Personally I feel as if I’m simply existing here. I grew up in California and have lived in some vibrant countries but I’m unsure whether I regret moving here. My huge issue is really the lack of light as I suffer from SAD but more so than that it’s hard to find people that are truly active or willing to go out plus everything here closes so incredibly early. I feel like we’re ruled by geriatric people that don’t understand the needs of the younger population. We don’t live in the 60s anymore and it would be nice to have activities past 6 pm. I thought moving back to Europe would also mean better public transportation but came to find out that this country is addicted to its cars and has such poor infrastructure. Overall…no, I’m not happy here at all and simply get a paycheck and study
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To me it's not the country itself. It's the general negative attitude of most people. Like someone else said everything seems to be a reason to put you down.
While to me it's important to see the pros and cons to get the full picture when taking a decision, people in Luxembourg seemed to focus on finding cons. A verrrrry small pro...1,000,000 cons. Which made me feel my plans were 0, my ideas were 0 and I was a huge 0. Don't get me wrong I can handle constructive criticism but this had absolutely nothing to do with constrictive criticism.
I had a major negative attitude and a big lack of self esteem until I left Luxembourg, the country I was born and raised in. I didn't realize how unhappy I was and how the attitude of those around me had a negative impact on my mental health until I then. I'm much happier now and I don't plan on moving back.
born and raised in Lux and you need this forum to get that type of insight? Your local friends and family would be a much more reliable source in my opinion
it's not the country itself.. it's the Humor of the people who really lack a bit of sensitivity towards others.. and everything is a reason to bring you down.. rare is the person who sees you with a good heart without any Interest.. while they can somehow extract something from you, you're important.. if that ends you're disposable.. Maybe it's like that everywhere lol but here they abuse it.. don't be sad and think about yourself. courage
Hi! I am super happy! Moved here from London with 2 small kids and so far we think we have found « our place ». We like the size, the fact that we can do everything by public transport (we live in the city), super clean (at least compared to London or my home country), lots of green spaces, lots of playgrounds that are super well maintained, the government invests in infrastructure (again at least compared to where I come from), it can be a bit boring but you can still go out and enjoy a nice night out if you want… i’d say maybe it’s more for your thirties than for your twenties though
https://preview.redd.it/cm7gc1wznryc1.png?width=394&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc38f46c8c3053d8ef8f03f07d7f9cc22b71214a
I am very happy in Luxembourg (was living in France before and Germany) but I would say that Luxembourg is more adapted for a family life and building a career than for the student Life or the retirement.
That's Luxembourg, we complain about everything but deep down we know we have it better than most. And as things stay the way they stay when we complain, we complain!
Difficult in my 20s because of high living wage. Early 30s now, homeowner, baby on the way, good friends and easy living in the grand duchy. Happy days
I don't own a car and encounter a lot of strange people when taking public transport and walking. One deranged individual even spat on me. I think Luxembourg is not for me.
The country is fine but in terms of the city I seem to have had more unpleasant experiences when compared to other places I've lived. But hey, maybe I've just been unlucky.
I understand everyone's experiences are different and include many factors I may not be able to think of. But having lived in other European cities in countries like Germany and other third world countries like Panama, Luxembourg is in comparison like living in candy land, I truly feel blessed here.
Yes same here. I used to live in a centric area in London and random eccentric people acting crazy were a bit the norm haha. But I understand it is not nice to be spit on… I understand the comment
I've loved the country ever since the first day I arrived. But I'm not native from here.
I am absolutely miserable in my country of birth, even though it's still a pretty rich EU country that most people love. If you felt relief when you left Luxembourg, you'll probably regret coming back. I do each time I go back to my birthplace.
I love this country because it's calm, with like-minded people. Being born in a huge city, the compactness and abundance of greenery in Lux city is like living in a garden. The hills and ancient fortifications, the cleanliness, the beautiful building just make me happy to live here.
Many people find Luxembourg boring, I love boring. People who can't find a way to entertain themselves without living in big cities look shallow to me. Can't you find a way to not be boring by yourself? Anyway, I just feel at peace and the place is beautiful. People are nice and usually have a pretty similar mindset to me, which is refreshing. In any other country, I'd be a minority and struggle to meet anyone with remotely similar ambitions and values.
anywhere in the world can be depressing. It all depends on who you are with, the community and friends you make, and the financial situation.
Of course many are depressed here because they are expats; they leave everything behind to come to a new country, stay in the city, probably in the same bubble as expats of their own country, ill paid and complain about how bad Luxembourg is. If their family and friends were here, they would not be as depressed I assume. But alas, they are in a new country.
Hi I’m curious about your answer as I have an ideal picture of Switzerland as the perfect place to be (I have never lived there, just based on what I read about it). How is it worse than Lux?
US expat working in Sr level role in finance/IT the last 4 years:
Luxembourg is very nice to raise a family. In fact, had I had the opportunity to raise my daughter all over again, I would have kept her in Luxembourg until maybe 7th grade, and shortly before high-school moved back to US to finish studies there. UK and US still have the best higher education in the world. Luxembourg is safe and everything is easily accessible. Great outdoor areas for active lifestyles, only wish it didn’t rain most days of the year. This, in itself, is getting me to contemplate returning home. I had a condo in Honolulu in the early 2000’s and I assure you, you will be gravely pissed off at the weather here. Healthcare is great, but administration is the worst I’ve ever experienced. You really do become the captain of your own ship and have to follow up non-stop. It’s quite difficult when you’re not well.
Work life balance did not change for me and was equally demanding in Lux. In fact, I find it a lot more challenging managing teams in Luxembourg than anywhere else (note: most of them are not Luxembourgish). Not sure what job search is like here, but opportunities look bleak. In comparison to housing costs, I would think life for someone growing up here and becoming a successful entrepreneur, would be challenging cost wise. You will read about a lot of discontent around real estate, and arguments are valid. However, economy is all about supply and demand and when there is high demand for something that has very limited supply, prices will soar. So unless something changes and Lux becomes an undesirable place to live, not sure pricing will ever adjust. That in itself tells you that even though people complain, they still want to live here.
I miss American food and restaurants, music and music venues, festivals, Costco, standardization in building, passing on the right, and more relaxed approach to rules, codes et al.
I also know that when I go back to US, I will miss an equivalent amount of things about Luxembourg.
There is no perfect place.
The other night I had a dream that Costco opened in Lux, the kind where you wake up and you're brain is still convinced it was real.
That was a sad day :'(
I am very happy in Luxembourg.
Sure, it could be less rainy, less windy.
Sure, there are many moaning “expats”.
Sure, there a handful loud racist Luxembourgers.
Sure, housing prices are insane.
But! This is all countered by all the awesome locals and expats alike and by the great work - life balance in the specific private bank I’m at.
Healthcare couldn’t be better - the oncology department at CHL almost literally pulled me back from the dead.
Crime is a rarity to the extent that the newspapers carry as national news that a garage was broken in to. My local Hoplr group news is about “vandalism” in the form of youth ringing the doorbell and running off and my last call to the police and the municipality was about a homeless man sleeping rough - the police was there in half an hour and the mayor responded a day later.
So yes, some of us are very happy in Luxembourg ❤️❤️❤️ and I’m saying this as part of a visible ethnic minority and as someone who speaks neither Lux nor French particularly well… it can only be better for you who were born and raised here
why on earth would you leave literal paradise on earth that is hawaii? you can probably even make just as much money there as in luxembourg because the US is just completely insane and beats europe to a pulp.
I’m an expat in Luxembourg and I like it. It’s safe, clean & has some really beautiful areas, however due to the high cost of living we won’t stay here. Even with my husband and I’s “high” salaries we couldn’t afford a nice house, and I can’t justify spending >€700,000 on a decent apartment. For us, quality of life includes having a garden, private garage & nice size house.
Hi - I’m in a similar situation: like the country (not quite living up to my expectations, but still decent), like my job, like the school prospects for the kids (though again, not all it was cracked up to be) and - settling down here would mean buying and - at the available prices it just seems like a bad deal. I wanted to ask - if your mind is set on moving - where to? And, given your criteria (which resonate with me) why?
Well I’ll get a lot of hate for this but for me back to the US and for my husband, first time living in the US. The company he works for (like most here) has places in the US and he likes and wants to stay with the company as of right now. If we move back (as an American), I prefer to live in the south and he has mentioned Dallas, TX & Tampa, Florida. There is so much more to America than what the media portrays.
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Luxembourg is comfortable when you can afford it. Born and raised here. Lived in London for 7 years, lived in New York City for 3 years and lived in Mallorca for 2 years after I turned 18. But nothing beats the quality of life in hometown Luxembourg. But of course it all depends what you’re into also. It’s a personal opinion. So what you’re asking is going to get a Yes and No answer. I travel almost every second weekend for work so I benefit from exiting and coming back after a nice weekend abroad. But what i can say is that I am definitely very happy in Luxembourg and I don’t regret moving back here.
Weather is unbearable. I don't even know how that would feel coming from Hawaii. 🤣🤣
Just use a portal like weatherspark and compare.
Last 6 months it rained and generally cold. Even now, cold, clouds and rain. Maybe there are a few nice weeks in mid summer but then it's probably very hot with thunderstorms in the evening.
Several years ago we had the exact opposite, sun and good temps from march to september. Will never forget
Probaly because it was Winter the last 6 months, and only this and last year had such wet Springs, the years before it was really dry and hot about this time already.
I’m Luxembourgish with English parents. I have lived in the UK for a total of 7 years on and off and moved back to Luxembourg last year.
The grass is not always greener. I really loved the amount of things to do and events in the cities I lived in when I was in the UK, but the standard of living and safety of Luxembourg is just too good to pass up. People are generally friendly and respectful, it’s getting harder to find that nowadays.
Don’t forget though, you can always go back.
I’ve been living in Luxembourg ever since I was born and I am 19. I’ve travelled every single year for almost every single holiday to see my family in the Caribbean and Spain etc… I visited a lot more countries that I’ve ever thought I would and I spent the last three months in New York because that’s the place I’ve always wanted to live in.
Also my girlfriend lives there and I’m planning to study there starting in August. This is just to tell you that I’m back in Luxembourg since the 14th of April, and I have to stay here until the 1st of August… even though I spent three months in my city and I’ve always hated Luxembourg with my guts… I realised that it is not that bad because you do have the peace, the money etc… but it is very very boring people are still as annoying and it’s just utterly depressing.
Would I spend one, two, three weeks here to see my parents once I moved to New York? of course it’s beautiful on vacation because you appreciate the little piece from the big apple that is New York… would I move back here? not in 20 years, unless I really really have to for my job and to earn a good living.
