I mean you totally can, in eastern Europe. But you're missing the point of the article, which is that Europeans supposedly enjoy a more 'rich' life in other ways than material goods. Although I do not fully agree, most of Europe is not that different.

I don't agree with the original article at all, but I find this comment quite ironic. Almost no European except for the very rich is thinking about owning a 6000 square foot house, it's just not a priority. But it doesn't surprise me that an American would. And I think that difference is illustrative of the American vs European narrative the author is alluding to.

The aspiration of owning a 6000 square foot house probably costs the American a lot of things the European _would_ value: not having to be so career-focused to make enough money, not having to take on as much debt, living in a higher-density urban area which makes other things mentioned in the article possible (taking the train, going to cafes, casually stopping for groceries, all the while being surrounded by other people)...