18 months
 

We moved to the from Brisbane in January 2014 but I carried on working in OZ for the next year on a flyin flyout basis at the moment im full time in the UK. We moved to the UK to be near my daughter who just had our first grandchild the plan is for me to work contract here until I pickup another FI FO job which sounds like it will be South America. Iv now been here 4 months and this is my opinion so far.
Overall I have enjoyed my time here with the English pubs the history on your door steps and Cheap flights to the rest of the world, Europe on the door step all great stuff for the UK. I don’t see is dog sh1t in the trees or on the street (and we have 2 dogs that go out every day0, Chavs or hooligans on every corner. People are more polite and willing to engage in conversation and drivers are politer.
Cars are far cheaper here but if you want to drive it be prepared to pay at the pump for petrol that’s if you can afford the insurance which seems to be some sort of legalised robbery. Don’t worry if you cant afford the car you wont be able to afford a Trian either as the cost of peak hour travel on some routs for a day costing more than what people earn in a week.
The food here is the same quality but with far more choice, it is no cheaper than OZ if you take the % of your income you spend on food rather than the cost of each item it is probably more expensive.
The same goes for rent on a property it is horrendously expensive and it’s cheaper to pay a mortgage! That’s if you can get one. even with a great credit rating and a good deposit .If you’re in your forties expect an up hill battle. Also the whole rental market here is very much geared toward the landlord if you’re an expat that just means it’s open season on your wallet with fees and 6 months deposit ect.
The doctors here was an interesting event when trying to get an appointment i was told if it’s a “non urgent” you wait 2 weeks for an appointment. The government is trying to palm off doctors work on to pharmacy’s to cut down on these times. If you need a blood test it would be quicker to find a vampire this takes a week to do and another week for results. on a another note the doctors receptionist are still as bad as when i left 27 years ago. The talk of poverty is a regular on the news, payday loan adds are forced down your throat with APRs of 3000% and more.
Council Tax here is about 150% more than my rates were in Oz. if your on a single standard income in the UK you are going to struggle.... A lot….although i think England is defiantly on a roll with business booming in some regions it seems the fat cats at the top are just skimming the cream and the profits are not filtering down to the man on the street. To make a good living you really need to do contract work as the full time wages or not good (thats in engineering field).
For us it is part of our plan to be here to see our grandchildren while they are young and we are in the fortunate situation to able to do that but it is not the end game for us we will return at some stage to Oz . If i was in doubt about returning to the UK i would definitely recommend that people rent there houses in Australia before cutting all ties just test the water for a while before you make the jump. To live in the UK and really enjoy it you need money and heaps of it

Re: 18 months
 

SUPERCAD,

Very interesting update, thank you so much for posting it is so helpful.