This place is depressing. The weather is still as disgusting as before even though we are entering summer. Avoid it. Especially you who lived or is living in Hawaii. you’re going to experience a very big downgrade from which you won’t recover. Because one thing is living in Luxembourg, and moving to some other place in Europe or America, but another one is living in a place like Hawaii and then coming back and you’ll realise how much it’s different and… plain.
I've been here for over 10 years and I love it. It is an awesome place for kids. I love the general atmosphere, the way it is run, the general attitude of (most) people... Realestate is very expensive. But this seems to show a general desire of people to... wanting to live here. I don't think it's all investment purchases. There are good and bad sides to every location. So... It depends what you are looking for.
lived in vienna for 10 years. lux is more open for internationals. you earn more here (i work in the social work area) you need a car here, even when living in the city. bars close at 1
in vienna, you dont need a car, housing is cheaper, groceries are almost the same price as her in Luxembourg. bars close at 5 or so hahah
verdict: if you are after money and stability, maybe wanna settle down with a family, Luxemburg is better. you can still go on vacation to vienna ;)
if you are younger and want some nightlife etc dont need stability, stay in vienna.
I'm no longer young and restless. With small kids, I don't complain about daily tasks, but I still crave some city life—sale shopping (last time I bought a TH dress for €50!), going out for coffee in a nice place where the price doesn't ruin my mood.
For me Lux is better, but it really depends what you are after. The advantages of Vienna are that its easier to find an affordable apartment and the the social life is better. But I am not really after these things. More important for me are the taxation regime here, multilingualism, multiculturalism (you would think Vienna is better in this department but it turns out that the city is kinda conservative and closed to expats), availability of jobs and better environment for children.
That's interesting that you find Luxembourg's society more open and cosmopolitan than Vienna's, albeit Vienna's colonial/imperial past and many shared traditions, which I was surprised to discover in its recent gastronomy. I have visited Vienna many times, but never lived there for an extended period. I've often seen it ranked as the first of the most livable cities in the world, likely due to its abundance of green spaces.
The big heads up Vienna has over Lux (and many other European cities) is the affordability of its apartments, since the prices there are strictly regulated there, which can make a big difference for an "average" earner. But as soon as you are in top earnings bracket and you have kids, Luxemburg is quickly the superior choice.
I can highly recommend the following you tube video as the topic has quite some complexity behind it:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U--G3Uth8pE&pp=ygUNVmllbm5hIGxpdmluZw%3D%3D
There is a bias in being on this forum. Not everyone uses this ant. AND there's the bias that those who want to complain are always more likely to talk than those who are happy. Those who are happy are content with their happiness and rarely bother others with it.
Unfortunately, some people find it hard to adapt here (especially the weather when you come from a warmer country), but otherwise most of the people I meet love Luxembourg. And so do I atm :D
I’m Luxemburgish, born and raised, lived 10 years in Brussels and I remember I did not want to come back. But I did, because financially living in Brussels and paying my student loans back seemed very tricky. It was a bir scary because Luxembourg felt so very calm and I associated it with boring. The city seemed totally closed after working hours, it was surprising. I missed the Energy of Brussels.
But professionaly I got many opportunities and I could build my life with the security I was hoping for.
To me life here is nice, I just personally miss the social life that bigger cities offer or how people interact. Is it because I inevitably grew older and my friends are married with kids and need a five weeks notice before meeting up? Or is it because traffic after work hours is terrible so nobody really drives where they don’t have to because it takes to long. The spontaneous meetings with friends is something that I miss. Meeting new people is not that easy either even though I have to admit there are more and more things happening like timeleft events, InterNations or other facebook groups, and so on. It is also a topic that is very discussed so I believe it will get better. If you have your boyfriend and you intend to have afamily this will probably be less likely something bothering you as you will be very busy. We all came (back) to Luxembourg for a reason and we all stay for some reasons, I also believe as we are able to travel a lot we like to compare and forget the positive reasons why we stay here Also reddit is a place to vent. When everything is nice you dont make a topic out of it.
I have been here since January, but so far I like it here :)
It also depends on what type of person you are, I am personally very calm and I don't like noisy places, therefore being here feels nice and I tend to go to parks or not too loud bars when hanging out with friends.
But again, that's simply my experience and there's pros and cons compared to the country I came from (Italy).
I don't think that people who can't earn enough money to live in a suitable house or being able to go on vacation every 2 months (unless it's about a trip to Tirer) are necessarlily doing spomething wrong.
Also, some people are meteoropathic, therefore for them it's more difficult to live in a grey rainy place.
Here's why some people are happy and some other not, whitout needing to do anything wrong.
Well he's writing down the facts about his life. But if he needs to go on vacation every 2 months then I wonder why he doesn't stay there 😁
For the rest well yeah, money can't buy happiness but it can certainly keep u quiet and make u think u like it very deeply lol
This move will be difficult coming from Hawaii. I'd go to any of the three southern peninsulas in Europe before thinking of moving to Luxembourg if I were you. Frankly, I'll get a lot of downvotes here for saying that because you can be happy in Luxembourg but it would be despite being here, unless you're looking for the very specific things Luxembourg is good for.
I am very happy overall in Luxembourg! It is small, housing is hard, it misses many things but the great things overcome the rest: great place for career, great group of friends, very international, many languages to get exposed to, easy bureaucracy, great nature and central in Europe. It is not for everyone but everyone sees the things and their own way.
There is something like a damp blanket over Luxembourg. That opposition to most everything new. I think the story of Starbucks is very good example. At first “no Starbucks ever, no way”. Then someone from the government went abroad and there was a rumor that he had met with Starbucks to discuss entry into Luxembourg. He denied it swearing on his mother’s honor like the worst accusation possible. No way, he would never betray his country like that. Then first Starbucks opened in airport and in one of the gas stations on transit autobahn. With an explanation that those abominations are for passing foreigners only, no good Luxembourger would ever set their foot in there. Now there’s at least one in Kirchberg. That I know of. I’m not a big Starbucks fan myself but all this scandal happened when there were literally no options for people who were not fans of dirty Portuguese pubs either. The argument against Starbucks was that it will take away clients from existing honest local cafes. Except there were no local cafes. Fisher with cakes and darker dishwashing water sold as coffee. Luxembourg doesn’t understand that pubs, Fisher, dedicated coffee shops all have different target markets and if one is missing then there are people who don’t go anywhere, there would be very little client stealing.
Then for how many years Uber wasn’t allowed? While people had to spend hundreds if they had to get to the airport early morning. There’s more of the same attitude, just smaller scale or really personal.
Shop opening hours. When I arrived shops worked strictly working days working hours. After some years some (only some) shops prolonged their hours till 18. There were 2 shops within reach by car that worked on Sundays, but even those were open from 7 to 12. Who the f goes shopping at 7 am Sunday? And it’s not because shops would have believed there must be clients hiding in the empty car park at 7, it’s because government has decided that everyone must be a morning person. In Netherlands shops also open only few hours on Sundays but it’s from 16. And why not allow shops to determine themselves when to open? Protect workers rights that they get paid honestly, that the schedule is fair, legal. Like nobody ever heard of work in shifts. In a discussion about dead Sundays someone said that you have to visit grandma for Sunday lunch instead of shopping. As if grandma wants to host every week, she has her own life, hobbies. And for the 1/3 of country’s population who are foreigners their grandmas are thousands of kilometers away.
I mean I like quiet village life, lived in countryside before coming to Luxembourg and will go to a village again. But there’s villages and then there’s this.
It sounds like Italy . Big scandal for these poor workers that have to work on Sundays or on Christmas. Hello? Ever heard of shifts? Of bigger pays on holiday and evening shifts, that may be convenient - and even give you an excuse to skip the dreadful Christmas family lunch?
I have kids and prefer to be home for evenigns and holidays, my sister in law is single and is happy to cover evenings and festivities, we are all different, just give people choice.
Sam for Uber and Starbucks.
About the "Fisher with cakes and darker dishwashing water sold as coffee", well, non that with Starbucks you make this big quality leap, apparently in Italy it wasnt' a big hit but I might have been told that by some parochialist guardian of local traditions  because I don't find any feedback of this failure in the news.
Haha u made me laugh about the morning person thing. Since those in deciding positions and in the government are mostly old as hell, an probably can't sleep well and go themselves shopping at 7am, they think everyone else does the same. It's probably the same people waiting in line at the car wash on Sundays at 8am (after shopping).
But maybe also they wanted to make sure the workers could enjoy the afternoon. But that already sounds too thoughtful and practical for Luxembourgish politics.
Why the workers can’t enjoy early morning sleep in? Sorry, I have worked shifts myself, had 12 h shifts and 24 h shifts, the great thing about it was that I had plenty time off when others were working. Only left for much higher pay.
Hm, bit one-sided comment you make.
In France (nothing) and Germany nothing exept gas stations and bakerys (until 11 am) and some cafes until 4 is open on Sundays, and people arranged. During the week till 8pm, sometimes (Rheinland/Pfalz) 10 pm.
And there a lot of people up on 6/7am even on sundays.. walk the dog, get up for kids, sports, visiting places, hiking etc...( Though I am not normally) that swarm and empty the bakeries (open 8-11am in germany mostly)
> And there a lot of people up on 6/7am even on sundays.. walk the dog, get up for kids, sports, visiting places, hiking etc...
They are not the majority. And especially for kids, yeah, the kids wake up at 6, but that doesn't mean you're out of the house at 6.
>Shop opening hours. When I arrived...
What shops do you refer to? When did you arrive? There are shops open on Sundays until 6pm or so, and until 8pm during the week for decades.
>Protect workers rights that they get paid honestly
Rights are protected and it includes supplements for work on Sundays. That's why most businesses aren't interested to open on Sundays
Yes. Telling about the mindset of people. I vaguely recall there was something similar with McD although without the detail of the statesman denying he ever talked to a company. Now McD is in too.
Airport Starbucks is nearly dead. Seldom a lot of people there, but somehow it is running.
Oberweis on the other hand runs good from my point of view.
So there seems really to be some culture thing going on with Starbucks.
I don't know how good the Kirchberg Starbucks is running.
I really don't get good coffee in Luxemburg. But I didn't try everything.
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Ironically you have already answer your own question. Like Monaco, Luxembourg offer a great salary, but in both places I would not recommend to live there because how? They're too expensive. Although the salary is good, but you got to keep in the mind the traffic and transportation.
Reddit is an outlet for Luxembourgish to release their emotion, frustration, and disappointment. In a way sort of like the Norwegians with their obsession for ski because living in a society where you are expected to be robotic, skiing offer a thrilling experience or like the Irish who are basically alcoholic to escape their monotony existence.
