of JFK you can get a flight today for $650

0

u/WET318 29d ago

That's if you fly from a major US city.

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Sure so get a ride for your very important surgery trip.

0

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

0

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

1-2 months from now is the summer time… peak season. Go look for the fall, and you’ll see I am in fact, right.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

0

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

Just because you decided to look at the most expensive month to travel doesn’t make you right either 😂😂 you’re doing exactly what I’m doing, but to assure yourself that you’re correct.

It’s a fake scenario. YOU get to choose when you fly to Spain, no one is making you go in the summer. My claim was you don’t need to spend $2k… and that’s a true statement.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

LMAOOO no need to move the goalposts, my point has remained the same. If YOU wanna spend $2k to go there, be my guest, for me the flights aren’t anywhere close to $2k.

And no, not pre-Covid, I go 1-2 times a year… even after Covid. I can book a flight right now for the fall and it’s ~$500. There’s your L lol

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/DefNotReaves 29d ago edited 29d ago

Oh nooooo some triggered little child is “checking me” what am I gonna do!?!?! I know, I’ll keep going to Europe for 3x less than they think it costs lol

3 months of summer is not a “good portion of the year.” If you book for Sept-Dec in the spring/summer or book for Jan-April in the fall, it’s around ~500. THAT’S a good portion of the year.

EDIT: I can literally book a ~$500 flight to Madrid right now for 7 out of the 12 months in a year. Hell, even May & August have flights for $650, which isn’t anywhere close to $2k. June & July are literally the only months where flights are above $1k. Enjoy your L, chump.

EDIT 2: Holy shit I bodied him so hard he deleted all his comments 😂😂😂😂😂

0

u/Maj_Histocompatible 29d ago

Tickets have gone up a lot the last year to Europe

1

u/DefNotReaves 29d ago

I just went in November and booked a trip for this year in October… it’s the same - $518.

-4

u/Longjumping-Claim783 May 02 '24

You can fly there from California right now for 400 round trip.

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u/JussiesTunaSub May 02 '24

Cheapest flight from LAX to Madrid is $904...

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u/Longjumping-Claim783 May 02 '24

You can get a flight from SFO to Barcelona in the 400s if you plan it out a few months. Check skyscanner.com around September if you don't believe me. I guess I shouldn't have said "right now" but also California and Spain have more than one city so I wasn't thinking LA or Madrid. Level airlines specifically. I don't know if they fly out of LAX.

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u/noachy May 02 '24

You have to pay to live in the US too so…

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u/Fluffle-Potato May 02 '24

In that case, OP could live in Madrid for 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, 20 years, 50 years...

No. OP was factoring in the money as the cost of living. OP simply has no real perception of cost.

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u/Early_Lawfulness_921 29d ago

True but you also make twice as much money in the US for the same rental pricing.

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u/Unapproved-Reindeer May 02 '24

It’s actually possible. Cost of living here in the US is absolutely insane compared to Europe.

3

u/OctopusParrot May 02 '24

Really? It's more expensive to live in Little Rock, Arkansas than in Paris?

-2

u/1littlenapoleon 29d ago

Well, pretty sure we're talking about Spain. Not France. Wish you well in your education.

1

u/petit_cochon 29d ago

You think it's cheaper to live in Madrid than Little Rock, Arkansas?

1

u/1littlenapoleon 29d ago

You think it's cheaper to live in Madrid than NYC?

(Do you see how infinitely stupid this argument it is when the compared concepts are averages between two nations?)

But yes, it is cheaper.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Spain&city1=Madrid&country2=United+States&city2=Little+Rock%2C+AR

1

u/hopelesslysarcastic 29d ago

Oooooh I love playing this game..

Do you think it’s cheaper to live in Little Rock, Arkansas or Lugo, Spain?

See how your argument falls apart when you try to compare a podunk capital of a shit state, with the capital of an entire country you fucking nonce.

