[tobilg]

Well, you might have to pay higher taxes in Germany than in the U.S., but please don't perform a "Milchmädchenrechnung" (naive fallacy) to just compare the tax rates...

In Germany, the education system from kindergarten to university is basically free (although schools could be much better funded), you have a public health care system that (mostly) works, public transportation, a welfare system that makes sure that everyone can at least survive, etc. etc....

I spend some time in SF, and even with a much higher income and potentially lower taxes, I'd never be able to afford the same quality of living there, especially if you have kids.