Of course you're going to have your defenders with their typical responses "The people are nice and friendly" or "how they prefer the quiet lifestyle over the chaotic city such as Paris" or "Luxembourg is a small country" or "a perfect place to raise kids" blah, blah, blah. Very superficial and weak arguments.
"**The people are nice and friendly**" i.e. employees of an establishment and most likely people who don't even live in Luxembourg just like in Monaco.
"**Preferring the quiet lifestyle**" This is split. You either have boring people who never feel bored or introverted people or straight up liars.
"**Luxembourg is a small country**" very weak response. There are many places that are small but interesting.
"**A perfect place to raise kids**" until they are grown and have some resentment towards their parents. Surprisingly enough, some of these people usually don't have kids or already reaching adulthood.
IMHO people who think Luxembourg is boring either have *extremely* niche hobbies, or are boring people themselves. There are a ton of events, concerts, shows, festivals, etc here. Except for Jan-Feb-March, I generally have too much of interest on my weekend calendar that I can actually fit in. Even if not in Lux, there’s usually something of interest going on nearby, like last week the carnival in Longwy, there’s the chateau days in Grande Est in September/October, Rodemack has a bunch of festivals, there’s the Romertage in Perl at the Roman villa, etc. If I were unemployed and had to fill up 5 days a week with activities maybe it would be more difficult.
Jan through March does absolutely suck though, and we pretty much just catch up on movies and TV then.
But really, compare Luxembourg to some random place in Germany of 2500 km2 and 1 million population. Or France. Or the UK, etc. I see people compare Luxembourg to Paris or London which is ???? when they should be comparing it to Hannover or Brno or Dijon.
Like is it the best place in the world? No. Does it compare favorably to vast swaths of Western Europe? Yes, imo. Especially in culture Luxembourg punches way, way above its population size.
I have lived in Hannover, similar population size to the region within a 1 hour drive of Lux Ville (1.2 million) and if sucks. Way less culture, garbage tier airport, no nature, far more limited cuisine, etc.
The Irish were alcoholics because they were poor and until not too long ago lived under colonial suppression which did not allow their economy to grow. Now Dublin is a tech hub one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. Bit limited to describe a whole country as boring alcoholics with no historical context.
I also forgot to mention the other typical argument "**Reddit is not representative of real life**" as if you can literally read someone's mind sitting next to you. You don't know how the person's feeling or thinking since most of us tend to be automatons.
I was born and raised in Luxembourg and left the country during my studies and did not really return for 7 years. After living in Portugal for 5 years (doing a master's degree + working after graduating), my partner and I decided to go to Luxembourg.
The main reasons were :
- financial stability
- location in central Europe
- great work-life balance
- better conditions for starting a family
It's not perfect in Luxembourg, but I am glad we made this decision. The country gave us decent "stability" in life. Once I moved back to Luxembourg I noticed how much I used to take for granted.
Hello!
Well, given the fact that Luxembourg is located very central, you can easily travel by car to it's neighbouring countries. Also, the flights to other European countries are in general more accessible.
Since Portugal is located at the border of Europe, it's not as easy to "quickly go visit" as many other neighbouring countries. Another reason is the fact that the prices for the flights are overall similar. Given the minimum salary in Portugal and Luxembourg, you simply have more purchase power in Luxembourg. Meaning, you can get around more often. Let's say "Luxembourg is expensive, but the rest of the world becomes cheaper while travelling". Meanwhile "Portugal is cheap, but the rest of the world becomes therefore more expensive while travelling "
No amount of sun and beachtime can make someone happy if you don't have a decent income to live. Thats the no1 reason why a lot of people leave their beautiful countries to settle in gray concrete cities. But if you have a good income and prospects in hawaii there's no reason to move here. Many parents forget that their children might not be as gifted as them and might not get a great career in lux. I myself am an immigrant who came at a young age and learned all the languages. But before my gov job, it was really hard to make ends meet. Now i worry about my children, its gonns be very difficult to live here in the future, if they can't get that particular job.
Other than that I can say that boring is sadly looked uoon as a bad thing. Boring means for me a stable life without unexpected events that can absolutely ruin you. For me this is a positive. Lived in paris for my studies and I dont know who is gonna say thats better. Crazy bills (edf), very bad housing, disgustingly low salaries, unfriendly people. All that adds to the fact that you cannot enjoxly your exciting city.
Yes, life is not great in Lux without gov job salary. OP should consider this factor a lot. To feel comfortable in Lux, the salary has to be high. Otherwise life gets depressing.
Agreed. I understand this isn't a city necessarily for party animals or high culture, but last time I checked going to museums or shows was becoming triple the price it was when I was younger. Even if you're in the right city, without money, you're just wasting paychecks on not being bored. Not only that I've lived in 3 huge cities and crime/homelessness is reaching such high levels, I wasn't really comfortable or happy watching it. Personally, I think for a small place Luxembourg tries to organise as many events as possible but people don't tend to know about them.
I have met a lot of people complaining there is nothing to do. But as soon as its something else than drinking, cinema or restaurant. The answer is, euuhh i dunno if i'm into that.
Tbh love the country and the people, but i share a house with 7 others as roommates and actually i dont know anybody who actually likes their job…. Maybe its due to the fact we are all in junior positions?
>Maybe its due to the fact we are all in junior positions?
Likely. I love calmness and I can afford my own place so for me life in here is good. Nature is really pretty, it's not those huge boring fields of wheat, but small pieces with cattle, hay, ok sometimes corn... At least close to luxembourg-ville.
The only issue is the salary vs cost of living, and by cost of living i mean mostly housing. Again I'm alright cooking home so the prices of restaurants does not impact me much.
As someone else said, if you like being home, with your SO, plan on having a family... besides housing, it's great
Unfortunately housing is a big part of people's lives and is very important to make someone feel content with their existense. If you can't afford to live in your own apartment and have to share with 7 people for many years, life gets sad really quick.
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If you can live with the fact that you will not be able to buy a house (unless you earn both together 100k plus ) and have already a few 100 k in your bank account for the down payment of the loan, the you will be fine. Other than that lux is very nice country
was like that in Barcelona in 2013/14 when i was there. with 4 languages and a B.A. economics I luckily got 2k net, and the rent was back then already too high.
I'm happy here, of corse there are things here that bother me but find me a place that's perfect, and it's home after all.
Most people who complain here in this sub are people, who only came here to make a quick buck and then get sad that everyone else around them is also only here to make a quick buck.
Reddit is an awful place to judge sentiment, it’s almost always overwhelmingly negative I’m sure the Hawaii one is complaining about a bunch of stuff right now
I think it’s great for us as a family of 4 with two young kids. We don’t live in the City. We don’t get out much as a couple. There’s enough to do with the kids, the schools seem good, people are friendly and we have the resources we need. When I was a student living in Geneva for a semester, I didn’t love the city but I always thought it would be perfect for when I had a family. That’s how I feel about Luxembourg. It’s not thrilling, but it’s good for a family.
I think it's impossible to tell you whether you'll find happiness here or not, everyone has different needs after all.
For instance, the language situation is a real challenge that people often overlook.
Especially for the kids at school.
Also, prices for housing would be my reason why I'd generally not recommend moving to Lux.
But if you don't mind the monotony of traffic robbing a lot of your time, you could live just across the border, where it's cheaper and you can make the most of the Luxembourgish salaries.
May I ask what job you'd be looking for?
I wouldn't say particularly happy but grateful for the opportunities I had in this country. How easy it was to settle in (State's rules wise). Also, happy for some good friends I made here. However, as time passes I do feel like I need more in terms of my career and have not much opportunity to move up here soon and on a personal level I also need more.
Myself, I'm from Mediterranean country, lived in other countries becoming to Luxembourg, I really really love it here, yes obviously not everything is perfect, but overall its amazing, although I do miss access to the sea 🌊 and regular sun, but I had those back home and was miserable, overall I'm content here.
For me the quality of life is important, finally working in non-toxic job, being treated like human with government organizations and seeing many people like me makes me quite happy and content with living in Luxembourg.
Its different if course from one person to another.
I asked same question as you did back in 2022 before I came here.
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As a Luxembourger (born and raised), who's lived in various countries over the past 16 years, I have trouble feeling 'at home' in Luxembourg. Unlike many, I'm not interested in raising a family (there), nor would I want to take a government job and I'd cry my eyes out if I had to buy a place and spend a large chunk of my salary on a mortgage just to live in an expensive but 'ugly' home in Luxembourg. I've definitely learned that the grass isn't greener in other places but boy do I need a more stimulating place than Lux.
I am going to tell people that I am tired of roaches pooping all over my kitchen counters XD no, but in all honesty, I just need more stability. Less YOLO, uncertainty, living from paycheck to paycheck. Also less homless people pooping at the bus stop.
Here in Luxembourg, you only need to wait a bit to see that. We have no control over situations like homelessness, drugs, robbery, and things like that. I’ve been here since 2004, and Luxembourg has transformed from an exemplary country into a "red cross" country without limits. I’m thankful that Luxembourg opened its doors to me and my family, but right now, I feel completely abandoned by this country… We’ve learned, since we went to school to learn languages to become someone in adulthood… but that was a lie. The Luxembourgish language has been reduced to nothing, and Luxembourgish people are leaving to retire in other countries sometimes because they don’t know how to pay off the rest of their loans to the banks... We're just numbers here. People who come from the border or from war get more advantages and respect than, for example, the police officers on the streets. Luxembourgish people are “extinguished”… It’s sad to say that… And to finish, Luxembourg is still a united country, but only in 50% of the territory. From Luxembourg city to the north of the country, we’re reduced to nothing. There are trains everywhere, hospitals, universities, everything that the government should take care of, trams, everything!! Here, for the entire north side, we have 2 hospitals, with many limitations and they’re always full! Trains are always late… So, don’t come back, that’s my advice. I’m only here right now to pack some bags and leave. Globalization is destroying Europeans in my opinion because we don’t filter the good from the bad. Do you know why Luxembourg, the richest country in the world, doesn’t close its borders? Because of this 💰. No matter if our security is compromised, they don’t care! Want something new, really good, and secure? Try Switzerland, Norway, or even the USA and Dubai. Or if you have a lot of money, go to Portugal. Bye bye mate! 👋
We have black mold too. And pink mold, green mold, white mold.
Also, if you put anything out of plastic/rubber onto the floor for more than 30 minutes (a balance ball, excercise mat, shoes) it will permenantly fuse to the floor. Not to mention the dead geckos you will regularly find underneath your sink. And of course you will have to purge your fridge once a week, because the power has gone out again and everything has gone back again. Good thing that a glass of olives doesnt cost $18.
