Re: Is it really that bad?
 

Correct! However...you drive a little less in the UK so despite the higher cost of the fuel in the UK that does come into play. Ignoring the US vs UK sized gallona argument the range of fuel efficient cars is better - particularly with the diesels - I was in the UK in March this year and did 900 miles driving in a hire car (a diesel Astra getting 50+mpg), those 900 miles cost me around £130 in fuel. Which is about the same as my office mate at work here in the US driving his normal American car 900 miles. Either way, the US is not this great "land of the cheap fuel" that everyone says. The UK has more efficient cars available full stop. So no matter where you are the cost is about the same.

On top of that, I could sell my smart car here for more than twice what it would cost to replace in the UK (same model, year, milage) - basically I could replace like for like and be quids in by a few thousand pounds! Even after insurance!!! (Look on Autotrader.co.uk yourselves!)

I just think the Brit's that whine in the Uk are those that have spent very little outside of the country and therefore don't know what it is really like for the 5.5 million Brit expats abroad.

Let's not even bring up how cheap food shopping is in the UK! ;)

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

Almost every Brit I have heard complain about the cost of everything have never been outside the UK for more than 2 weeks at a timeandnhave no idea of the true costs in a different country. I have however had a few people say to me about they had heard how expensive things had become in Australia and we have only had a small handful think we are mad to come back, most agree that the UK has a tremendous amount to offer.
We still cant believe how cheap food shopping is here, nothing to do with changing exchange rates but in real terms. Apparently Australia has the fastest increasing food prices in the developed world and I can believe it.
I grew up in Australia and love a great many things about the country but anyone who believes it is still the cheap country it was 10 years ago is deluded.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

chris955 - take a look at Broadband prices in the UK too..under a tenner a month for the same service that costs me $50-$60 a month. Same with my iPhone here - a $100 a month or so versus £15 a month on Three in the UK... it's crazy. I feel like we are ripped off every step of the way.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

but as said before everything is relative..yes you can get better deals for internet phones and utilities in the UK..then again i earn double what i could in the UK.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

Well that is somewhat true, I do earn a little more than I did in the UK. However I work my nuts off with no time off for it... so it does pain me even more that we get screwed over utility costs etc.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

I can get an iPhone for one off payment of $90 (probably for $0 if i haggle or there's a deal going) and then as low as $25/ month here in Canada

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

Canada definitely has it figured out better than the US. I have a close expat friend who I helped move to Canada and indeed he talked about things like insurance (car..house etc) as well as utilities which are much more affordable in Canada. Let's not even talk about Health!!!

The US is just a rip off. My accountant here is a Brit Expat and he even said that he has had so many Brit Expat clients look at moving back to the UK because while the economy is in the toilet in both countries the cost of living has more than doubled in the last ten years in the US while in the UK it has only risen 10-20%.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

I would say also like has been mentioned, it depends on where you go back to, there are places here and there that aren't so bad, it will also depend on what your jobs are and if you are willing to accept less wage, most new contracts have been downgraded due to the cuts, but you can still live a great life here in the UK, we have.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

AGREE! :-) :-)

It is a lifestyle choice. Sure I have what people in the UK would call a nice life here in the US. However in reality they don't know that I work more than ever with no time off...jobs are fickle...cost of living is high and people are fake. All in all I would rather make a little less money and enjoy a slightly less hectic life in the UK with good public services (they are all better than the US) as well as great TV!

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

im positive the cost of living has gone up a lot more in the UK in the last 10 years

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

Regardless of Government stats - I am always reminded of that great Yes Minister episode where they discussed how useless Government stats really are.

As an expat who has spent 6 years abroad in the US I can tell you that yes the US was indeed vastly cheaper when I moved here compared to now - everything has doubled in price, not just food, but utilities, fuel etc. [Meanwhile wages for me and most in the US have remained static or decreased] When I went back to the UK for a trip this March I was shocked about how cheap everything was...things had of course gone up in cost, but not to the degree things had here.

