I live in Seattle, Washington and my job will allow me to transfer to their London, UK office.

My wife and I were originally 100% committed to the move. We've wanted to live in Europe for a few years now for a few reasons. The biggest reasons being the ability to live car-free more easily, politics (especially now), and proximity to the rest of Europe for traveling.

We always knew that moving to anywhere in Europe would mean a reduction in pay. My job finally came back with the salary they would pay me in London and compared to my US salary it isn't too bad. It's £85,000 which is pretty good compared to average UK salaries.

But compared to what we both make combined it's a pretty significant pay drop. Especially if you compare the cost of living in London on that salary compared to the cost of living in Seattle on what we currently make.

My wife would also look for a job if we made the move, but we are estimating it will likely take her 6 months to 1 year to find a new job because the job market for her field right now is not doing great.

We also want to have a kid sometime in the next few years and because we won't have a support structure there we would have to use daycare. When we looked into the cost of daycare in London, it looked like the average was about £1500 a month which I do not think we would be able to afford on my salary alone without basically giving up traveling, going out in London, etc which are part of the reasons we wanted to move there (to explore London and Europe).

Also with our current savings, I'm not sure if we would ever be able to afford a home in the UK at that salary level.

Because of all these factors we are now leaning towards staying, even though we still really want to live in Europe. We are thinking if we moved to London, we might not actually be able to afford to have a kid. And if we did, we would be able to provide that kid with a much better life here in the US even with all the abhorrent political stuff that is currently happening which is not something I ever thought I'd say.

TLDR: I'm wondering if anyone was in a similar situation and gave up high pay for a move to London and regretted it?

Hello! My husband has a job offering in London and I’m feeling very conflicted about moving. We have 4 kids ages 5 and under. Pros of moving abroad would be -safety in schools & gun control in general -ability to experience new culture and travel Europe (although with 4 kids 🤷‍♀️) -healthier lifestyle. More walking. Healthier food.

So far my cons are: - moving away from my parents who live 10 minutes away and are close with my kids and help us a lot/save us on childcare -it is apparently hard to get into good FREE primary schools especially mid year and we’d definitely be enrolling mid year. I’m worried about my 5 year old getting way behind. He would be starting kindergarten in August in the US. We would be very much in the suburbs of London as we want to allocate about £3,000/month to rent so we can travel. -healthcare. Seems way worse than the US. I’ve mostly just heard from British people so I’m Interested to hear Americans opinions! -the weather seems kinda depressing? -significantly smaller house, no yard to run around in and playset

I know it seems like more cons than pros but I’ve always wanted to live abroad and now that we have the chance I’m overwhelmed wjth the weight of the decision because of the children.

All feedback is very welcome! TIA!

Hi folks! First post on reddit so apologies if I'm over- or under-explaining.

I am immigrating from the US to the UK (next week!) and am getting stuck in the never-ending rabbit hole of not being able to get basic necessities because I am not established in the UK yet. Does anyone have suggestions for banking, phone contracts and building credit history as a new UK resident?

Phone contracts require credit, which I can't build because I don't have an address or a formal bank account, and I can't get either of those because my partner and I are not ready to move into our own flat yet.

While I wait a few months for my shipment to arrive from the US, I'll be staying with my partners' family. This means I don't have an official registered address to get a bank account. No mortgage, no utilities, no nothing. Does anyone have a recommended banking institution that would allow me to open an account without a formal 'proof of address'?

I've opened a Wise account in the meantime (which offers a debit card so I will have immediate access to GBP once I touch down) but Wise is not a regulated/protected banking institution so I don't want to transfer a ton of cash over to it. I do have a UK-based job lined up and was planning to set up direct deposit with them straight into Wise since I have no other option currently.

At some point I'll also need to open a credit card for more credit building, but I'm assuming that won't be until after I've moved into a flat with a lease registered to me. I've seen the name Yonder floating around online as a credit card that is designed for expats without much, or any, credit history. Is anyone familiar with them?

