This was inspired by a couple of /r/NoSuspiciousQuestions threads i’ve seen but most answers were centred around people moving from less developed countries.

Overall, it seems like it’d be a massive quality of life downgrade unless you’re earning megabucks, or maybe im missing something?

40 comments

  1. Why would it be a downgrade? The US is a richer country than the UK, most immigration-worthy jobs pay more, even after health insurance etc are taken into account. The houses are generally bigger and cheaper too.

  2. It’s a great country and it has something that the Brits who move there value.

  3. People have their own personal reasons.

    But for me it would probably be the abundance of nature, career mobility, diversity in terms of architecture, climate, culture/food and people, can move to different thriving cities, YOLO and more.

  4. A former colleague of mine took the opportunity to transfer to our office in Houston a few years ago. Why anyone would voluntarily move to Texas is beyond me.

  5. Money. Salaries are much higher in the US

    If you’re a highly skilled professional, you’re probably going to be financially better off in the US and probably will enjoy a higher standard of living than your UK counterparts. Having money insulates you from most of the US’s problems.

  7. I will guess that most people who immigrate from UK to US are at least middle-class, or have a good educational background. Can’t really immigrate if you are dirt poor.

    Based on that assumption, they may move to US because:

    – better job prospect in some industries e.g. IT, finance, some engineering, medical etc.

    – lower tax, if you earn a lot or you run businesses

    – better weather?

    – bigger houses in general?

  8. Higher quality of life, it is a wealthier country with more opportunities.

    Career opportunities. Professionals can take home significantly more money in the states. Compare doctor salaries in USA vs UK, compare CPA salaries in USA vs UK, compare software engineer salaries in USA vs UK. Those jobs often come with solid health insurance plans aswell

    Lower income tax which means you take home a higher percentage of your salary

    Property is cheaper (outside of major cities like SF/NYC/Seattle.) For the price of a three bed semi in SE England you could probably get a massive detached house that’d cost at least a million here.

  9. Its a quality of life downgrade if you’re in the lower or middle class, but if you’re a high earner then it would likely be a higher quality of life.

  10. Many professional and technical jobs (engineer, architect, programmer, management) can pay substantially better in the US than the UK and come with benefits that overcome the lack of free healthcare.

  11. I know a family who made the move to Florida after several long annual holidays, they claim to love the lifestyle but in truth they are all clinically obese and I’m sure they just like going to places where they can stuff their faces with shit food without being judged. Luckily the husband made the move with his job in IT, gets a great wage with full health cover which will come in handy when the inevitable coronary strikes.

  15. Ignoring the potential for being shot and having complicated medical issues… If you have a profession which has a likelihood of making yourself high income, then being high income in the USA is nicer than the UK.

    If you’re low to mid on the social-economic spectrum, it’s not as rosy.

  17. I think it’s a massive generalisation to say any move to the US is a downgrade OP.

    There are aspects of US life that are similar to the UK, and there are aspects that aren’t.

    The UK isn’t perfect either.

  18. My salary would double, with a bit on top. The home I want would cost 200k less, and include an extra bedroom, huge garden, garage, and basement.

    I’d also move to East Asia tomorrow if circumstances allowed it.

  19. I don’t know. My husband and I left the US and moved to the UK last September. I transferred my teaching credential and had it evaluated for a QTS, and I didn’t know I could actually negotiate my pay here, unlike back home where it’s set. I also dont have to do lockdowns anymore because there are gunmen in the area, and that’s a really big relief. For both my husband and myself, we’re taxed less in the UK, as well. Private insurance was $1900/month for the family, and we lost about 45% of our paycheck to taxes — and these didn’t include the additional $15k we had to pay on our home yearly for property taxes. Crime is much lower, too. I also don’t feel the same amount of racism here as I did back home. Here in London, I have yet to be asked “what are you,” but I was asked that several times a week back home. Oh yeah, and women still have reproductive rights here, and churches here don’t seem as hateful as they are back home. I’m really happy in the UK.

  20. Probably easier to buy land, some people might want to own and play with guns. Some places have nice weather others have cool nature. Maybe they’d want to hunt animals.

    I’d say the only people who’d have their lives improved by moving are wealthier people. For poorer people it seems like more of a nightmare than the UK

  21. US is pretty cool despite Reddit wants you to believe in. Your money goes a longer way, people have more energy and overall much easier to socialise with, it’s a massive country you can experience so many different lives.

    If someone offered me a comparable job in some of the states I’d like to live, I’d have accepted in a heartbeat

  22. There are certain careers where your income will be *much* higher in the US than UK. And the tax system out there leave higher income people with more money (at the expense of less support for the lower incomes).

