"harsh winters" is relative. :) There tends to be less snow accumulation in Berlin than much of the Northeast US, and chances are you won't need a car, nor need to shovel it (plus walkway and driveway) out. And besides, meh-weather helps with productivity.
Come on! Winters are harsh, particularly the last one...
The other thing you want to investigate before making the move is taxes! Income Taxes are high, the marginal rate is 45 pct.
For me, the winters are relatively better; unlike where I grew up (the 51st state), there's less snow on the ground, and walking everywhere keeps me warm. :)
As for taxes: if you're just coming for 3 months, no tax worries. Beyond that: 1) you get a lot more services for the tax money, like health insurance, university; 2) the treatment of capital gains taxes is very favorable for entrepreneurs: http://venturevillage.eu/gmbh-tax-change
Re:Hacker Retreat Berlin
by sebkomianos on Thursday September 26, 2013 @03:09PM
(#6452925)
Exactly. I come from Greece and haven't had any major problems with the Berlin winter so far.
London's cold was much more bitter, for what it counts.
So now this gets added to our list of "Why we should consider moving to Berlin". The only thing that has kept us off so far are the rather harsh winters. Was in Berlin about 60 days ago and of course, the summer is amazing and I totally loved the city for being so cheap and alternative... For New Yorkers, it's like Williamsburg, but all over the place ;)
I'll be following this closely. Thanks for taking the initiative to create this!
EDIT: Just told the wife, she says it's a sign - lol :P