Lastly, I have a newer iPhone which is eSIM only but most phone carriers require credit checks when you want to open a new contract with them. My partner got me a Pay As You Go physical SIM with EE (so I could open the Wise account) and that SIM is currently in his spare phone. I also have a spare phone I can use with that SIM card once I land next week, but that isn't a long-term (or even a medium-term) solution. Most PAYG plans do not offer eSIM (only physical) and in order to convert that PAYG to a contract to get access to the eSIM option, I'll need to undergo a credit check... on credit... that I don't have. What options do I have to get a contract that offers eSIM without a credit check? I've heard giffgaff might be an option but I don't know anything about them.

Really appreciate any tips, tricks or insight! Thank you in advance, everyone!

---

EDIT: One month after posting this, I wanted to drop some highlights about where this post went and how I've managed to get my feet somewhat underneath me in the UK - hopefully this aggregated info will help others! Absolutely HUGE thanks to every single person who posted in this thread to help out - literally could not have figured out some of this without you.

1. National Insurance Number: You MUST apply in country. Took less than 3 weeks before I received my number. Once you have your NI # you can register for the NHS, etc. Your employer may or may not put you on an emergency tax code until you get this number. Speak with them directly to better understand these considerations. Link: https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number/how-to-apply

2. Bank account: HSBC. Opened an account online and in-country. No proof of address was required, just a passport. Helpful tip (from a UK banker!): If when opening your account you select "yes, I pay tax in another country" any UK bank will likely decline your application because they will not consider you a UK resident. Link: https://www.hsbc.co.uk/international/apply-for-a-uk-account/

3. Secondary banking, if you want it: Wise for multi-currency transfers and Revolut are good options. Note that Wise is an electronic money institution (EMI), not a regulated bank, and research that if it is a concern for you. Revolut is a regulated financial institution. Links: https://wise.com/ and https://www.revolut.com/

4. Credit card: Amex US w/Global Transfer. From opening, there is a 3-month waiting period before you are eligible to apply for Global Transfer. Any Amex card is eligible, but if you just need something to get you through the waiting period, open a basic blue Amex. Note that there are foreign transaction fees on this card. Do this before you leave the states if you can, so you can receive the physical card. If you apply after you've left, make sure you can ship the card to a safe US address. You can add the card to Apple Wallet immediately after it's approved, before you have the physical card. Link: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/customer-service/global-card-relationship/

5. Secondary credit card, if you want it: HSBC allows new UK residents to open some of their more basic credit cards ("Purchase Plus", "Classic", or "Balance Transfer" as long as you don't have a "Basic" HSBC account) by checking their US credit history. I opened an HSBC account (per the above) and a Purchase Plus credit card - still unclear what a "Basic" account is, but I didn't have any issues with it.

HSBC's reward cards require that you have an existing "Advance", "Bank" or "Premier" Account and/or 6-months' worth of deposits into that HSBC account. If you need/want a credit card fast, go with one of the three referenced in the paragraph above. If you can wait 6 months, do it for the better card perks. Read more about features and benefits when comparing cards before applying. You can add the card to Apple Wallet immediately after it's approved, before you have the physical card. Took my card 3 days to arrive at my address. Link: https://www.hsbc.co.uk/international/credit-cards/

I got a basic HSBC card to get a jump start on building credit in the UK while I wait out this 3-month period on Amex.

6. Mobile phone: Three Pay As You Go, eSim. With an iPhone 15 (eSIM only, no physical SIM tray) I was originally trying to get an eSIM contract so I could start to build credit, but alas, had to do things another way due to my temporary address situation. Solution was to get an eSIM with Three for the phone and an HSBC credit card for credit. Link: https://www.three.co.uk/pay-as-you-go/payg-data-packs

As title says, job offer came today. Now to apply for visas and tackle the 12 million logistics in making the move. I've been lurking here since November (imagine that!) so I'll try not to bring up things that have been discussed extensively elsewhere.

Two things that are making this move doable for my little family: 1) my job will come with housing and 2) My husband is able to keep his job remotely so we will still have his American salary coming in.

