Forgot to ask and did not see others ask, either: why would you relocate, if you don’t mind me asking?

Much better opportunities in my opinion, its a large salary increase, projects in the US are 20x the size that we have here in the UK, and the UK isn't what it was anymore imo, I've never really had any allegiance to it as such, and the area we are in its becoming incredibly bad. I know the US has it's problems, everywhere does, but the from a personal perspective the opportunities that open up from my employer in the US are worth the jump compared to what the long term aspects are here. Plus, I don't want to feel like I've gone my whole life and not experienced another country properly, outside of a holiday

I have lived in the US for over 30 years. No country stays the same - the US isn't the same country I came to in the 1990s. It has changed dramatically and NOT for the better. It's not all wonderful here - far from it.

I totally get that. Your reasons are your reasons anyway, it's not really relevant to the rest of us. Everybody has different motivations for a move abroad.

Although I will say that I bet you'll see the UK differently once you've lived elsewhere! If often makes people appreciate it more, but it's a fun adventure whilst doing so.

Best of luck to you.

Ah yeah without a doubt. No doubt there will be things I will miss here, and it could turn out to be a disastrous move, but I would rather find out! Haha

Thanks, and thanks for the tips

I have only been here for 14 years or so and on a day to day basis it has not changed that much for me, aside from the recent crazy price inflation. I am in the burbs so a lot of what you see in the news is not in my day to day. I just got back from a trip to Germany and the UK and saw a bigger change there than here. I have 30 or so countries I can live and work in the day I land, but for now the US still offers me the highest standard of living to income ratio. Although I never thought of it as a factor, healthcare is also an upside. I had a big ski accident in December last year and got to experience the positive side of US health insurance…. No wait in ER, got to pick my surgeon and hospital and was in for major surgery 6 days after the accident. Still in PT now 10 months later… but everything worked the way it was meant to, and that’s with a HDHP, the premium we saved went in to the HSA and despite the bill being over $50k all in, I did not even hit the OOP maximum, and thanks to a separate accident insurance policy, all of that was covered anyway with money left over…

the one thing I would say to the OP is being here without family and young children is hard. I had friend who did it and went back home because I the lack of support system. My wife is a USC from birth so her family is less than 3h drive so that is a god send. Childcare is very expensive (and can have multi year wait lists where are). And does not help with emergencies…

The US is a fine place to live for those who make the effort to assimilate and are open to change. For those who disparage the US, I would ask them why they are still here, clearly it is the best option for them. Perfect no, but nowhere is.

My experience is that there is quite a difference on where one lives in American whether in or near a large city, or near or in a smaller or medium city especially away from the coasts. I used to love San Francisco, though I would not live or work there now. Away for the coasts in parts of the West or Pacific Northwest can be nice for a family, a decent size house and land, outdoor activity, and often quite safe environment - though the downside we found in America was the education system, and of course medical costs. Regional differences in culture between parts of the South and California are more than they might seem from afar.

I think you're experiencing the "boiling a frog" effect - when you live somewhere you don't really notice the cummulative changes that have happened a little at a time over a number of years, but taken togther things might have changed a lot more than you remember.

My overall view is that things haven't changed much where I live, but in fact there have been significant changes that have actually made my life here in NC quite different from when I arrived, including major regional and local changes to the roads that affect my driving and journey times. Within ten miles there have been a road widening from two lanes to a dual carriageway, several new roundabouts, and a major rail and road bridge project, a new route/ bridge under the railway, and a reallignment of a major crossroad/ left turn. Land was cleared for two new retail developments, and a "traditional mall" closed, mostly.

Several major chain restaurants have closed entirely, an some lesser regional chains too; a few have been added but not many. Since the pandemic groceries and Walmart close no later than 11pm, most restaurants close most nights at only 9pm, or earlier, so there isn't much dining after 9pm, unless Taco Bell and Wendy's are your thing. Two chain groceries have closed down and left the state entirely. A major regional grocery was bought out by Kroger, and of course we have the rise of Lidl and Aldi.

Among laws that have changed in NC are those that allow beer to be brewed to over 6% alcoholic strength, which has led to the number of breweries in NC exploding from maybe half a dozen to, the last time I looked, over 340!!! Wineries have also increased from only a handful (maybe only 1?) to something like 80. There has been a steady decline in "dry" towns and counties. NC lost its last dry county two years ago - every time there is a local referendum the public vote to end the dry status of the town/ county. Tobacco smoking was outlawed in restaurants in NC and almost all other public spaces, something that my wife assured me when we moved to NC, was never going to happen.

I could go on, but there have been many changes over the 22 years I have been in NC, that have, little by little, changed things a lot.

I can't emphasise enough how important it is to ask your employer about benefits, and to get as much info from them as you can about medical/dental/vision benefits in particular. I was a spoiled brat while I worked in the US as my employer offered fairily decent medical plan options that never cost me more than $50/month for one person and that was without a ridiculously high deductible and co-pay. You'll be with your spouse and two kids so even basic health/dental visits will add up very very quickly, as will their insurance costs if you can't add them to your employer's plan. There will be lots of areas of your budget where you can 'make do' and adjust your lifestyle for a bit as you find your feet - I suggest that healthcare/medical insurance is not one of them because once you're signed up you typically can't switch until the next enrollment period (which I think is often Oct/Nov?)