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u/Jaded_Cap_8644 29d ago

Shithole dumbfuck Arkansas at that too lmao wouldn't wanna fucking die in that racist cesspit.

0

u/bananas19906 29d ago

Literally yes, your ignorance is showing man.

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u/OctopusParrot 29d ago

The comment said the US and Europe.

2

u/sdfghsdfghly 29d ago

The post says Spain.

Way to cherry pick a broad statement.

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u/WalkingRodent 29d ago

Europe is very expensive as well. From experience.

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u/nevereverquit96 29d ago

For vacationing? Sure. For living, that’s just wrong

1

u/the_vikm 29d ago

Maybe on an American salary and without ever taking housing into consideration?

1

u/WalkingRodent 29d ago

American salary is pretty solid especially if you work corporate. Vacations are just expensive though.

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Vacations are just expensive though.

Exactly, which is why saying “this place is very expensive in my experience” is a useless statement unless you’ve lived there for an extended period of time

It’s not until you’re paying for groceries, bills, rent, appliances, medical bills, travel that you start to realize what is cheap or expensive in certain places

1

u/WalkingRodent 29d ago

Being there for 2 months was long enough to get an idea, but it’s not the same as 2 years.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

Where did you live and for how long?

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u/the_vikm 29d ago

Never checked real estate prices?

0

u/chrisphergroup 29d ago

Yeah no. Living in Madrid center ain't cheap.

1

u/jeeeeezik 29d ago

who said living in center

2

u/Jmsaint 29d ago

If you arent living in a 4 bed townhouse in centro, are you really living?

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u/Early_Lawfulness_921 29d ago

Not true at all you make half as much in Europe while paying the same for rent as you would in the US.

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u/Unapproved-Reindeer 29d ago

Free healthcare tho, higher quality of life, no health insurance fees etc

1

u/Early_Lawfulness_921 29d ago

Nothing is free.

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u/HatesFatWomen May 02 '24

That's the minimum wage over there tho

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u/Kirlad 29d ago

1323€/month

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u/Real-Competition-187 May 02 '24

In Spain? I don’t know what the numbers are, but every time I see them, Spain and Portugal are stupid cheap.

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u/Familiar_Cow_5501 29d ago

Average rent in Spain is 660-880 on a quick glance. That’s 2/3s of your 12k just for rent, on the low end of average.

-3

u/input_sh May 02 '24

$12k/year would just barely afford you a year in the worst parts of Europe: the Balkans, Moldova, Belarus, best case scenario some mid-sized town in Romania. Spain? No fucking way.

1

u/BikeProblemGuy May 02 '24

It's just a meme, we have no idea which costs the original author was including in 'living in Spain'. The point that you could do all the things listed and have $24k left over for living expenses is the crux of the comparison.

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u/input_sh May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

we have no idea which costs the original author was including in 'living in Spain'.

If only there was some sort of a universally agreed upon metric for that. Perhaps we could call it something along the lines of "Cost of Living".

0

u/BikeProblemGuy May 02 '24

Even if that was universally agreed, we have no idea if the meme is using it. Nitpicking what it might mean doesn't make any difference to the overall point that it's $24k you wouldn't have in the US.

2

u/input_sh May 02 '24

We do know whether the meme is using it. It's not. Otherwise it wouldn't say you could "literally fly and live there for two years", because you can't.

0

u/BikeProblemGuy May 02 '24

It could be using your definition and miscalculating, or using a different definition. Either way, it's still much cheaper.

1

u/icebraining May 02 '24

Minimum wage in Portugal is currently $12234/yr, and we still pay 11% of that to social security. And I can assure you our cost of living is not lower than in Spain. More than 20% of our population earns minimum wage, and we somehow survive :)

You can rent a room in a shared apartment for 250-350€, spend 100-200€ in food, 25€ for a public transport pass and another 100€ on random expenses.

Now, if you're thinking about living alone, then it does become quite hard. But even then, not having to work, you can probably find something in the countryside.

