Long working hours,the fewest holidays and the high cost of living mean the big salaries on offer in the UK do not go as far as those earned in other countries,making Britain and Ireland the worst places to live in Europe. France and Spain are the two countries topping the European Quality of Life Index out today,according to the place comparison website Switch.com. The French enjoy longer lives,better healthcare,more holidays and cheaper prices.In contrast Britons work three years longer and die two years younger after paying above the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes.The amount we spend on healthcare and education is below the European average. Only Ireland and Poland spend less,but Ireland has more doctors and hospital beds and Poland has more beds than the UK.People in Germany,Spain,France,Italy,the Netherlands and Sweden all enjoy longer life expectancy than Britons.And while we may be giving up work earlier,the average age at which we retire is still the fourth highest in Europe----and the UK state retirement age is set to rise. Ann Robinson,of Switch.com,said:"There's more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Britons are giving up on (......)the UK and heading to France and Spain.We earn substantially more than our European neighbors,but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads,food on the table and our homes warm" . "It's giving us a _ standard of living,but it's not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy.For too long the focus in the UK had been on standard of living rather than quality of life." In Europe,to enjoy the best quality of life,you'd better live in   _  .
Britian and Ireland Spain and France Ireland and Poland Britian and Italy