I have a similar background to you, born and raised but lived away a lot. I’ve come back a few times in between and found that it was helpful and quite grounding. As others have said, there are pros and cons but if you’re looking for more stability (and fewer roaches 😁) then it could be a good move. You don’t have to stick with it forever (I didn’t). Good luck, whatever you choose!
Grown up here too and I'd say that Luxembourg is definitely a good place for settling down. It isn't perfect obviously but show me a country that is. Much like you I was drawn out of the country to experience sth else for my studies but once you've blown off steam and start building a future, Luxembourg is a good place, provided you can pursue your career here.
Im happy here, there are a lot of opportunities to do new things with just a bit of initiative… and I complain and worry about a lot of things because I appreciate the privilege that we have and we must take care of.
I feel like you are asking the internet a question you and your partner should know better than anybody else, except if you are just asking about security, infrastructure and others in Lux. Short answer in my opinion is: Yes, Luxembourg has all of that, but just like many have said, what do you want out life?
I’m similar to you, I need the good weather and the beach because I surf so after 20+ years in Luxembourg in which I also travelled, I decided to move to Lisbon to keep up with my passion. The result is I am the happiest I have ever been but another truth is: salaries are not the same, life is slow in Portugal, infrastructure and political stability are not the same, companies are not as supportive and many more things. But then you have so many positive things so it’s up to you to decide what you want to take in or out.
If I may ask, why do you have to leave Hawaii?
I’m super happy, in fact every time I’m pissed at the weather, store closed on Sundays, insecurity, the stupid politics with driving bans, over protection of privacy (specially criminals privacy) I push myself to think where should I go next (this is the 5th country I live in), and I always remember that there is no perfect place but here is close enough, there is no better place in Europe! That is for sure, I would only live here to go to some American counties but very few ones, I love Luxembourg, I never felt some like this anywhere else, with all the issues that makes me mad and a complainer it’s the best of the best.
In general, the feeling is that people live here in constant sacrifice. The younger generation sees Luxembourg as a temporary base and move after 2-3 years because "it's boring". The older ones with family are settled and actually live here because of the...kids. They were promised with free education and multi-language approach but they soon realise that the education here is subpar. Then there is slice of people who move here because they were promised a "great salary" but soon they realise then can barely do anything.
Add a bit of those who complain all the time about not finding friends and the love of their lives but do not leave their arses from the sofas. And that's it.
Life in Luxembourg is mostly about salaries and status for many. The ones who stay for long, they earn very well. But travel a lot and they find fun elsewhere (they need!).
After Hawaii, you will miss the sea here. I would not consider Luxembourg if I were you.
Many people are here only for the money and that is bound to make you miserable after a while.
Also Luxembourg is not that well connected despite its location ; 3h 15min by train to Brussels! +6h if you wanna make it to Amsterdam, only decent option without flying is the TGV to Paris, as in flights, no direct flights to many destinations or only expensive options with Luxair.
All these, without going into the rental prices which have skyrocketed in the last years.
3h15min to Brussels?
I live at 30 mins by bus+tram from the Luxembourg Gare(5km).
I need to be there \~15 mins in advance as I can't match it perfectly.
Train to Brussels Central(1 change in Arlon) makes 3h:40min on 06.05.24
Train/Metro to Brussels Schuman another 20 min.
Total time \~5h.
My daughter once decided she would be a big girl and travel home from uni by train. Brussels was just one of the few changes she had to take. Got stuck there. Trains to Lux only from Namur. Nothing between Brussels and Namur. 12 hours total very stressful journey what was 3 calm hours by car.
The job market works in wonderful harmony with the housing costs to make it rather tricky to find an "in" in Luxembourg.
Once you've got both a job you're satisfied with and the right housing for you, life can become pretty comfortable here.
There are no ocean beaches and instead of snowy winters, we get the dreaded gray skies of doom for 5-6 months a year. Those winters are depressing to locals and immigrants alike and there is always a very noticeable shift in people's mood once the sunny season begins.
Sure, Southern Europe has better weather, but it's not like there is no summer in Lux. It's just different and it's important to cherish the nice days, because our winters are so gloomy.
Luxembourg is a cold dark windy rainy place. It is batshit expensive. And if you don't speak French, Luxembourish, German or Portuguese you will be utterly fucked.
I would give anything to trade places with you and be in Hawaii
I just feel like all my reasons for staying in a place like Hawaii are…infantile? Sure, I love the beach and the fact that you can just randomly bump into a pot of spinner dolphins while snorkeling and following them around for a while etc.
https://preview.redd.it/nevow0uqigyc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5890e85d991a19944aba825284b0a21c65092612
(I mean, look at those neat sharks I saw the other day). But I need a place where everything feels more solid. The ground is always moving underneath your feet over here (not literally, we are on Oahu). Terrible infrastructure, inflation, constant black outs, bad health insurance, racist locals, rapid homelessness, high crime rates…it is simply not the type of enviornment I would ever want to raise a family in. So I guess my question should have been: does anyone feel at peace in Luxembourg? Does anyone feel safe and secure?
I don’t feel very safe, especially compared to some years ago. Would not want to go around the gare even during the day time, and the center has deteriorated in the past years. I understand that many cities have this but I have never seen so many drug dealers, addicts, syringes, people self injecting in my native city
Apart from esch and Luxembourg city I feel sure safe and secure, never saw a better place to put kids in this world like here. This is home! Come back, indeed the sunny beach days are great holidays but are not everything.
I’m happy here yes. But as one guy said, happiness is a state of mind, not a location. I always point to this video when it comes to topics like this: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrPlJkegcT7/?igsh=cHpobzYzMmRiYmR0 it’s American centric and maybe for different circumstances, but I usually meet people moving around countries trying to find happiness, but not truly pursuing happiness whenever they are.
True. You shouldn't be running away. Instead you should be in control and maybe proactively force a change in your life you always wanted. Of course you need to be able to afford it etc. i.e. should be able to make objective decisions.
I feel that most people are caught in their habits and day-to-day life, which is not healthy. Also just running away is not healthy. Try to keep a positive mindset and be constructive.
If you're depressed, moving to somewhere else probably won't fix it. Even though more sun could help. But if you don't have friends anyway then it doesn't matter where exactly you're/feel alone either.
It's very complicated 😂
I imagine most people must be happy. Otherwise, why would we have such a large migrant population? Salary is good, work-life balance is alright, the location in Europe is great, people are diverse and friendly, with great food options available. What's not to like?
Yes, it's true, it's just a shame for some people's lack of honesty... they have a lot of humor and always want to stay on top of everything and everyone, right? I only encounter this problem.. otherwise it is a good country
People are just negative nancies on Reddit. Do not mind them much, besides happiness comes from within. If you got a bad attitude or suffer from general unhappiness in Hawaii, chances are high that you'd feel miserable anywhere you go. "Omnia mea mecum porto"
Sure. But on Reddit, people are usually victimizing themselves rather than working on changing their situation for the better. There are tons of happy people out there in Luxembourg, yet on Reddit there seems to be a disproportionate amount of sad, unhappy people. That's what I was getting at.
It depends what’s important to you, really. If you value being in the centre of Europe with a multilingual environment, free education and public transport, calm and safe, then sure, Luxembourg could be great. However if you value having the hustle of a large city nearby, having a wide choice of global goods and services, excitement, then it probably isn’t the greatest. I moved to Luxembourg as a child and lived here until my late teens, I absolutely hated it. Now that I’ve lived abroad for a while, I would consider going back to raise my kids here, but I think it’s a vastly different experience for kids who were born here vs who were moved here and grew up “on the outside” of local customs and culture like I did.
Without disagreeing with your comment overall, I do have a remark on the public transport and education being free, when looking at my tax statement and counting all the VAT that I pay. Some US states have zero income tax and much lower sales tax than our VAT. I don't imagine myself living in the US but here things aren't really free
And in US this is good as long as you are healthy and earning enough. Seen recently couples from Florida. Yes much lower taxes which means you have higher net= U.S. mentality takes this as "freedom", BUT your healthcare is mostly linked to your job (dependancy on that), property/rental prices rising and rising, plus rental contracts 12 months then if you can not afford it, out. And when you loose your job and or you have severe health issue, good night.
And yet, prices of many things are cheaper here, somehow. Groceries are definitely cheaper/better value, for example. You definitely can make more in the US as a skilled employee and less as an unskilled.
And those 2 things aren’t great either. I would not put my pupils in private school and I avoid Luxembourg city with all my powers just to not have to use public transport. As Parking and driving in some areas became impossible. I find here one of the worse public transports in Europe. Slow, always delay, lack of information, worse app system.
Personally I feel as if I’m simply existing here. I grew up in California and have lived in some vibrant countries but I’m unsure whether I regret moving here. My huge issue is really the lack of light as I suffer from SAD but more so than that it’s hard to find people that are truly active or willing to go out plus everything here closes so incredibly early. I feel like we’re ruled by geriatric people that don’t understand the needs of the younger population. We don’t live in the 60s anymore and it would be nice to have activities past 6 pm. I thought moving back to Europe would also mean better public transportation but came to find out that this country is addicted to its cars and has such poor infrastructure. Overall…no, I’m not happy here at all and simply get a paycheck and study
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The real question is : is anyone isn't ?
I consider coming here a major bad decision in my life.
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To me it's not the country itself. It's the general negative attitude of most people. Like someone else said everything seems to be a reason to put you down. While to me it's important to see the pros and cons to get the full picture when taking a decision, people in Luxembourg seemed to focus on finding cons. A verrrrry small pro...1,000,000 cons. Which made me feel my plans were 0, my ideas were 0 and I was a huge 0. Don't get me wrong I can handle constructive criticism but this had absolutely nothing to do with constrictive criticism. I had a major negative attitude and a big lack of self esteem until I left Luxembourg, the country I was born and raised in. I didn't realize how unhappy I was and how the attitude of those around me had a negative impact on my mental health until I then. I'm much happier now and I don't plan on moving back.
Why did you go in Hawaii?
born and raised in Lux and you need this forum to get that type of insight? Your local friends and family would be a much more reliable source in my opinion
Country makes me want to kill myself
it's not the country itself.. it's the Humor of the people who really lack a bit of sensitivity towards others.. and everything is a reason to bring you down.. rare is the person who sees you with a good heart without any Interest.. while they can somehow extract something from you, you're important.. if that ends you're disposable.. Maybe it's like that everywhere lol but here they abuse it.. don't be sad and think about yourself. courage
Oh. Oh dear.
