My wife and I have visited several European countries, and I just don't agree. Switzerland is the land of many fees, followed by Iceland and other nordic countries. Germany, France, and the UK are also expensive. The going "low" price in Iceland right now for petrol is $8.74 USD/gallon.

(Did you know that most of the public transport in the UK is owned by German and Dutch companies? They can rack up prices with little consequence.)

The US has gotten more expensive to be sure, but IMO most of our high-cost problems stem from consolidated industries with regulatory capture (healthcare, farming+food+pesticide, tax prep, etc.) and low wages for the bottom 50%, not fees.

This is the greatest comment I have seen in a very long time. Kudos.