Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > Moving back or to the UK
Reload this Page >

UK is way cheaper than the USA

UK is way cheaper than the USA

Old Jan 3rd 2013, 5:28 pm
  #211  
Heading for Poppyland
 
robin1234's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
robin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by sallysimmons
You said that like it's a good thing Endless Dr Who reruns and the occasional 'How Clean is Your House.'
I don't have a TV so fortunately don't have to suffer!
robin1234 is offline  
Old Jan 3rd 2013, 5:42 pm
  #212  
Bob
BE Site Lead
 
Bob's Avatar
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,167
Bob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond reputeBob has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by robin1234
Exactly.. sporadic water pressure, no decent bacon, overhead electricity supply, not all grocery stores here stock Yorkshire tea. That about covers it.
Don't forget the pot holes, those things are out to get you over here.
Bob is offline  
Old Jan 5th 2013, 1:15 pm
  #213  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Finally moving!
Posts: 1,236
holly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond reputeholly_1948 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by robin1234
If those were the worst problems with life in America, I might even consider staying here after I retire.
Florida (especially on the Gulf coast) is way way cheaper than places like California or Upstate NY. Which is why all those old people are here.

So cheap that many are seasonally residents, treating the Florida house as a second home and escaping elsewhere in the Summer, usually where their grandchildren and roots are.
Michigan and Ontario are the biggest summer places. I have not met any who use UK this way.
I did meet a Scottish couple who are seasonal residents here in Fort Myers - but they go to Ecuador for their Summers!

Florida and UK seasonally is my hope, best of both worlds.
holly_1948 is offline  
Old Jan 5th 2013, 2:28 pm
  #214  
Heading for Poppyland
 
robin1234's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,453
robin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond reputerobin1234 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by holly_1948
Florida (especially on the Gulf coast) is way way cheaper than places like California or Upstate NY. Which is why all those old people are here.

So cheap that many are seasonally residents, treating the Florida house as a second home and escaping elsewhere in the Summer, usually where their grandchildren and roots are.
Michigan and Ontario are the biggest summer places. I have not met any who use UK this way.
I did meet a Scottish couple who are seasonal residents here in Fort Myers - but they go to Ecuador for their Summers!

Florida and UK seasonally is my hope, best of both worlds.
My mother in law lived in Florida in retirement for 25 years so we went for lengthy vacations there every winter when the children were little. When my MIL became elderly and frail, my wife went down to FL to bring her back to NYS to the retirement community near us where she lived for the remainder of her life.

My wife remarked; "If I never set foot in Florida again, I will be happy."

Now that it is minus twenty degrees here, I have a bit of a hankering for Florida...
robin1234 is offline  
Old Apr 8th 2013, 3:21 pm
  #215  
Banned
 
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 174
nateusa will become famous soon enoughnateusa will become famous soon enough
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by bigshanks
I have lived in the US for over 25 years and visit the UK 4-6 times per year. Much depends on your circumstance. Difficult to replace a life style including size and location of a house from US to UK. Most would have to downsize appreciably so tough to compare cost between the 2. Also salary's, at least half to a third what can be achieved in the US so where is that covered? In summary, what you pay less for in the UK is wheat products, milk, beer (not spirits or wine), veg and candy. Also health care if you go NHS but not if you go private. Electric, phones and gas is less expensive but service is terrible. What is defo more expensive in the UK is; housing, petrol, eating out, taxes, TV channel suppliers (especially if you like watching football), meat, fish, banking fees (scandalous). Hope this helps a little, I go back often for family reasons. Last but not least, what price do you put on the social discord in the UK, the nightly attacks in the town centers, the over-riding pesimistic mood, the fact you have to lock everything up that is not nailed down? However, how do you put a value on footpaths (best in the world), snooker, a decent pub (fast declining), heritage etc. Great debate!
eating out is a lot more expensive in the us and most of the restaurants are horrible.
nateusa is offline  
Old Apr 9th 2013, 4:50 am
  #216  
Ping-ponger
 
dunroving's Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Dreich Alba
Posts: 12,001
dunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond reputedunroving has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by nateusa
eating out is a lot more expensive in the us and most of the restaurants are horrible.
Interesting - I find US restaurants cheaper, like for like. I rarely eat out in the UK for that reason.
dunroving is offline  
Old Apr 9th 2013, 7:45 am
  #217  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: bute
Posts: 9,740
scot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond reputescot47 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

My American colleagues in KSA always pointed out that eating out in the US is cheap, with huge choice.
scot47 is offline  
Old Apr 9th 2013, 7:52 am
  #218  
Joined on April fools day
 