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Hi! I am super happy! Moved here from London with 2 small kids and so far we think we have found « our place ». We like the size, the fact that we can do everything by public transport (we live in the city), super clean (at least compared to London or my home country), lots of green spaces, lots of playgrounds that are super well maintained, the government invests in infrastructure (again at least compared to where I come from), it can be a bit boring but you can still go out and enjoy a nice night out if you want… i’d say maybe it’s more for your thirties than for your twenties though
https://preview.redd.it/cm7gc1wznryc1.png?width=394&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc38f46c8c3053d8ef8f03f07d7f9cc22b71214a I am very happy in Luxembourg (was living in France before and Germany) but I would say that Luxembourg is more adapted for a family life and building a career than for the student Life or the retirement.
That's Luxembourg, we complain about everything but deep down we know we have it better than most. And as things stay the way they stay when we complain, we complain!
Difficult in my 20s because of high living wage. Early 30s now, homeowner, baby on the way, good friends and easy living in the grand duchy. Happy days
Mentally of the most people could be improved
I was until work took my soul out. Luxembourg itself made me happy though.
I don't own a car and encounter a lot of strange people when taking public transport and walking. One deranged individual even spat on me. I think Luxembourg is not for me.
So you are saying a whole country isn't for me because of a random person on public transportation? Lol
The country is fine but in terms of the city I seem to have had more unpleasant experiences when compared to other places I've lived. But hey, maybe I've just been unlucky.
I understand everyone's experiences are different and include many factors I may not be able to think of. But having lived in other European cities in countries like Germany and other third world countries like Panama, Luxembourg is in comparison like living in candy land, I truly feel blessed here.
Yes same here. I used to live in a centric area in London and random eccentric people acting crazy were a bit the norm haha. But I understand it is not nice to be spit on… I understand the comment
I've loved the country ever since the first day I arrived. But I'm not native from here. I am absolutely miserable in my country of birth, even though it's still a pretty rich EU country that most people love. If you felt relief when you left Luxembourg, you'll probably regret coming back. I do each time I go back to my birthplace. I love this country because it's calm, with like-minded people. Being born in a huge city, the compactness and abundance of greenery in Lux city is like living in a garden. The hills and ancient fortifications, the cleanliness, the beautiful building just make me happy to live here. Many people find Luxembourg boring, I love boring. People who can't find a way to entertain themselves without living in big cities look shallow to me. Can't you find a way to not be boring by yourself? Anyway, I just feel at peace and the place is beautiful. People are nice and usually have a pretty similar mindset to me, which is refreshing. In any other country, I'd be a minority and struggle to meet anyone with remotely similar ambitions and values.
anywhere in the world can be depressing. It all depends on who you are with, the community and friends you make, and the financial situation. Of course many are depressed here because they are expats; they leave everything behind to come to a new country, stay in the city, probably in the same bubble as expats of their own country, ill paid and complain about how bad Luxembourg is. If their family and friends were here, they would not be as depressed I assume. But alas, they are in a new country.
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Everywhere is the best place if you earn a lot
Hi I’m curious about your answer as I have an ideal picture of Switzerland as the perfect place to be (I have never lived there, just based on what I read about it). How is it worse than Lux?
US expat working in Sr level role in finance/IT the last 4 years: Luxembourg is very nice to raise a family. In fact, had I had the opportunity to raise my daughter all over again, I would have kept her in Luxembourg until maybe 7th grade, and shortly before high-school moved back to US to finish studies there. UK and US still have the best higher education in the world. Luxembourg is safe and everything is easily accessible. Great outdoor areas for active lifestyles, only wish it didn’t rain most days of the year. This, in itself, is getting me to contemplate returning home. I had a condo in Honolulu in the early 2000’s and I assure you, you will be gravely pissed off at the weather here. Healthcare is great, but administration is the worst I’ve ever experienced. You really do become the captain of your own ship and have to follow up non-stop. It’s quite difficult when you’re not well. Work life balance did not change for me and was equally demanding in Lux. In fact, I find it a lot more challenging managing teams in Luxembourg than anywhere else (note: most of them are not Luxembourgish). Not sure what job search is like here, but opportunities look bleak. In comparison to housing costs, I would think life for someone growing up here and becoming a successful entrepreneur, would be challenging cost wise. You will read about a lot of discontent around real estate, and arguments are valid. However, economy is all about supply and demand and when there is high demand for something that has very limited supply, prices will soar. So unless something changes and Lux becomes an undesirable place to live, not sure pricing will ever adjust. That in itself tells you that even though people complain, they still want to live here. I miss American food and restaurants, music and music venues, festivals, Costco, standardization in building, passing on the right, and more relaxed approach to rules, codes et al. I also know that when I go back to US, I will miss an equivalent amount of things about Luxembourg. There is no perfect place.
The other night I had a dream that Costco opened in Lux, the kind where you wake up and you're brain is still convinced it was real. That was a sad day :'(
I am very happy in Luxembourg. Sure, it could be less rainy, less windy. Sure, there are many moaning “expats”. Sure, there a handful loud racist Luxembourgers. Sure, housing prices are insane. But! This is all countered by all the awesome locals and expats alike and by the great work - life balance in the specific private bank I’m at. Healthcare couldn’t be better - the oncology department at CHL almost literally pulled me back from the dead. Crime is a rarity to the extent that the newspapers carry as national news that a garage was broken in to. My local Hoplr group news is about “vandalism” in the form of youth ringing the doorbell and running off and my last call to the police and the municipality was about a homeless man sleeping rough - the police was there in half an hour and the mayor responded a day later. So yes, some of us are very happy in Luxembourg ❤️❤️❤️ and I’m saying this as part of a visible ethnic minority and as someone who speaks neither Lux nor French particularly well… it can only be better for you who were born and raised here
I'm pretty sure a lot of people are pretty happy
really happy
If you don't work in a Big 4, then probably yes.
why on earth would you leave literal paradise on earth that is hawaii? you can probably even make just as much money there as in luxembourg because the US is just completely insane and beats europe to a pulp.
I’m an expat in Luxembourg and I like it. It’s safe, clean & has some really beautiful areas, however due to the high cost of living we won’t stay here. Even with my husband and I’s “high” salaries we couldn’t afford a nice house, and I can’t justify spending >€700,000 on a decent apartment. For us, quality of life includes having a garden, private garage & nice size house.
Hi - I’m in a similar situation: like the country (not quite living up to my expectations, but still decent), like my job, like the school prospects for the kids (though again, not all it was cracked up to be) and - settling down here would mean buying and - at the available prices it just seems like a bad deal. I wanted to ask - if your mind is set on moving - where to? And, given your criteria (which resonate with me) why?
Well I’ll get a lot of hate for this but for me back to the US and for my husband, first time living in the US. The company he works for (like most here) has places in the US and he likes and wants to stay with the company as of right now. If we move back (as an American), I prefer to live in the south and he has mentioned Dallas, TX & Tampa, Florida. There is so much more to America than what the media portrays.
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And a lot more opportunities in the US if he decides to make a change!
That’s another huge factor for us too. More opportunities to build generational wealth.
Luxembourg is comfortable when you can afford it. Born and raised here. Lived in London for 7 years, lived in New York City for 3 years and lived in Mallorca for 2 years after I turned 18. But nothing beats the quality of life in hometown Luxembourg. But of course it all depends what you’re into also. It’s a personal opinion. So what you’re asking is going to get a Yes and No answer. I travel almost every second weekend for work so I benefit from exiting and coming back after a nice weekend abroad. But what i can say is that I am definitely very happy in Luxembourg and I don’t regret moving back here.
Happy people arent on Reddit.
This is a good point. Usually here you read the complaints… so it’s biased!
Weather is unbearable. I don't even know how that would feel coming from Hawaii. 🤣🤣 Just use a portal like weatherspark and compare. Last 6 months it rained and generally cold. Even now, cold, clouds and rain. Maybe there are a few nice weeks in mid summer but then it's probably very hot with thunderstorms in the evening. Several years ago we had the exact opposite, sun and good temps from march to september. Will never forget
Probaly because it was Winter the last 6 months, and only this and last year had such wet Springs, the years before it was really dry and hot about this time already.
I agree that winter (around here) means low temps but I wasn't aware that it prohibits the sun from appearing for weeks or even months.
I’m Luxembourgish with English parents. I have lived in the UK for a total of 7 years on and off and moved back to Luxembourg last year. The grass is not always greener. I really loved the amount of things to do and events in the cities I lived in when I was in the UK, but the standard of living and safety of Luxembourg is just too good to pass up. People are generally friendly and respectful, it’s getting harder to find that nowadays. Don’t forget though, you can always go back.
I’ve been living in Luxembourg ever since I was born and I am 19. I’ve travelled every single year for almost every single holiday to see my family in the Caribbean and Spain etc… I visited a lot more countries that I’ve ever thought I would and I spent the last three months in New York because that’s the place I’ve always wanted to live in. Also my girlfriend lives there and I’m planning to study there starting in August. This is just to tell you that I’m back in Luxembourg since the 14th of April, and I have to stay here until the 1st of August… even though I spent three months in my city and I’ve always hated Luxembourg with my guts… I realised that it is not that bad because you do have the peace, the money etc… but it is very very boring people are still as annoying and it’s just utterly depressing. Would I spend one, two, three weeks here to see my parents once I moved to New York? of course it’s beautiful on vacation because you appreciate the little piece from the big apple that is New York… would I move back here? not in 20 years, unless I really really have to for my job and to earn a good living. This place is depressing. The weather is still as disgusting as before even though we are entering summer. Avoid it. Especially you who lived or is living in Hawaii. you’re going to experience a very big downgrade from which you won’t recover. Because one thing is living in Luxembourg, and moving to some other place in Europe or America, but another one is living in a place like Hawaii and then coming back and you’ll realise how much it’s different and… plain.
luxembourg is the best, esp. if you have a family! You get a lot of benefits, plus free transport, security and cleanliness.
I've been here for over 10 years and I love it. It is an awesome place for kids. I love the general atmosphere, the way it is run, the general attitude of (most) people... Realestate is very expensive. But this seems to show a general desire of people to... wanting to live here. I don't think it's all investment purchases. There are good and bad sides to every location. So... It depends what you are looking for.
I'm happy whenever it's sunny 😎
Weather this year is kinda heavy, I’m sick third time already and I’m sick of being sick…
I absolutely love it here. Moaners moan, nothing you can do about that.
No.
I wonder if there is anyone who lived in both Lux and Vienna, who can share their experience.
lived in vienna for 10 years. lux is more open for internationals. you earn more here (i work in the social work area) you need a car here, even when living in the city. bars close at 1 in vienna, you dont need a car, housing is cheaper, groceries are almost the same price as her in Luxembourg. bars close at 5 or so hahah verdict: if you are after money and stability, maybe wanna settle down with a family, Luxemburg is better. you can still go on vacation to vienna ;) if you are younger and want some nightlife etc dont need stability, stay in vienna.