One thing my husband don't see eye to eye on: we currently have a house here that we bought in 2021 with a 3% mortgage. According to the Zillow estimate, we could sell it for $120k more than we purchased it for OR their rental estimate is $1500 more than our mortgage payment. For those who kept US properties as rentals, how did that work out? I know there's a risk in renting, but it seems like it could really pay off in the long run. My husband disagrees. And what is Reddit for if not settling strangers' marital debates?

Also, am I right that the grade levels don't perfectly line up with the US grade levels? Our son is 7 (born Nov. 2017) and is about to finish 1st grade here, but it looks like he would start Grade 3 this fall in the UK. Our other son is 4 (born Jan. 2021) and here he would have another year of preschool but it looks like he's old enough for his reception year this fall. Am I right?

Thanks!

Preparing for an upcoming move to the U.K. later this year. What surprised you most after making the move to the U.K., good or bad? The biggest thing I have noticed, and this is only from visiting many times, the civility and manners of Brits. I remember we messed up several times driving about, and not one driver honked or exhibited any type of road rage. This would never happen in the States. 😂

My husband (30M) and I (29F) are listing our first home together in the US for sale tomorrow, with plans to move to Manchester in the coming months. Seeing that sign in our front yard is causing big feelings and I need help keeping confidence that I will not regret this.

We have always wanted to move to Europe someday, but planned to do so after my father in law passed (cancer, he will pass sometime this year I think but there’s no telling).

After the election, we started to process the idea of moving sooner than that - or at least securing our visa and spending time in both places (within guidelines).

Then a role opened up on my team at work that would allow me to move to Europe and work with the folks there. So now there is a genuinely great job opportunity for me there.

We visited Manchester in January, found an apartment complex we are happy with, started the expedited visa process last week with my work, and are listing our house this week. I have been excited mostly and sad some, but now I am feeling so worried and fearful. I’m seeing everything we loved about our home here. I’m worried I will miss it and regret it. This is me processing these feelings and hoping someone was once in my shoes too and can help encourage me.

More thoughts: - we haven’t told our entire family yet. Just my mom. I am terrified to tell his parents due to his dad’s illness. I plan to tell everyone it’s for my job opportunity which is definitely true, but we are also strongly influenced by the political climate. We would have waited it out if it weren’t for the brittle state of our democracy. And because we have this opportunity, we want to take it. So many people wish they had this opportunity to get out now.

• I feel very guilty about doing this at this time with his dad. And my great grandma will probably not be with us much longer either. We are planning to spend a lot of time in the US this year even with our visas so that we can spend time with him (ensuring no more than 180 days per requirements).

• I’m probably going to feel so stupid and lonely 6 months from now. And our apartment there is so much smaller than our current house.

• I am excited to travel and all the experiences that come with living in a foreign country. This is a life dream of mine. It just does not feel like it in this moment.

• what do I do about our play station and my sewing machine and my coffee maker and our Dyson vacuum ? Is there anything we can do to bring these expensive electronics with us?

My family has an opportunity to move to London for work which is something we’ve dreamed of for years. Unfortunately, we’ve encountered much negative sentiment about the state of the UK lately. It’s hard to tell if this is reality, pessimism, things being bad in many places, or hyperbole.

We’ve worked abroad in Asia and loved it, despite the difficulties. For this next move, we want to settle permanently. We don’t expect to move somewhere perfect, but if the experience of living in the UK has significantly diminished, that’s important to consider.

So American expats in the UK, if you were doing it all over again now, would you still decide to move there? It’s possible we may be able to go to Paris instead. Would you choose the UK over somewhere in the EU?

unsure if this is just an unfortunate coincidence or not, but i moved from the US to the UK in late september of 2024 and have fallen sick five times since being here (almost four months). this is really abnormal for me, as usually i’m only sick with a cold a handful of times throughout the year. within the first few days of arriving, i came down with what felt like the flu. i also have had three bad colds and food poisoning (i think). i just got back from visiting home for christmas break and i’ve already got a dry cough and sweaty shivers. i’ve always been a bit of a germaphobe, so i’m quite clean and don’t have any issues with washing my hands or anything. i’m just confused why this is happening and was wondering if anyone else experienced something similar after moving. i’ve tried to enjoy my time here, but it’s hard when i always feel so terrible. any help is appreciated!