Beaverstate's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2012
Location: 30 miles from a decent grocery store.
Posts: 10,642
Beaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond reputeBeaverstate has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by nateusa
eating out is a lot more expensive in the us and most of the restaurants are horrible.
The latest info I could find stated that there were more than 504,000 restaurants in the U.S. , 40,000 of them chinese (more than double Mc Donalds). How many did you try?
Beaverstate is offline  
Old Apr 9th 2013, 2:41 pm
  #219  
SUPER MODERATOR
 
Jerseygirl's Avatar
 
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 87,988
Jerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond reputeJerseygirl has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by nateusa
eating out is a lot more expensive in the us and most of the restaurants are horrible.
It can be and it can be cheaper too. I don't know what type of restaurants you are going to but I would say most are good...and I am extremely picky about what I eat. It's like anywhere some are bad...some are good...some are expensive...some are good value for money.
Jerseygirl is offline  
Old Apr 9th 2013, 7:45 pm
  #220  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Location: The sunshine state
Posts: 1,358
Bud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond reputeBud the Wiser has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

I had some nice pub meals whilst in the UK and the price was comparable to the USA. UK restaurants much dearer, quality may be better in some cases. Quantity much less ( hence US obesity and doggie bags ) :-)

I do find that going out for a meal in the UK can be an evening out, whereas going out for a meal in the US I seem to have only just sat down before I'm out the door again and the tables cleared for the next diner and the waitresses next tip. Always seems rushed to me.
Bud the Wiser is offline  
Old Apr 9th 2013, 9:31 pm
  #221  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Location: North East Ohio, USA
Posts: 1,919
Derrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond reputeDerrygal has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

[QUOTE=Bud the Wiser;10649883]I had some nice pub meals whilst in the UK and the price was comparable to the USA. UK restaurants much dearer, quality may be better in some cases. Quantity much less ( hence US obesity and doggie bags ) :-)

I do find that going out for a meal in the UK can be an evening out, whereas going out for a meal in the US I seem to have only just sat down before I'm out the door again and the tables cleared for the next diner and the waitresses next tip. Always seems rushed to me.[/QUOTE]

I feel exactly the same way - in fact on more than one occasion the server has actually taken my plate away before I was even finished - how rude is that?? I was back in the UK last October - had some decent meals at the Wetherspoons chain of pubs.
Derrygal is online now  
Old Apr 10th 2013, 2:26 am
  #222  
Banned
 
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 174
nateusa will become famous soon enoughnateusa will become famous soon enough
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by Beaverstate
The latest info I could find stated that there were more than 504,000 restaurants in the U.S. , 40,000 of them chinese (more than double Mc Donalds). How many did you try?
I've tried many restaurants around where I live and many times we had to opt for the closest thing to uk curry and food.

are we comparing fast food restaurants or restaurants where meals are edible?

alcohol is dearer in the states too! price of wine when you go out is always in the neighborhood of 23-30 dollars for the low-budget bottles.

do you not pay service and tax on top of your meal in the states?

i actual count how much money comes out of my pocket versus what is in the menu list.

in the states the quality of food is in my experience not up to the par with the uk but you can argue that it is different. steak houses vs spicy food eateries etc.

i also concur that the us restaurants have no ambiance at all.
nateusa is offline  
Old Apr 11th 2013, 12:21 am
  #223  
Firetrak
 
ldollard's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 577
ldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by Bud the Wiser
I had some nice pub meals whilst in the UK and the price was comparable to the USA. UK restaurants much dearer, quality may be better in some cases. Quantity much less ( hence US obesity and doggie bags ) :-)

I do find that going out for a meal in the UK can be an evening out, whereas going out for a meal in the US I seem to have only just sat down before I'm out the door again and the tables cleared for the next diner and the waitresses next tip. Always seems rushed to me.
i went back to the uk for the first time in 10 years last year. I was very surprised, because the portions where just as big as in the US in some places I found them to be bigger. This was in central london and dorking.
ldollard is offline  
Old Apr 11th 2013, 12:23 am
  #224  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Sally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond reputeSally Redux has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by ldollard
i went back to the uk for the first time in 10 years last year. I was very surprised, because the portions where just as big as in the US in some places I found them to be bigger. This was in central london and dorking.
I also noticed that portions have got much bigger in the UK.

Like Bud, I love the fact you are left to eat the meal in peace.
Sally Redux is offline  
Old Apr 11th 2013, 12:40 am
  #225  
Firetrak
 
ldollard's Avatar
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 577
ldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond reputeldollard has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: UK is way cheaper than the USA

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
I also noticed that portions have got much bigger in the UK.

Like Bud, I love the fact you are left to eat the meal in peace.
I went to Ruth Chris the other week (completely over priced if you ask me). And I didn't exactly think I was rushed, but the service sucked. Two steaks, two sodas and two sides came to $180 incl tip.

I tip fairly well, but i hate the expectation to tip everyone no matter how shitty the service.
ldollard is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.