  23. Bigger houses, amazing scenery, common(ish) language. Plus if you’re sufficiently qualified to obtain a visa, chances are you’re on a higher salary relative to UK. Some states the tax relief is huge compared to UK also. Everyone I’ve met in USA has been really friendly and go out of their way to be nice. May be superficial but stuff like waiting staff actually seeming to care about your meal does make a difference when your used to someone throwing your plate of food at you in UK.

    I’m about to pay £400k for a small 3-bed in UK. Equivalent house in Michigan (been offered work there) would have been £120k.

  26. If you have a degree and a good educational background, you will almost certainly live in a bigger house and be able to afford more material stuff, cars, meals out etc. Bog standard grads in the US earn what first year investment banking analysts earn here.

  28. Crisps.

    You can still get Barbecue Beef Walkers in the US. Someone on here who moved UK> US mentioned that as an upside to living there, in addition to the dramatically increased pay.

    Moving doesnt need to be a lifelong commitment~ for a few years it could just be a fun experience. Crisps would really swing it for some people.

  30. I imagine IF you have a decent slab of cash behind you already then a move to the US would be worth it, you could buy a ranch or something, build a home and live comfortably in the US wilderness but if you don’t already have the cash, or are looking for a better standard of living then your gonna get screwed because at least here in the UK you have a safety net.

    If your a migrant to the US your gonna have a bad time

  31. I go at least once a year and often twice when I can and have always wanted to make the US a permanent home (I couldn’t do as I do not qualify for any visa) below are my main reasons for wanting to leave the UK for the US

    I like the fact I could drive from essentially one climate to another, tax is better. Iv spent a lot of time in parts of Florida and like how although a commercial place it also felt quite wild and there was lots of nature and wildlife.

    Excluding the big cities my money buys a significantly better nicer house than it does in the UK

    A controversial point that everyone will hate me for but I’m a legal gun owner and enthusiast in the UK ( I am a responsible fire arms user and take it extremely seriously as all of us should) and the freedom around owning rifles and guns is also appealing to me aswell, I also prefer fishing in the US.

    Driving is more pleasurable with big straight roads and owning a F150 although can be done here it would not be practical.

    Once your over healthcare the UK is a terrible place to live, at least it is to me. This country is going down the toilet and is as corrupt as any country In the world, the sheer amount of tax he are hit with is sickening.

  32. Better weather, nicer people and more of country to explore. I love America and I’d live there if I could but circumstances don’t allow.

  33. I’m a dual citizen. Moved to Florida in 2001. My parents live in Altrincham. Born and bred in Bradford, so quite the change !

    Here are two big things I’ve noticed/learned.

    1. Brit’s care way too much about what others think. I used to be like this, but now I don’t give a f***

    2. Americans are perceived as loud, however they are generally much better behaved, especially around alcohol. For example they will very rarely start any trouble with you unless provoked. Walk around Manchester at 11pm at night and you may get groups of Chavs shouting all kinds of abuse at you. I’ve never seen anything like that in Florida.

    3. I dated a nurse here who made 150k+ per year. Generally careers are much better paid, except for teachers, who make less than they would in the UK. Do not move to America if you want to teach.

  34. You are correct, I lived in the US for 10 years and recently moved back to uk, did not enjoy. Moved there to marry my husband and chose there because I believed the false image they portray in the media. It was a shit show there, I wouldn’t move back there.

  35. Honestly some of the salaries you’d get stateside for an equivalent job can be far better from what i’ve seen. Of course i’m not taking living costs, pace of life and abundance of amenities into factor here. Just going off what i’ve seen.

    If it’s not a financial or social motivation, then I don’t know. The only draw for me is widespread cannabis decriminalisation across many states, but that’s just me haha.

  37. About 10 years ago exbil moved his family to the US, settled in to the cooperate job he was headhunted for, and on which their visa relied. Three months later he was told the company was downsizing, he was out his job and right to remain in America, the whole family had to move back to UK, nearly bankrupted them. Lack of job security is insane imo

  38. Fell in love with an American woman and married her. It was either the UK or the US. I said, I would come to the US. Been here for 23 years, still with my wife. I worked in local government in the UK and currently work in State government in the US. Nice home, single detached, but nothing fancy by US standards. Haven’t lost my accent (South Wales – Taff). My daughter just passed her driving test today (16 years old) and has taken my pick-up truck to go shopping with her friend. Unfortunately she ran over a squirrel and was little unhinged for a time. She seems to be at a grocery store called Kroger at the moment, so I guess she got over it.

  39. If you’re in a high-paying career then you can get a significant pay boost moving to the US. You can enjoy a much larger house and accumulate more savings for when you retire back to the UK, and your job will provide you with excellent health insurance and other benefits.

    Basically the people who move to the US are the ones who benefit from it, not those who don’t.

  40. Much higher salaries in general for skilled workers. Especially in tech.

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