I'm an American with two degrees from Europe, and what you say isnt true at all.

Germany provides tuition-free education for all students accepted to university regardless of citizenship. Many programs require German language proficiency, but mine didn't. I paid a grand total of about $700 per year in admin fees, and that came with free public transit across the entire state, high quality subsidized meals at the dining hall for $2.50 a piece, a subsidized student bar where beers were $1.90, and all textbooks and class materials provided free of charge.

College in Germany was basically free. And it's not even that hard to get accepted.

Ireland is "expensive" for Americans compared to EU/Irish citizens, but it was still only ~10,000 for a year-long masters degree. It's an expensive place to live, but even so it was far cheaper than anything equivalent I could have done in the US. Ireland also has a similar uni culture to America. Germany was more barebones thought.