You could not possibly have been much around Europe, as you are partially or totally wrong on most points.
1. Nobody in Europe pays over 40% in taxes. Meaning no normal person. You got to be a CEO, lawyer, surgeon or sometning like that to pay that high taxes. You are confusing marginal tax rates with effective tax rates. In terms of disposable income, that is often higher in Europe, specifically because you don't have to pay lots for transportation, health care etc.
2. The varies enormously in Europe. You cannot generalize here. Sure if you are in France, very few speak English. But e.g. in any Nordic country or the Netherlands and you can communicate with even elementary school kids just fine. Germany, Austria and Switzerland also isn't too bad.
3. Weather... sounds like you have only stayed in the UK and Ireland or something. All the mediterranian countries have great weather. Also temperature varies less in Europe than in the US. Northern States in the US get insanely hot in summer and crazy cold in winter. There are few places as cold as North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan etc in Europe.
4. Cigarettes... No that varies a lot between countries. But in most of Europe, smoke free is NOT hard to find. You must have been in Eastern Europe, Ireland or something. And where I live in the Nordics, there is typically an ban on smoking everywhere. Smoking only happens outside, never inside a resturant, hotel room or car.
5. This is actually opposite. I have lived in the US for a year and different European countries in the North. American bureacracy was by far more complicated. Especially related to things like taxes and health care. The US had very simple bureacracy related to car usage. But also stuff like the bureacracy like applying to a University is way more complex than in most of Europe.
6. High cost of living. This is a truth with modifications. Yes in the US there is more space which means you get more afforable housing. You also got lots of cheap fast food. But that is just part of your life. If you want health care, work-life balance, vacation, healthy food and lifestyle, then you might find that becomes either very expensive or practically impossible in the US. If you live like an American in Europe, then sure that gets expensive.
But e.g. the average European spends less on transport than an American because there is a wider variety of cheap public transport, bike infrastructure etc. Europeans spend much less on health care. Fresh quality produce is often cheaper and easier accessible.
7. This is a half-truth. A lot of buildingmass is old. But not al and this varies a lot between countries and cities. However infrastructure tends to be much more modern than in the US. Things like trains, subways, airports, busses tend to be really old and worn out in the US. Look at the roads in major American cities. They are like patched up a dozen times. It is very rare to see that bad roads in Europe.
There may be more old buildings in Europe than the US. But old building tend to be much better maintained in Europe than in the US. A lot of areas in the US with old building tend to have developed into something looking like a slump. Paint falling off. Americans build more new fresh stuff, but are not that great at maintaining what they have.
Just look at 400 year old facades in the Netherlands and compare with a 60 year old facade in the US.
