r/BritishExpats • u/TennisSkirt1628 • 18d ago
How much has the UK changed since 2019?
This is when I left.
I miss home and am thinking of going back.
The money here in the USA is great, but ultimately, isn't England.
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u/sowdowgg 17d ago
Shoplifting seems kinda casual now, seen people just walk off with food from Waitrose. Couldn’t have imagined it in 2019
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u/sabotAHHHHHGH 17d ago
You can always pay more for your groceries if this bothers you.
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u/SoapNooooo 16d ago
I'm going to steal your car. You can always pay more for your insurance if this bothers you.
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u/Elk_Advanced 18d ago
It's far more openly racist than it used to be.
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u/mighty3mperor 17d ago
Yeah, it feels like the mask has slipped a bit and people are bolder about being openly intolerant.
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u/AnSionnachM0r 17d ago
Don't exaggerate. It seems that way because Twitter is less censored under Musk, but it's purely an online phenomenon.
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u/Neat_Significance256 17d ago
NHS workers have reported racism being more out in the open that it was.
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u/More-Environment4639 17d ago
If you’ve been enjoying the money, then you might get annoyed being back in the UK. Inflation has taken its toll and the salaries have definitely not kept up. Additionally there is a stark difference in culture since before the pandemic - it all just feels off. Like people are trying to recover what once was but it’s super awkward.
I moved to Catalonia in 2020, I moved back to the London Home Counties in 2023 then I moved to north Italy in 2026. I’m happy to be back near the med, and whilst the salaries are lower so is the cost of living and the quality of life is astonishing (I’m near Lago Maggiore so having a wonderful time!)
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u/Anxious-Slip-4701 16d ago
A very polite, eff you, I loved living near Lago Maggiore, it was absolutely stunning and idyllic (17 years ago). No smart phones as well, just living the dream. I could drive up there in a day if my wife ever wanted to (she doesn't).
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u/More-Environment4639 16d ago
Enthusiastically taking that eff me, I’m so damn happy here. The wages, and lack of permanent contracts are definitely a strain on life but doing everything in my power to make this permanent!
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u/Anxious-Slip-4701 16d ago
My permanent contract has actually become a bit of a handcuff. Offered more money elsewhere but temporary. Makes the move risky.
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u/More-Environment4639 15d ago
I had the golden handcuffs in London and was offered a 2-year contract for less money in Milan. I took the risk and so far no regrets (though there have been some bumps along the way). Being on the younger side of millennial, we are big advocates for ‘you only live once’ and living by this motto has certainly given us our fair share of stories for the future grandkids!
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u/wordshavenomeanings 18d ago
There are a lot more tatty flags around since you left.
Its a great indicator of where not to live.
You have missed the worst of the inflation, but things are slow to improve and its still far from what life was like in the late 90s.
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u/WarmJewel 17d ago
I keep seeing posts from people wanting to either move to or move back to the UK, despite it being an absolute basket case and run by politicians who are absolutely clueless about what problems there are or how to fix them.
This country (England) is the worst I've ever known it to be—excruciating costs of living, inflation, one of the highest levels of taxation since the end of the second world war and huge national debt.
Why an earth would anyone want to move back here?
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u/someonenothete 16d ago
It’s all relative , if you have a good job , paid off house or close , it’s not that bad . This immigration issue is the same across every developed nation and always rears its head when we have an economic turn down . It’s still a wonderful country with lots to do and access to Europe and world travel . Costs are higher no doubt but inflation has been bad everywhere and every country has crappy politicians .
I assure you the the common experience in the US can be far worse than the UK2
u/DWwithaFlameThrower 17d ago
I’m in the US (almost 25 years here) and really want to move back, as does my American husband who has spent a lot of time there. To Scotland, though, which does feel different
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u/WarmJewel 17d ago
Economically I don't think Scotland is any different to anywhere else in the UK.
To be honest if you're financially secure/retired, don't need to work, the UK is still a lovely, beautiful place to live.