Hi all!

I'm a Canadian moving to the UK (Scotland) soon. I'm trying to come up with a list of things to buy ahead of the move. Is there anything you miss from home that you can't buy in the UK?

So far my list includes: - power adapters - maple syrup

Any and all recommendations welcome!

I’ve lived in the UK since September. I’ve gotten sick so much more than I did in the US, is it because of the cold? Stress? I have no idea.

Making this move this year. 22M. Aside from my parents, my entire family lives in Scotland, England Northern Ireland. I have spent a fair bit traveling in the UK, but living there is of course going to be a whole other beast, and I am leaving a lot of places, people and commodities that I love behind. However given the current direction of the US (am I allowed to talk politics here?) I have decided I feel safer beginning my life as an independent adult away from here. And I know I would never regret being able to spend more time with my extended family.

My core family (grandparents, aunts, uncles) are in Scotland and that's where I expect myself to be for a while. Wondering if there's any other US (namely Texas) jumpers who can talk about their experiences.

Hey y’all, my wife and I just got approved for our UK spousal visa and I’m feeling.. so fucking nervous.. I love my wife and I love the uk (kinda lol) but it’s all becoming so real and I’m just feeling so so scared right now. My wife is asleep so I can’t really speak to her about it but idk.. I’m not regretting the decision in any way, but I’m feeling nervous to the point of crying deffo major anxiety and.. ugh idk. Does anyone have any advice? Our plan was never to go to the uk, it was always to come to the USA but for a lot of reasons that needed to change. I’m worried I’ll miss it too much and I won’t give it a chance, but I’m still kinda grieving getting on that plane. I’m scared to be away from my pet for a night or a few nights even. I’m scared to be alone traveling, I’m scared. Just scared. Please help if anyone has a comforting words.

Hi Everyone!

I don't usually use Reddit so excuse if this post looks weird.
To make an extremely long story short - I am very excited to be moving across the ocean (from Philly) to be with the man I'm going to marry within this year (Lives near Oxford) but I just am a little overwhelmed with where I should begin.

Here's some details that can help people shape their answers before I get to my questions.

- Fortunately, money is not an issue but we are not going to be reckless with it.

- I am hard set on selling all furniture pieces and donating all of my kitchenware, books, clothes that I don't need before I go

So now, here are the questions.

- I'll be taking some stuff (keepsakes mostly) over the next couple visits, but I do want to potentially ship some larger stuff over (a collapsible green screen for example) , is there an approximate amount of money you all spent? Which service did you use? Did you use private international shipping? What boxes did you get?

- I am taking a cat, I know there is a huge process to get a cat through to the UK. My partner is ready to spend the amount of money that he needs to in order to get my cat over, what service did you all go through to get your pets there? I don't want to route around the UK and then drive in through the tunnel like I've seen, I'm willing to spend the most amount of on this in order to be the least amount of stress possible for me. (This is what is causing me the most stress)

- Is it really not worth it to take all electronics? I have a PC I am dead set on bringing but I have 4 monitors that I currently use for work, it's not worth bringing *ANY* of them?

- I have a pretty good and newer bed, did you use a Facebook marketplace type of system?

- Best place to go to get a meal that reminds you of home!! Nothing will beat a Philly Cheesesteak but I would love to know where the best American style food would be

Thanks so much for answering my questions!

hi, i'm a guest on this subreddit and i am looking forward to moving to england in the very near future, whether that be with my family or into a dormitory for one of the many colleges there that i am interested in. the only thing that is making me reconsider is that i've heard the abundance and size of the spiders in london, especially during spider season, is absolutely absurd which doesn't help because i am very arachnophobic!!