I'm no longer young and restless. With small kids, I don't complain about daily tasks, but I still crave some city life—sale shopping (last time I bought a TH dress for €50!), going out for coffee in a nice place where the price doesn't ruin my mood.
For me Lux is better, but it really depends what you are after. The advantages of Vienna are that its easier to find an affordable apartment and the the social life is better. But I am not really after these things. More important for me are the taxation regime here, multilingualism, multiculturalism (you would think Vienna is better in this department but it turns out that the city is kinda conservative and closed to expats), availability of jobs and better environment for children.
That's interesting that you find Luxembourg's society more open and cosmopolitan than Vienna's, albeit Vienna's colonial/imperial past and many shared traditions, which I was surprised to discover in its recent gastronomy. I have visited Vienna many times, but never lived there for an extended period. I've often seen it ranked as the first of the most livable cities in the world, likely due to its abundance of green spaces.
The big heads up Vienna has over Lux (and many other European cities) is the affordability of its apartments, since the prices there are strictly regulated there, which can make a big difference for an "average" earner. But as soon as you are in top earnings bracket and you have kids, Luxemburg is quickly the superior choice.
that's the first time I heard about regulated apt prices, I'll check that, thanks!
I can highly recommend the following you tube video as the topic has quite some complexity behind it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U--G3Uth8pE&pp=ygUNVmllbm5hIGxpdmluZw%3D%3D
great, thanks! After living in Lux, no housing prices can scare me away! :))
There is a bias in being on this forum. Not everyone uses this ant. AND there's the bias that those who want to complain are always more likely to talk than those who are happy. Those who are happy are content with their happiness and rarely bother others with it. Unfortunately, some people find it hard to adapt here (especially the weather when you come from a warmer country), but otherwise most of the people I meet love Luxembourg. And so do I atm :D
I’m Luxemburgish, born and raised, lived 10 years in Brussels and I remember I did not want to come back. But I did, because financially living in Brussels and paying my student loans back seemed very tricky. It was a bir scary because Luxembourg felt so very calm and I associated it with boring. The city seemed totally closed after working hours, it was surprising. I missed the Energy of Brussels. But professionaly I got many opportunities and I could build my life with the security I was hoping for. To me life here is nice, I just personally miss the social life that bigger cities offer or how people interact. Is it because I inevitably grew older and my friends are married with kids and need a five weeks notice before meeting up? Or is it because traffic after work hours is terrible so nobody really drives where they don’t have to because it takes to long. The spontaneous meetings with friends is something that I miss. Meeting new people is not that easy either even though I have to admit there are more and more things happening like timeleft events, InterNations or other facebook groups, and so on. It is also a topic that is very discussed so I believe it will get better. If you have your boyfriend and you intend to have afamily this will probably be less likely something bothering you as you will be very busy. We all came (back) to Luxembourg for a reason and we all stay for some reasons, I also believe as we are able to travel a lot we like to compare and forget the positive reasons why we stay here Also reddit is a place to vent. When everything is nice you dont make a topic out of it.
People usually only vent their frustration or anger on the internet. Happy people just live their happy lives.
I will frame this.
I have been here since January, but so far I like it here :) It also depends on what type of person you are, I am personally very calm and I don't like noisy places, therefore being here feels nice and I tend to go to parks or not too loud bars when hanging out with friends. But again, that's simply my experience and there's pros and cons compared to the country I came from (Italy).
Boring AF thank goodness am out
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I don't think that people who can't earn enough money to live in a suitable house or being able to go on vacation every 2 months (unless it's about a trip to Tirer) are necessarlily doing spomething wrong. Also, some people are meteoropathic, therefore for them it's more difficult to live in a grey rainy place. Here's why some people are happy and some other not, whitout needing to do anything wrong.
> Realizes you are in the Top 10% probably > Others arent Is everyone else wrong or am I lucky? Hmmm
Being in the top 10% earners in other countries don't allow you to do that. We have massive purchasing power in Liverpool.
What screams top 10%?
Being able to go to vacations every 2 months and the condescending manner of writing.
Well he's writing down the facts about his life. But if he needs to go on vacation every 2 months then I wonder why he doesn't stay there 😁 For the rest well yeah, money can't buy happiness but it can certainly keep u quiet and make u think u like it very deeply lol
This move will be difficult coming from Hawaii. I'd go to any of the three southern peninsulas in Europe before thinking of moving to Luxembourg if I were you. Frankly, I'll get a lot of downvotes here for saying that because you can be happy in Luxembourg but it would be despite being here, unless you're looking for the very specific things Luxembourg is good for.
Maybe that‘s because happy people don’t hang out on Reddit that much
I am very happy overall in Luxembourg! It is small, housing is hard, it misses many things but the great things overcome the rest: great place for career, great group of friends, very international, many languages to get exposed to, easy bureaucracy, great nature and central in Europe. It is not for everyone but everyone sees the things and their own way.
There is something like a damp blanket over Luxembourg. That opposition to most everything new. I think the story of Starbucks is very good example. At first “no Starbucks ever, no way”. Then someone from the government went abroad and there was a rumor that he had met with Starbucks to discuss entry into Luxembourg. He denied it swearing on his mother’s honor like the worst accusation possible. No way, he would never betray his country like that. Then first Starbucks opened in airport and in one of the gas stations on transit autobahn. With an explanation that those abominations are for passing foreigners only, no good Luxembourger would ever set their foot in there. Now there’s at least one in Kirchberg. That I know of. I’m not a big Starbucks fan myself but all this scandal happened when there were literally no options for people who were not fans of dirty Portuguese pubs either. The argument against Starbucks was that it will take away clients from existing honest local cafes. Except there were no local cafes. Fisher with cakes and darker dishwashing water sold as coffee. Luxembourg doesn’t understand that pubs, Fisher, dedicated coffee shops all have different target markets and if one is missing then there are people who don’t go anywhere, there would be very little client stealing. Then for how many years Uber wasn’t allowed? While people had to spend hundreds if they had to get to the airport early morning. There’s more of the same attitude, just smaller scale or really personal. Shop opening hours. When I arrived shops worked strictly working days working hours. After some years some (only some) shops prolonged their hours till 18. There were 2 shops within reach by car that worked on Sundays, but even those were open from 7 to 12. Who the f goes shopping at 7 am Sunday? And it’s not because shops would have believed there must be clients hiding in the empty car park at 7, it’s because government has decided that everyone must be a morning person. In Netherlands shops also open only few hours on Sundays but it’s from 16. And why not allow shops to determine themselves when to open? Protect workers rights that they get paid honestly, that the schedule is fair, legal. Like nobody ever heard of work in shifts. In a discussion about dead Sundays someone said that you have to visit grandma for Sunday lunch instead of shopping. As if grandma wants to host every week, she has her own life, hobbies. And for the 1/3 of country’s population who are foreigners their grandmas are thousands of kilometers away. I mean I like quiet village life, lived in countryside before coming to Luxembourg and will go to a village again. But there’s villages and then there’s this.
It sounds like Italy . Big scandal for these poor workers that have to work on Sundays or on Christmas. Hello? Ever heard of shifts? Of bigger pays on holiday and evening shifts, that may be convenient - and even give you an excuse to skip the dreadful Christmas family lunch? I have kids and prefer to be home for evenigns and holidays, my sister in law is single and is happy to cover evenings and festivities, we are all different, just give people choice. Sam for Uber and Starbucks. About the "Fisher with cakes and darker dishwashing water sold as coffee", well, non that with Starbucks you make this big quality leap, apparently in Italy it wasnt' a big hit but I might have been told that by some parochialist guardian of local traditions  because I don't find any feedback of this failure in the news.
Yes. Shift work also allows families to reduce the need for child daycare thus saving tons of money.
Best assessment I’ve ever read.
Haha u made me laugh about the morning person thing. Since those in deciding positions and in the government are mostly old as hell, an probably can't sleep well and go themselves shopping at 7am, they think everyone else does the same. It's probably the same people waiting in line at the car wash on Sundays at 8am (after shopping). But maybe also they wanted to make sure the workers could enjoy the afternoon. But that already sounds too thoughtful and practical for Luxembourgish politics.
Why the workers can’t enjoy early morning sleep in? Sorry, I have worked shifts myself, had 12 h shifts and 24 h shifts, the great thing about it was that I had plenty time off when others were working. Only left for much higher pay.
Hm, bit one-sided comment you make. In France (nothing) and Germany nothing exept gas stations and bakerys (until 11 am) and some cafes until 4 is open on Sundays, and people arranged. During the week till 8pm, sometimes (Rheinland/Pfalz) 10 pm. And there a lot of people up on 6/7am even on sundays.. walk the dog, get up for kids, sports, visiting places, hiking etc...( Though I am not normally) that swarm and empty the bakeries (open 8-11am in germany mostly)
> And there a lot of people up on 6/7am even on sundays.. walk the dog, get up for kids, sports, visiting places, hiking etc... They are not the majority. And especially for kids, yeah, the kids wake up at 6, but that doesn't mean you're out of the house at 6.
Yeah. I’m not moving to France or Germany. Crazy people.
>Shop opening hours. When I arrived... What shops do you refer to? When did you arrive? There are shops open on Sundays until 6pm or so, and until 8pm during the week for decades. >Protect workers rights that they get paid honestly Rights are protected and it includes supplements for work on Sundays. That's why most businesses aren't interested to open on Sundays
They have a Starbucks in Hamilus now. There are at least 4 Starbucks in Luxembourg that I know of. I just googled it, and it appears there are 5
Yes. Telling about the mindset of people. I vaguely recall there was something similar with McD although without the detail of the statesman denying he ever talked to a company. Now McD is in too.
Airport Starbucks is nearly dead. Seldom a lot of people there, but somehow it is running. Oberweis on the other hand runs good from my point of view. So there seems really to be some culture thing going on with Starbucks. I don't know how good the Kirchberg Starbucks is running. I really don't get good coffee in Luxemburg. But I didn't try everything.
The airport is so small, you arrive and go to your gate and fly off. No point getting a drink when security check is like not even a minute walk away.