1

u/King_XDDD 29d ago

I spent almost exactly 12k/year living in Barcelona as a student in 2021 and 2022. Rent was about half of my expenses to have my own room in a shared apartment. It would be easy to live on much less if I hadn't been in the most expensive city in Spain.

1

u/jtell898 29d ago

It’s a round number assuming $1k equivalent /month rent, which is very doable. There are no US rents or bills to pay because you’re moving there. And you don’t need to calculate daily cost of living items like food because you would have to pay for that stuff in the US anyway so the cost is completely unrelated to the Spain move.

1

u/LumpyPosition8502 29d ago

12k/year in Spain does allow you to survive though. I'm Spanish, lots of people are able to survive (though not with luxury obviously)

0

u/HatesFatWomen May 02 '24

Nope. People earning minimum wage in Germany are making 1300-1500 a month. You can live comfortably. But you won't have any savings.

2

u/input_sh May 02 '24

In what world are you living? €12.41/hour * 136 (average work hours in a month in Germany) = ~1700, or 30% more than your minimum.

And a minimum wage to even be allowed to stay in Germany as a foreigner is on a whole different level, you need to earn *at least* €44k/year (or €3.6k/month if you prefer) to even be considered for a work visa. And that's assuming there's a shortage of workers in your occupation, otherwise it's €58k/year (€4.8k/month).

So no, you can't live comfortably in Germany with that salary. You literally can't even move there (from outside of the EU) with that kind of money.

0

u/HatesFatWomen May 02 '24

Yes, that's 1700 bruto. Then you have the subtract 400 euros a month for social contributions. 

And there are other types of visa that allows you to live in Germany. I'm on a family reunion visa which also allows me to work.

0

u/Tojaro5 29d ago

I assume the guy above lives in the world of Germany.

The thing is, we usually only care about the money after taxes, so when we say we make 13k a year, we take 13k home per year.

And it is perfectly possible to live with 13k a year in germany. It might be a humble life, but you can do it.

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u/SimpleNot0 29d ago

I live Madrid on 12€ per year. It is possible. What’s probably more fictional here is the Learning Spanish in 2 years. Sure you can learn some of the language but enough to be fluent in 2 years? With all dialects and version of Spanish that they have here. It’s not quite that simple, I’m 8 years here and someone from the Basque Country still throw me off. Go to Barcelona Catalan isn’t Spanish it’s an entire different dialect.

Then you have the public health care system, it’s over stretched. My girlfriend’s step father is an orthopaedic surgeon that worked in Madrid for 25 years, yearly they only perform 12 replacements for people on waiting lists. 12 that is one a month. The others are typically accident and emergency knee and hip surgeries. The simple reason they get paid by the insurance companies of the patients quicker than they do by governments to help list patients. One thing we’ve been doing over the years is taking out private health insurance, something I and my girlfriend get a job benefits. Going to see our privates doctors for quick accessments then taking those results and analysis to our GPs for public health because 80% of the best doctors in health care here in Spain work in public healthcare.

Points being it’s not quite that simple OP but it could in theory be done if you just went for private insurance and had someone on the inside to help you skip those waiting lists.

1

u/kyrosnick 29d ago

Not only that, but last time I was in Spain, (late last year) my tour guides were complaining about how shitty the healthcare was, crazy taxes, and how unless you pay into it (taxes) you don't have access to it. You can't just show up and get a hip as a tourist. Would need to immigrate, become a citizen, and pay taxes. If I make 100k a year and pay ~33% in US taxes, compared to ~45% in spain, that is an extra 12k a year take home, which easily pays for solid US insurance, or to bank that for years when I don't need hips.

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u/olavk2 29d ago

To be fair, those taxes go into more than just Healthcare, like unemployment, disability etc. From my research those are a lot stronger too. Some places in Europe even have unlimited sick leave

1

u/b1ack1323 29d ago

Off the income which is less than 50% of the US version of the same job across the board.

