Post: #1

Very interesting article here about the lack of link between money and happiness

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27142647

Also the list of richest countries doesnt really feature anywhere you would like to live

Qatar ($102,000)
Liechtenstein ($89,000)
Bermuda ($86,000)
Macau ($82,000)
Luxembourg ($78,000)

Post: #2

Qatar seems like a hell hole. For the right price, I'd live there under the condition I get to move (soon) or get 11 months of vacation.

If I recall, your marginal benefit peaks around 75k in the USA. Personally, I think the number is a bit low, but for the average individual, sounds about right here.

Post: #3

(04-30-2014 12:41 PM)JJ Roberts Wrote:  Very interesting article here about the lack of link between money and happiness

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27142647

Also the list of richest countries doesnt really feature anywhere you would like to live

Qatar ($102,000)
Liechtenstein ($89,000)
Bermuda ($86,000)
Macau ($82,000)
Luxembourg ($78,000)

Is this per capita by number of residents or citizens? Because in the case of Qatar, where 90% of residents are migrant slaves, that number's skewed as hell.

Bermuda would be kick ass to live in, but getting residency there is hard as hell.

Post: #4

Macau would be sweet as well.

Post: #5

(04-30-2014 02:26 PM)nmmoooreland20 Wrote:  Macau would be sweet as well.

Have you been there?

Gigantic shit hole imo.

Post: #6

None of these are legitimate "countries", they're just glorified overseas dumping grounds for billionaires all around the world. The average Macauan (did I say that right?) certainly doesn't have 82 000 at his disposal to spend his life living in a 4-star hotel and sipping martinis on the beach and gambling every day. They often don't have anything resembling a unique, localized culture or government that one usually imagines when they say the word "country".

To compare money and happiness, compare countries like Norway, USA, Australia, Germany and France.

Post: #7

(04-30-2014 03:01 PM)pants Wrote:  

(04-30-2014 02:26 PM)nmmoooreland20 Wrote:  Macau would be sweet as well.

Have you been there?

Gigantic shit hole imo.

I have. Extreme to call it a shit hole but it certainly is soul-less.

Ok for a quick visit, hit the casinos, play some poker and leave but that's about it.

Post: #8

(04-30-2014 12:41 PM)JJ Roberts Wrote:  Very interesting article here about the lack of link between money and happiness

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27142647

Also the list of richest countries doesnt really feature anywhere you would like to live

Qatar ($102,000)
Liechtenstein ($89,000)
Bermuda ($86,000)
Macau ($82,000)
Luxembourg ($78,000)

I would live in any country of that list except for Qatar.
Granted Lux and Liechtenstein aren't exactly exciting, but they're far from horrible places too.

Post: #9

GDP per capita doesn't mean much. For example Equatorial Guinea has a very high one, but that's just because they found oil. Most of the population still lives in poverty though.

Post: #10

The problem with rich countries is that the local people think they are awesome, because of it.

I bet the people of Macau and Qatar are walking around saying "awwh yeah this is the best country in the world because its the richest country in the world!"
One walk down any street of Macau and Qatar would have you thinking the complete opposite.

Post: #11

If you adjust for countries with small population and/or small area (basically city-states with economically insignificant countryside), then then GDP (PPP) per capita list would look like this (Wikipedia):

Norway - $54,947
United States - $53,101
Switzerland - $46,430
Canada - $43,472
Australia - $43,073

PPP (purchasing power parity) means that the GDP per capita is adjusted for prices. The nominal GDP per capita would look a bit different. USA looks really really good on this list, especially when you consider that it's with a huge margin the largest developed country in the world. Although USA has quite high nominal GDP, it is also quite cheap compared to other countries on similar level (Norway and Switzerland are both super expensive).