[thejdude]

Yes, but healthcare is a few 100 bucks a month, which we pay too, only for us it's mandatory by government.

Vacation sounds like a real problem, but it seems like you could circumvent that by going freelance and just taking off x days a year between projects.

[untog]

Well, on a visa you certainly can't.

[pessimizer]

Germany and the US do not pay the same amount for health care (regardless of who is responsible for actually sending the check.)

http://www.statista.com/statistics/215502/per-capita-health-...

[thejdude]

Not on average, but it's ~15% of your salary in Germany, so a high-income person pays a lot (it's capped at a certain level though).