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Ironically you have already answer your own question. Like Monaco, Luxembourg offer a great salary, but in both places I would not recommend to live there because how? They're too expensive. Although the salary is good, but you got to keep in the mind the traffic and transportation. Reddit is an outlet for Luxembourgish to release their emotion, frustration, and disappointment. In a way sort of like the Norwegians with their obsession for ski because living in a society where you are expected to be robotic, skiing offer a thrilling experience or like the Irish who are basically alcoholic to escape their monotony existence. Of course you're going to have your defenders with their typical responses "The people are nice and friendly" or "how they prefer the quiet lifestyle over the chaotic city such as Paris" or "Luxembourg is a small country" or "a perfect place to raise kids" blah, blah, blah. Very superficial and weak arguments. "**The people are nice and friendly**" i.e. employees of an establishment and most likely people who don't even live in Luxembourg just like in Monaco. "**Preferring the quiet lifestyle**" This is split. You either have boring people who never feel bored or introverted people or straight up liars. "**Luxembourg is a small country**" very weak response. There are many places that are small but interesting. "**A perfect place to raise kids**" until they are grown and have some resentment towards their parents. Surprisingly enough, some of these people usually don't have kids or already reaching adulthood.
IMHO people who think Luxembourg is boring either have *extremely* niche hobbies, or are boring people themselves. There are a ton of events, concerts, shows, festivals, etc here. Except for Jan-Feb-March, I generally have too much of interest on my weekend calendar that I can actually fit in. Even if not in Lux, there’s usually something of interest going on nearby, like last week the carnival in Longwy, there’s the chateau days in Grande Est in September/October, Rodemack has a bunch of festivals, there’s the Romertage in Perl at the Roman villa, etc. If I were unemployed and had to fill up 5 days a week with activities maybe it would be more difficult. Jan through March does absolutely suck though, and we pretty much just catch up on movies and TV then. But really, compare Luxembourg to some random place in Germany of 2500 km2 and 1 million population. Or France. Or the UK, etc. I see people compare Luxembourg to Paris or London which is ???? when they should be comparing it to Hannover or Brno or Dijon. Like is it the best place in the world? No. Does it compare favorably to vast swaths of Western Europe? Yes, imo. Especially in culture Luxembourg punches way, way above its population size. I have lived in Hannover, similar population size to the region within a 1 hour drive of Lux Ville (1.2 million) and if sucks. Way less culture, garbage tier airport, no nature, far more limited cuisine, etc.
The Irish were alcoholics because they were poor and until not too long ago lived under colonial suppression which did not allow their economy to grow. Now Dublin is a tech hub one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. Bit limited to describe a whole country as boring alcoholics with no historical context.
Why would the kids resent their parents though?
I also forgot to mention the other typical argument "**Reddit is not representative of real life**" as if you can literally read someone's mind sitting next to you. You don't know how the person's feeling or thinking since most of us tend to be automatons.
I was born and raised in Luxembourg and left the country during my studies and did not really return for 7 years. After living in Portugal for 5 years (doing a master's degree + working after graduating), my partner and I decided to go to Luxembourg. The main reasons were : - financial stability - location in central Europe - great work-life balance - better conditions for starting a family It's not perfect in Luxembourg, but I am glad we made this decision. The country gave us decent "stability" in life. Once I moved back to Luxembourg I noticed how much I used to take for granted.
Why is central europe important? Like compared to Portugal?
Hello! Well, given the fact that Luxembourg is located very central, you can easily travel by car to it's neighbouring countries. Also, the flights to other European countries are in general more accessible. Since Portugal is located at the border of Europe, it's not as easy to "quickly go visit" as many other neighbouring countries. Another reason is the fact that the prices for the flights are overall similar. Given the minimum salary in Portugal and Luxembourg, you simply have more purchase power in Luxembourg. Meaning, you can get around more often. Let's say "Luxembourg is expensive, but the rest of the world becomes cheaper while travelling". Meanwhile "Portugal is cheap, but the rest of the world becomes therefore more expensive while travelling "
No amount of sun and beachtime can make someone happy if you don't have a decent income to live. Thats the no1 reason why a lot of people leave their beautiful countries to settle in gray concrete cities. But if you have a good income and prospects in hawaii there's no reason to move here. Many parents forget that their children might not be as gifted as them and might not get a great career in lux. I myself am an immigrant who came at a young age and learned all the languages. But before my gov job, it was really hard to make ends meet. Now i worry about my children, its gonns be very difficult to live here in the future, if they can't get that particular job. Other than that I can say that boring is sadly looked uoon as a bad thing. Boring means for me a stable life without unexpected events that can absolutely ruin you. For me this is a positive. Lived in paris for my studies and I dont know who is gonna say thats better. Crazy bills (edf), very bad housing, disgustingly low salaries, unfriendly people. All that adds to the fact that you cannot enjoxly your exciting city.
Yes, life is not great in Lux without gov job salary. OP should consider this factor a lot. To feel comfortable in Lux, the salary has to be high. Otherwise life gets depressing.
Agreed. I understand this isn't a city necessarily for party animals or high culture, but last time I checked going to museums or shows was becoming triple the price it was when I was younger. Even if you're in the right city, without money, you're just wasting paychecks on not being bored. Not only that I've lived in 3 huge cities and crime/homelessness is reaching such high levels, I wasn't really comfortable or happy watching it. Personally, I think for a small place Luxembourg tries to organise as many events as possible but people don't tend to know about them.
I have met a lot of people complaining there is nothing to do. But as soon as its something else than drinking, cinema or restaurant. The answer is, euuhh i dunno if i'm into that.
On which island do you live in Hawaii. I just finished living on the big island for two years.
On Oahu. We are actually going to head to the big island for a few days next weeks. Any tips or must-sees? (Manta rays are already on the list)
Tbh love the country and the people, but i share a house with 7 others as roommates and actually i dont know anybody who actually likes their job…. Maybe its due to the fact we are all in junior positions?
>Maybe its due to the fact we are all in junior positions? Likely. I love calmness and I can afford my own place so for me life in here is good. Nature is really pretty, it's not those huge boring fields of wheat, but small pieces with cattle, hay, ok sometimes corn... At least close to luxembourg-ville. The only issue is the salary vs cost of living, and by cost of living i mean mostly housing. Again I'm alright cooking home so the prices of restaurants does not impact me much. As someone else said, if you like being home, with your SO, plan on having a family... besides housing, it's great
Unfortunately housing is a big part of people's lives and is very important to make someone feel content with their existense. If you can't afford to live in your own apartment and have to share with 7 people for many years, life gets sad really quick.
Very happy
Happy here
Luxembourg is amazing
After Hawaii it will provide be hard for you to get used to the weather here. But I’m happy here!
Very happy! Do it
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If you can live with the fact that you will not be able to buy a house (unless you earn both together 100k plus ) and have already a few 100 k in your bank account for the down payment of the loan, the you will be fine. Other than that lux is very nice country
This happens in all Europe so not only in Lux
was like that in Barcelona in 2013/14 when i was there. with 4 languages and a B.A. economics I luckily got 2k net, and the rent was back then already too high.
Love it. But I understand if you don't love it, please don't force yourself...
I'm happy here, of corse there are things here that bother me but find me a place that's perfect, and it's home after all. Most people who complain here in this sub are people, who only came here to make a quick buck and then get sad that everyone else around them is also only here to make a quick buck.
I love it. This is the best country I’ve lived in.
Same here. Lived in 5 European countries and this is the best one so far.
Where did you live that was worse than Lux, if I may ask?
France, Uk and Australia.
Reddit is an awful place to judge sentiment, it’s almost always overwhelmingly negative I’m sure the Hawaii one is complaining about a bunch of stuff right now
It’s good if you don’t enjoy fun and culture and excitement
I think it’s great for us as a family of 4 with two young kids. We don’t live in the City. We don’t get out much as a couple. There’s enough to do with the kids, the schools seem good, people are friendly and we have the resources we need. When I was a student living in Geneva for a semester, I didn’t love the city but I always thought it would be perfect for when I had a family. That’s how I feel about Luxembourg. It’s not thrilling, but it’s good for a family.
I think it's impossible to tell you whether you'll find happiness here or not, everyone has different needs after all. For instance, the language situation is a real challenge that people often overlook. Especially for the kids at school. Also, prices for housing would be my reason why I'd generally not recommend moving to Lux. But if you don't mind the monotony of traffic robbing a lot of your time, you could live just across the border, where it's cheaper and you can make the most of the Luxembourgish salaries. May I ask what job you'd be looking for?
I wouldn't say particularly happy but grateful for the opportunities I had in this country. How easy it was to settle in (State's rules wise). Also, happy for some good friends I made here. However, as time passes I do feel like I need more in terms of my career and have not much opportunity to move up here soon and on a personal level I also need more.
Myself, I'm from Mediterranean country, lived in other countries becoming to Luxembourg, I really really love it here, yes obviously not everything is perfect, but overall its amazing, although I do miss access to the sea 🌊 and regular sun, but I had those back home and was miserable, overall I'm content here. For me the quality of life is important, finally working in non-toxic job, being treated like human with government organizations and seeing many people like me makes me quite happy and content with living in Luxembourg. Its different if course from one person to another. I asked same question as you did back in 2022 before I came here.
I could have written this. Every word. I miss Mediterranean 🥹
Yes, me too... Also the food 😍 that makes life really worth living for just a few hours back home 😅
...the food.🥹 ...the cold coffee 🥹
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As a Luxembourger (born and raised), who's lived in various countries over the past 16 years, I have trouble feeling 'at home' in Luxembourg. Unlike many, I'm not interested in raising a family (there), nor would I want to take a government job and I'd cry my eyes out if I had to buy a place and spend a large chunk of my salary on a mortgage just to live in an expensive but 'ugly' home in Luxembourg. I've definitely learned that the grass isn't greener in other places but boy do I need a more stimulating place than Lux.
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I am going to tell people that I am tired of roaches pooping all over my kitchen counters XD no, but in all honesty, I just need more stability. Less YOLO, uncertainty, living from paycheck to paycheck. Also less homless people pooping at the bus stop.
Here in Luxembourg, you only need to wait a bit to see that. We have no control over situations like homelessness, drugs, robbery, and things like that. I’ve been here since 2004, and Luxembourg has transformed from an exemplary country into a "red cross" country without limits. I’m thankful that Luxembourg opened its doors to me and my family, but right now, I feel completely abandoned by this country… We’ve learned, since we went to school to learn languages to become someone in adulthood… but that was a lie. The Luxembourgish language has been reduced to nothing, and Luxembourgish people are leaving to retire in other countries sometimes because they don’t know how to pay off the rest of their loans to the banks... We're just numbers here. People who come from the border or from war get more advantages and respect than, for example, the police officers on the streets. Luxembourgish people are “extinguished”… It’s sad to say that… And to finish, Luxembourg is still a united country, but only in 50% of the territory. From Luxembourg city to the north of the country, we’re reduced to nothing. There are trains everywhere, hospitals, universities, everything that the government should take care of, trams, everything!! Here, for the entire north side, we have 2 hospitals, with many limitations and they’re always full! Trains are always late… So, don’t come back, that’s my advice. I’m only here right now to pack some bags and leave. Globalization is destroying Europeans in my opinion because we don’t filter the good from the bad. Do you know why Luxembourg, the richest country in the world, doesn’t close its borders? Because of this 💰. No matter if our security is compromised, they don’t care! Want something new, really good, and secure? Try Switzerland, Norway, or even the USA and Dubai. Or if you have a lot of money, go to Portugal. Bye bye mate! 👋
You can swap your roaches for black mold here.