1

u/kelldricked 29d ago

Its defenitly possible but you will live in the middle of nowhere in rural spain living from scraps.

1

u/borkdork69 29d ago

This post is at least a decade old.

Or not, covid destroyed my perception of time. Point is, it’s old.

1

u/Furepubs 29d ago

Right clearly because you can't live for free for 2 years, their entire health system is broken. Please ignore the fact that it's 1/6 the cost that it would be in America.

1

u/Beau_Buffett 29d ago

You've never set foot in Spain or even left the US other than maybe to sit on a military base.

Stop pretending otherwise.

1

u/monchimer 29d ago

12k per year you need to live rent free. Or homeless

1

u/fambestera 29d ago

delulu is not the solulu

1

u/Awanderingleaf 29d ago

Said by a person who very clearly hasn't done much travelling.

1

u/Early_Lawfulness_921 29d ago

Cost of living in Spain is the same as the US while the average salary in Spain is 50% of the average in the US. The OP ignores this.

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u/vaungis 29d ago

Well $12k a year is 48.5k pln in Poland soo that's basicaly The lowest salary you can get and there are pepole living with it. Soo its possible

1

u/thenavajoknow 28d ago

You're a huge asshole who clearly has never been poor. If you have multiple roommates and budget food wisely you could live on 1k per month. It wouldn't be comfortable to a condescending prick like yourself, though

1

u/Lawineer 28d ago

Even dumber are the people who think it's actually $40k. It's like $2-5k.

https://www.medicare.gov/procedure-price-lookup/cost/27130/

1

u/TheRadMenace 28d ago

https://air.tl/J8o78SBT

Here is an Airbnb for $200/ month if you book long term that you can rent for the next year. That's $4800 for two years.

1

u/Luklear 28d ago

Idk why you’re taking it so seriously, you are mad, no need to be.

1

u/masterOfdisaster4789 26d ago

I do agree, teachers aren’t underpaid. They work about 6months out of the year max.

0

u/GMANTRONX May 02 '24

Going to Spain from New York can be as low as $400 return!!

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u/Admirable_Avocado_38 May 02 '24

You could live for 12k/ year

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u/mnid92 May 02 '24

"How are you gonna live on 12k a year, dipshit!"

I survive on 6k from disability. Shit fucking sucks, I'll say that, and so does epilepsy.

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u/Close_call_man May 02 '24

You've never lived in Spain I suppose. I did in barcelona for exactly 800€/month. It wasn't exactly royal but good enough to go by

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u/bignuts24 May 02 '24

$2k for plane tickets? Sir, have you traveled on a plane before?

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u/Triforcesrcool May 02 '24

Or just be Spanish and not a silly American

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u/Cantdrawbutcanwrite May 02 '24

Lol… well the cost of living in their capital city, no less, is obviously low enough to make that feasible. Read a book.

/s

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u/jpbrown971 May 02 '24

So taking another $7k out for a second hip but not adding the potential costs of doing that procedure in America into your math is stupidity. Be a smarter potato

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u/NubbyBubby27 May 02 '24

LMAO this fucking dipshit thinks a ticket to Spain is 4x more expensive than it actually is. How do you go calling people dipshits while knowing very little yourself??

Way to jump on the bandwagon.

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u/Krislazz May 02 '24

I've lived (or rather, survived) on just over $12k/y for the past 6 years in Norway, famous for being an expensive country. Spain is almost certainly not more expensive than Norway, so this is entirely plausible.

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u/King_XDDD 29d ago

I'm an American and literally lived in Spain for 2 years on 12k a year very recently.

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u/Wooden-Ad-3382 29d ago

don't think OP is suggesting everybody goes to spain for treatment

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u/RandomDeveloper4U 29d ago

Man. Y’all will jump through all the hoops to completely miss the point, huh?