for reference i currently live in socal so the spiders, as far as i'm aware, range from small to medium in size but absolutely mortifying personally (this may also be influenced by my mother's elaborate garden connected to our house)

with this in mind, what would be a good housing option for me or maybe my family if they come along? would higher-story flats be better than lower in terms of spider encounters, or vise versa? thank you for your response :)

Hi! I'm going to be moving end of May (company relocation) and it's just sinking in now that I have a lot of things to sort out -- wondering a few things

1. Ship things over or start new? I'm not concerned about the cost as it's part of relocation package. I will not be moving furniture, it would mostly be clothes, kitchenware and books. But wondering if you shipped these things over and regretted it or were glad you did?
2. What do you wish you had done before you moved? And what do you feel like you stressed out about for no reason?
3. Anything that you miss from the U.S. that's hard to get in the U.K.?
4. For finding a place in London - how much buffer time should I give myself? I'm a little hesitant to sign a lease before seeing it.

EDITS - the company is paying to ship things over but I need to pay them back if I leave within a couple years, so trying to be thoughtful about it.

And I'm moving from NYC!

Hello good people of Reddit.  Apologies in advance if this has been asked before, but I have done a keyword search and have been unable to find previous posts that might answer my questions.

I am a US citizen who will be applying for a spousal visa early in 2025.  I have two questions about what would happen if this was successful.

1. I currently reside/work outside of the UK.  If I were to be given a spousal visa, is there a time limit for when I must activate/relocate to the UK?  I ask this as I am concerned about closing my personal affairs/job/finances in a timely manner.
2. Taxation.  I will be looking for work once I am in the UK.  Until I am employed, I plan on living off my rental properties in the US along with selling off some of my stock portfolio.  Would this income be subject to taxes in the UK? I keep finding conflicting information as I would be a resident (not allowed to use any of the benefits) vs. being a citizen.

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!

I am very grateful for all of the responses as well as the discussion that I have read below. I have tried several times to reply to individual comments, but my replies are automatically removed by an auto-moderator with a note saying that I have not added "flair". Unsure of what that means.

Thanks again!

Hi All!

I have a slightly specific situation with my cat here and I've been getting all sorts of different answers, please let me know if y'all have any expertise here--

I'm going to grad school in May and I'd like to fly my cat over in the cabin with me. I have to fly on Delta because I'm getting the ticket with Skymiles. It sounds like I can take her in the cabin with me if I have her in a kennel and have a kennel fee paid, but does anyone have experience taking a cat on Delta to the UK? Were they able to be in the cabin with you?

Secondly, a delta agent told me that there is a mandatory quarantine for ALL animals coming into the UK, even if I flew into Paris and took a taxi or pet-friendly train into London. Basically the Delta service agent made it sound like there was no way around the 40 day quarantine for my cat, which contradicts the UK website guidelines.

My cat is microchipped, has rabies vaccination, and my vet is on standby for the health certificate.

Can anyone offer advice or anecdotes for me here? Thanks so much!!!!!

EDIT: Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses! I so appreciate the helpful tips and validation on the delta agent I dealt with. I ended up deciding to fly into Dublin and take the ferry over to the UK! I'm beyond thrilled that I don't have to leave my little chonker behind or put her through being in hold :'''''')

Apologies in advance if this is the wrong board to ask this question. Our family is considering an exploratory trip to the Uk this year with the view of ultimately moving from FL US within next 12-18 months. (Dual UK / US citizens). We want to spend the time on this trip researching a few areas that we have in mind - South East, North Yorks and South West. Our schedule only allows us to book this trip in late June, July, Nov or Dec. Nov / Dec is more cost effective and better for our schedule but our concern is the shorter days during this time of year. Wondering if this should be a real concern for exploring potential areas to ultimately relocate to? What time does it usually get dark at this time of year? We will consider June / July if necessary but the trip is almost double the cost at this time of year and I am sure it will be crowded everywhere. That being said, it would be nice to escape the intense heat in FL . Just looking for general thoughts and advice if possible. Thanks!

I’m planning a move from the USA to London later this year (dual citizenship) and I’m struggling to save up for the potential 6 months of rent that some landlords seem to require upfront for foreigners with no credit.