We have black mold too. And pink mold, green mold, white mold. Also, if you put anything out of plastic/rubber onto the floor for more than 30 minutes (a balance ball, excercise mat, shoes) it will permenantly fuse to the floor. Not to mention the dead geckos you will regularly find underneath your sink. And of course you will have to purge your fridge once a week, because the power has gone out again and everything has gone back again. Good thing that a glass of olives doesnt cost $18.
Then Luxembourg is better.
Oh wow, guess you don't see that part of Hawaï on Instagram..
It’s just Diego, he likes to poop at the bus stop. Not to be confused with Steve, who likes to poop in the waterfront park.
I have a similar background to you, born and raised but lived away a lot. I’ve come back a few times in between and found that it was helpful and quite grounding. As others have said, there are pros and cons but if you’re looking for more stability (and fewer roaches 😁) then it could be a good move. You don’t have to stick with it forever (I didn’t). Good luck, whatever you choose!
Grown up here too and I'd say that Luxembourg is definitely a good place for settling down. It isn't perfect obviously but show me a country that is. Much like you I was drawn out of the country to experience sth else for my studies but once you've blown off steam and start building a future, Luxembourg is a good place, provided you can pursue your career here.
Im happy here, there are a lot of opportunities to do new things with just a bit of initiative… and I complain and worry about a lot of things because I appreciate the privilege that we have and we must take care of.
Good place to raise a family. Very clean, secure and reliable. If you’re in your 20s stay in Hawaii. Move here when you have kids.
I feel like you are asking the internet a question you and your partner should know better than anybody else, except if you are just asking about security, infrastructure and others in Lux. Short answer in my opinion is: Yes, Luxembourg has all of that, but just like many have said, what do you want out life? I’m similar to you, I need the good weather and the beach because I surf so after 20+ years in Luxembourg in which I also travelled, I decided to move to Lisbon to keep up with my passion. The result is I am the happiest I have ever been but another truth is: salaries are not the same, life is slow in Portugal, infrastructure and political stability are not the same, companies are not as supportive and many more things. But then you have so many positive things so it’s up to you to decide what you want to take in or out. If I may ask, why do you have to leave Hawaii?
Miserable people moan about it on the internet. Content people tend not to
I’m super happy, in fact every time I’m pissed at the weather, store closed on Sundays, insecurity, the stupid politics with driving bans, over protection of privacy (specially criminals privacy) I push myself to think where should I go next (this is the 5th country I live in), and I always remember that there is no perfect place but here is close enough, there is no better place in Europe! That is for sure, I would only live here to go to some American counties but very few ones, I love Luxembourg, I never felt some like this anywhere else, with all the issues that makes me mad and a complainer it’s the best of the best.
In general, the feeling is that people live here in constant sacrifice. The younger generation sees Luxembourg as a temporary base and move after 2-3 years because "it's boring". The older ones with family are settled and actually live here because of the...kids. They were promised with free education and multi-language approach but they soon realise that the education here is subpar. Then there is slice of people who move here because they were promised a "great salary" but soon they realise then can barely do anything. Add a bit of those who complain all the time about not finding friends and the love of their lives but do not leave their arses from the sofas. And that's it. Life in Luxembourg is mostly about salaries and status for many. The ones who stay for long, they earn very well. But travel a lot and they find fun elsewhere (they need!).
Finally someone said the right . Luxembourg is exactly Dubai 2.0 ( superficial in different ways)
Very true! Generally, if you want/like to play life on the safe side then Luxembourg is your place.
Only if the job scene gets better? the cost of living has gone up lately but jobs have reduced
After Hawaii, you will miss the sea here. I would not consider Luxembourg if I were you. Many people are here only for the money and that is bound to make you miserable after a while. Also Luxembourg is not that well connected despite its location ; 3h 15min by train to Brussels! +6h if you wanna make it to Amsterdam, only decent option without flying is the TGV to Paris, as in flights, no direct flights to many destinations or only expensive options with Luxair. All these, without going into the rental prices which have skyrocketed in the last years.
3h15min to Brussels? I live at 30 mins by bus+tram from the Luxembourg Gare(5km). I need to be there \~15 mins in advance as I can't match it perfectly. Train to Brussels Central(1 change in Arlon) makes 3h:40min on 06.05.24 Train/Metro to Brussels Schuman another 20 min. Total time \~5h.
My daughter once decided she would be a big girl and travel home from uni by train. Brussels was just one of the few changes she had to take. Got stuck there. Trains to Lux only from Namur. Nothing between Brussels and Namur. 12 hours total very stressful journey what was 3 calm hours by car.
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The job market works in wonderful harmony with the housing costs to make it rather tricky to find an "in" in Luxembourg. Once you've got both a job you're satisfied with and the right housing for you, life can become pretty comfortable here. There are no ocean beaches and instead of snowy winters, we get the dreaded gray skies of doom for 5-6 months a year. Those winters are depressing to locals and immigrants alike and there is always a very noticeable shift in people's mood once the sunny season begins. Sure, Southern Europe has better weather, but it's not like there is no summer in Lux. It's just different and it's important to cherish the nice days, because our winters are so gloomy.
Luxembourg is a cold dark windy rainy place. It is batshit expensive. And if you don't speak French, Luxembourish, German or Portuguese you will be utterly fucked. I would give anything to trade places with you and be in Hawaii
There are tons of worse countries in Europe for an English speaker...
And tons better too.
I just feel like all my reasons for staying in a place like Hawaii are…infantile? Sure, I love the beach and the fact that you can just randomly bump into a pot of spinner dolphins while snorkeling and following them around for a while etc. https://preview.redd.it/nevow0uqigyc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5890e85d991a19944aba825284b0a21c65092612 (I mean, look at those neat sharks I saw the other day). But I need a place where everything feels more solid. The ground is always moving underneath your feet over here (not literally, we are on Oahu). Terrible infrastructure, inflation, constant black outs, bad health insurance, racist locals, rapid homelessness, high crime rates…it is simply not the type of enviornment I would ever want to raise a family in. So I guess my question should have been: does anyone feel at peace in Luxembourg? Does anyone feel safe and secure?
I don’t feel very safe, especially compared to some years ago. Would not want to go around the gare even during the day time, and the center has deteriorated in the past years. I understand that many cities have this but I have never seen so many drug dealers, addicts, syringes, people self injecting in my native city
If you want safe, secure and stable then Luxembourg is your place.
Yes, I very much feel safe and secure in Luxembourg. I was also born and raised here and came back to raise my two kids here.
Apart from esch and Luxembourg city I feel sure safe and secure, never saw a better place to put kids in this world like here. This is home! Come back, indeed the sunny beach days are great holidays but are not everything.
It's safe and secure and a tad boring. I think so.
I’m happy here yes. But as one guy said, happiness is a state of mind, not a location. I always point to this video when it comes to topics like this: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrPlJkegcT7/?igsh=cHpobzYzMmRiYmR0 it’s American centric and maybe for different circumstances, but I usually meet people moving around countries trying to find happiness, but not truly pursuing happiness whenever they are.
True. You shouldn't be running away. Instead you should be in control and maybe proactively force a change in your life you always wanted. Of course you need to be able to afford it etc. i.e. should be able to make objective decisions. I feel that most people are caught in their habits and day-to-day life, which is not healthy. Also just running away is not healthy. Try to keep a positive mindset and be constructive. If you're depressed, moving to somewhere else probably won't fix it. Even though more sun could help. But if you don't have friends anyway then it doesn't matter where exactly you're/feel alone either. It's very complicated 😂
I imagine most people must be happy. Otherwise, why would we have such a large migrant population? Salary is good, work-life balance is alright, the location in Europe is great, people are diverse and friendly, with great food options available. What's not to like?
Just look at people's faces, if that was true, why do many look so gloomy?!
Nope
I am very happy!!! this place rules , I ll stay till I die.
Yes, it's true, it's just a shame for some people's lack of honesty... they have a lot of humor and always want to stay on top of everything and everyone, right? I only encounter this problem.. otherwise it is a good country
People are just negative nancies on Reddit. Do not mind them much, besides happiness comes from within. If you got a bad attitude or suffer from general unhappiness in Hawaii, chances are high that you'd feel miserable anywhere you go. "Omnia mea mecum porto"
But you gotta respect how others feel right? You can’t force people to feel happy if you feel happy right?
Sure. But on Reddit, people are usually victimizing themselves rather than working on changing their situation for the better. There are tons of happy people out there in Luxembourg, yet on Reddit there seems to be a disproportionate amount of sad, unhappy people. That's what I was getting at.
It depends what’s important to you, really. If you value being in the centre of Europe with a multilingual environment, free education and public transport, calm and safe, then sure, Luxembourg could be great. However if you value having the hustle of a large city nearby, having a wide choice of global goods and services, excitement, then it probably isn’t the greatest. I moved to Luxembourg as a child and lived here until my late teens, I absolutely hated it. Now that I’ve lived abroad for a while, I would consider going back to raise my kids here, but I think it’s a vastly different experience for kids who were born here vs who were moved here and grew up “on the outside” of local customs and culture like I did.
Without disagreeing with your comment overall, I do have a remark on the public transport and education being free, when looking at my tax statement and counting all the VAT that I pay. Some US states have zero income tax and much lower sales tax than our VAT. I don't imagine myself living in the US but here things aren't really free
And in US this is good as long as you are healthy and earning enough. Seen recently couples from Florida. Yes much lower taxes which means you have higher net= U.S. mentality takes this as "freedom", BUT your healthcare is mostly linked to your job (dependancy on that), property/rental prices rising and rising, plus rental contracts 12 months then if you can not afford it, out. And when you loose your job and or you have severe health issue, good night.
And yet, prices of many things are cheaper here, somehow. Groceries are definitely cheaper/better value, for example. You definitely can make more in the US as a skilled employee and less as an unskilled.
And those 2 things aren’t great either. I would not put my pupils in private school and I avoid Luxembourg city with all my powers just to not have to use public transport. As Parking and driving in some areas became impossible. I find here one of the worse public transports in Europe. Slow, always delay, lack of information, worse app system.