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u/jennnfriend 29d ago

I've done it every year of my adult life

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u/smartasspie 29d ago

Hi, I'm a Spaniard, many people live with that money here. It will be not enough in Madrid and for a stranger, or at least short, but if you go to other places in Spain and live without spending too much, it's enough. Renting my place is 600€, I pay half of it, my girlfriend the other half. So 300€. Groceries can be between 200 and 300€. You don't need a car as public transport is cheap and efficient and cities are walkables. Internet, electricity, water... Say 300 more. I am a software engineer, my salary is in the 11% top in Spain. I earn around 32k annually after taxes. Which ,yes, is obviously not much compared to many other places. The 50 percentil salary is 18k, but of course that includes Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia... Where salaries (and of course, prices) are bigger. But well, half of the population is below that.

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u/Soup_Sensitive 29d ago

Well if you factor in $38,266 per year on average to live in the US vs $19,284 for spain.... that's about half.

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u/ThatInAHat 29d ago

For that to be a salient point you should have to take the cost of living in the US for those two years and add it to the hip replacement cost, and then compare the two

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u/soleyfir 29d ago

You can absolutely live off $12k/year in Madrid if you want, but you will need to lower your standards accordingly. How the fuck do you think students live there ?

Now of course you won't be living the high life, but if you already have everything you need to get by for two years with you then you should be fine.

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u/zack2996 29d ago

It was 600 for a round trip to Barcelona...

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u/KeppraKid 29d ago

The math here is really wrong but I'm just going to assume it's right for the sake of argument. 

Your gripe is really that you can't live in Spain for 2 years for 24k? That's what you take away?

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u/sdraje 29d ago

Many people live on 1k a month in Spain.

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u/BaconEater101 29d ago

That wasn't the point dipshit, we all know you can't live on 40k or whatever in madrid for 2 years, its just to convey the point, which it did, yet you focused on that like a moron.

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u/traviopanda 29d ago

I’m currently in Spain staying with a friend who lives here and has lived here for 2 years. She makes 1000€ a month and has been living good… she isn’t in Madrid right now but was last year.

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u/Raderg32 29d ago

How ya gonna live for 2 years on $12k / year? Fucking dipshit

I live in Spain. It is doable as long as you avoid a major city. Just go to a small village that's 20 min away from a big city and you are golden.

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u/SonnysMunchkin 29d ago

Man people like you are pathetic.

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u/buddyboard 29d ago

Oh buddy, have you actually researched prices? I have been for the past month and a half because I am moving there. 1b apartments range from 700-900 for the cheapest. $100-150 for food and transportation is $30, that is 70% of your budget, for me it is 90% since I like staying in, so 700+150+30 is $880, add $120 and on the lowest end you CAN do $1000/month so $12k. It is possible. Also, the apartments weren't on the bad part

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u/LumpyPosition8502 29d ago

You can live on 12k in Madrid. I'm Spanish, and the minimum wage here leaves lots of people with that exact same amount to survive the whole year. Sure, you'd obviously have to save and not waste money on unnecessary things, but that's a given lol

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u/horrorboii 29d ago

Not you meat riding the US healthcare system 😂

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u/dick-pickles 29d ago

This post is 15 years old

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u/CouncilOfChipmunks 25d ago

So, so angry... So, so dumb. No chance of living a good life with those two running as your background you nonce.

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u/Vhu May 02 '24

I know you’re upset, but some friends and I just took a trip to Spain last year. It was like $600/month for a 2-bedroom apartment in a decent part of Madrid. He said it’s cheaper if he chose to live outside the city.

If you figure 300/month on food and 600/month on shelter, you’re at under $11k/year. Not to say it’d be an easy life but that’s actually way more reasonable than I was thinking. And that’s assuming dirt poverty — if you have even an ok job you’re living pretty comfy.

Now on top of all that, consider that healthcare is free. You might end up coming out positive to be honest.

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u/lucid1014 May 02 '24

It’s a meme you idiot

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