I even was nosy and asked friends up and down the UK about their bills - naturally they all complained about how expensive they had become, until I told them how much things were in the US. In fact, a friend of mine in the UK messaged me the other day saying how she had watched "extreme couponing" in the UK and remarked "Wow...food in the US at the supermarket seems expensive!" - my response was yes, it is!

Of course there are always so many variables that come into play. But I can say that the UK offers so much that when you live there you never realise until you spend some time away. This isn't nostalgia or rose tinted spectacles, but the reality that we have great museums, history and gorgeous countryside. We also have vibrant and cosmopolitan cities that offer all a chance to be who you want to be regardless of income and social class.

The US is very backward in many ways on social issues and the future is certainly unknown for everyone everywhere. But I can tell you from personal experience and from expats who have also been away for many years there are several I have known who have given up what were seen as "Great lives" abroad to return to the UK and start again because they miss things which are not valued here in the US. Family and friends are more important to Brits than money and food - which is what is valued in the US!

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

i very much agree the UK is a fabulous place and ill be returning soon..but i do know the cost of living has risen markedly over the last 10 years a lot more than 10-20%..my council tax nearly doubled between 2002-2008 for example and gas and electric has definitely doubled in the last 10 years too.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

We went back to London and had a pretty awful time regarding work. Its very much harder to find it at the moment than Ive ever experienced before. Socially, its a good as it ever was back there. Been back in Canada for 5 months and its been completely the opposite. Both got good jobs and a v good standard of living again.

I think if you've got a job and are pretty happy, i'd stay put. We went to Ireland just as it crashed and its taken 4 years to recover. That was a bad move.

But I do miss Northcote Rd in Clapham Jct of a Saturday afternoon, massively!

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

We're able to do a straight cost comparison because we have an online business that we continue to run from the UK. This means our income is the same.

For us at least, the UK is dramatically cheaper than the US (bearing in mind we were in NY which is a costly part of the country). We have much more disposable income here than we had there and save on all kinds of things - food, healthcare, property/council tax, car insurance etc.

Our taxes are a few percentage points higher but all in all, we're much better off here. I finally feel like we can breathe and enjoy life a little instead of working 10 hours a day 6 or 7 days a week just to pay the bills. In fact, we've taken the week off work this week, something we never did in America.

Re: Is it really that bad?
 

I think that is the hard thing right how. The economy ruins everything...the job market is hard where ever - I know Canada has been booming for years and quietly has been relatively unaffected by the crisis effecting the rest of the world.

I also think that sometimes people move when they aren't financially prepared. My decision to return is early days and something in the coming years. Sure I would love to jump on a plane tomorrow, give up my stable job and nice "lifestyle" (that I am always to busy to enjoy) and head to the UK for some real life again. But I am a realist (*cough* *cough* read that as cynic!) and I plan, plan and plan some more. I would slowly liquidize any assets here that would be surplus to requirements in the UK, whether property, stocks etc and slowly build up funs for a return so that the move and potential lack of employment for an extended period could be weathered. Of course I would also bring the CV up to scratch while working on the move and start sending it to contacts in the UK to help try and drum up something. However, I am always acutely aware that jobs come to those who put their boots on the ground and pound the streets and network with people and contacts.

I think the problem is some of those wanting to return get caught up in the nostalgia and expect to return and get a job immediately. This isn't realistic wherever you move. It took me three months during a good economy here in the US to get a job - hundreds of applications, phone calls, meetings, two proper interviews and finally a job. These days 6 months plus out of work is the norm...I should know I have been laid of 3 times in the US thanks the economy and lack of proper employment law in the southern states.

In the perfect world I would split my time between the UK and the US relatively evenly. I would spend a little more time in the UK and be more of a tourist in the US...actually not worry about health insurance (yay for good - cheap! - travel insurance!) or taxes and other BS. However this perfect world is only a reality for a few very well off expats.. and good for them!