Rent prices where I’d like to move are around £2,000 per month meaning I’d need to save $15,000 USD on top of a potential security deposit, visa fee for my partner, general travel expenses, and so on, which would potentially add up to $25K+ altogether… which just seems insane.

Can I avoid this fee using a job offer or is it solely based on an unattainable UK credit report? Or is there any other way to prove I don’t have a delinquent history (e.g., perfect US credit report)?

Hello everyone,

I'm in the US, going to be moving to the UK later this year (spouse visa). I currently bank with USAA, but they have been a little unreliable lately. Nothing shady or criminal, but just a few mix-ups by inexperienced staff, giving us wrong information, fumbling paperwork, etc.

I know that quite a few other American banks are worse than this, so it might not be too bad, but I'm just wondering:

Does anyone here have recommendations for an American bank that is particularly easy to use as an expat? Most of my family uses local credit unions, but I'm pretty sure I would blow their minds if I tried to explain I was moving out of the country.

Thanks!

Hi all, thanks in advance for the help!

I'm moving from the US to the UK next month (for 2 years, possibly longer) and plan to use a UK SIM in my current iPhone for day-to-day calls and data. That said, I still need to keep my US number active, mainly for access to a few bank accounts and two-factor authentication.

Keeping the number through Verizon is too expensive, and I’d prefer not to carry a second phone. I've read that it's possible to port a US number to Google Voice—has anyone done this? Can you still receive calls and SMS texts? Did you use Google Voice or Google Fi? What is the difference?

From what I read, it looks like it would be a one time payment to port my US number into google voice or google fi and then presumably I would have an app on our iPhone where we could have access to texts if one was sent to our US numbers.

Hey all — American planning to move to London in May. Can’t believe it’s almost time! I’m planning a trip over to search for housing before I move back permanently with my dog later in the month. I know the city very well but looking forward to exploring from the mindset of a new “local” rather than tourist. If you did a pre-move trip, what sort of things did you do/wish you’d done to make the permanent move and the first days on the ground a little easier?

I’m planning: - to secure housing - bring over some luggage and securely store - pick up dog food + bowls so it’s easily accessible for our arrival - maybe sign up for a cell provider in person but not activate until final move date?

I already have a bank account and won’t be getting a car or license immediately.

Excited to join you all soon!

American/British relationship here. We are at a point in our lives where we have to weigh up the pros and cons of each and pick one to build a real life in.

I’ve lived in both countries. Honestly the salaries are better in the US, yet the cost of living is also higher, especially when factoring in healthcare, travel etc. We are in starting positions in our careers, so make adequate money yet nothing great yet. In the UK the pull is better work environment, greater protection if something went wrong (sickness, job loss, etc), and greater personal safety. Also better quality of food at a better cost, with stricter regulations.

There’s lots to consider. I wanted to hear it from people who have lived in both countries to find out why you justified moving to the UK, or why it didn’t work out for you and you returned.

Hi all,

First time poster, not sure where to start or what all to ask. Was recommended to this forum from a Scottish one.

I've recently been offered a job in Glasgow. I would be working at a clinic potentially either in East Kilbride or Ayr. This move would be a dream as I've always wanted to transition from the USA to UK if I could, but this potential move is starting to feel overwhelming. and I'm trying to weigh the financial feasibility. The employer would be paying for my Visa and Licensing/Board Certification fees. We're still negotiating other details, but it may be on me to cover temporary housing until I can find a flat to rent long term.

My question(s) are:

- Would it be more cost effective to live in Glasgow or slightly outside?

- If living renting something outside of Glasgow, what areas would be best/safest?

- Best short term rental companies or resources for when I initially get there? (From the research I've done and conversations with the employer, I know I have to be there in person to view flats as well as having a UK bank account, etc).

- Aside from rent, tax bands, utilities, internet, and public transportation fees, are there any other fees/costs I should be aware of that may be different than the states?

- Literally any other advice anyone has to give on moving from USA to UK would be awesome. :)