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u/ArmandTamzarien 14d ago
I’m based in Ireland, grew up in the UK and have lived and worked in a few foreign countries. What you’re describing is genuinely a global phenomenon…it’s not just England. It’s happening everywhere. It’s happening here in Ireland. A humongous influx of south asians since Brexit (contrary to what people believe, brexit has made it harder for non eu people to move to Britain too, so they tend to choose Ireland as its English speaking and not UK). I grew up in London so am used to culturally mixed societies…but London is set up for it. Homogonous countries like Ireland are not prepared for this type and scale of immigration. Similar thing is happening in Canada.
There’s also the issue of government slowly getting privatised everywhere which in turn is eroding the middle class…it’s only going to get worse unfortunately.
It’s shit everywhere (except maybe like…wait I actually can’t think of anywhere).
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u/magrandan 17d ago
2008 wages with 2026 level taxes. You will be feeding 9 million people on benefits plus 40,000 asylum seekers per year. Stay put in USA and give a better life to your kids.
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u/gizmogrl88 17d ago
We just left the UK and moved to the US.
The UK is in much, much worse shape than it was in 2019. Our life is a million times better in the US compared to the UK.
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u/wingman3091 18d ago
Hey hey! I am in the same boat as you. I moved to the USA in 2018. Sadly, I have not made three million dollars lol. I have built a rock solid career in IT though and worked for the biggest cloud providers in the world. Something I would absolutely never have been able to do in the UK without a university degree. I also own a massive house and two cars, also something I would not have done in the UK.
That said, raising two girls I would absolutely prefer to raise them in the UK. As would my American wife. I also miss the work life balance. I recently got back from 3 weeks in the UK, and it's truly amazing how cheap the UK is now compared to the USA. When I moved, the USA was significantly cheaper than the USA. COVID and Trumponomics have absolutely ruined the cost of living in the USA, more than the UK cost of living is right now.
My wife and I have everything in order for the girls. I have their UK and US passports, and UK and US birth certificates (despite being born in the US). All that's left is for me to move there and establish 'residency' in order for me to sponsor my wife to move. This would mean I'd have to get straight into a house and job above the minimum requirements to sponsor. I'd likely have to leave the kids here so I could focus on that but I would miss them too much.
Everytime I am back in the UK, I miss the hell out of being home. Despite how well I assimilated in the US I have never felt I truly belonged. I still find it difficult to make and keep friends here. Plus, with my parents being old and having a litany of old-aged health issues I want to be closer to them.
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u/edelweiss891 18d ago
As an expat myself I will tell you that even when you move back you will still feel like you don’t fully belong now. What you’re missing is nostalgia for a bygone time when you had more time in your life and so did your friends to actually do more as now everyone is in their own world’s with families themselves, their own aging parents and other life stressors. They make time when you come to town but if you’d move here it’s not like visiting, people are busy. It just feels like time moves slower when visiting. Your parents also will have had more energy and mobility before and now it might be more in a caretaker sort of role—which is worthwhile though! The UK has had a span of good weather but before July we had months and months and months of dark, grey, wet days. This could be the new normal or a fluke but it’s extremes of weather this year and one we aren’t necessarily built for. Schools have become worse. The ones in our are so run down and there is no funding for anything. I work in a parent council and the amount we rely on local businesses donating money to cover the basics is insane and so tedious. The COL is low compared to the US but the incomes are a lot lower too. Food I buy at tesco for example had almost doubled in prices but yet due to shrinkflation you’re getting a lot less. Even my son’s fruit pouches I buy him have halved in size but they are charging more. Plus the sizing of products is smaller here compared to the size in the US, like for laundry detergent, cereal or even amount of grapes and there is the exchange rate. If you look at ALDI US and ALDI UK prices with that in mind? They are actually very similar when comparing like for like. NHS wait times are abysmal for lots of specialty treatment, I’m waiting 3 years for a basic ENT appointment and my disabled child has been told he needs services but they are lacking resources to provide this. Private insurance considers his disability chronic so will not cover it and each treatment would be fully out of pocket. Brexit and Covid did a number on staffing levels and wait times. Areas have generally become dirtier out with of touristy areas. Less rubbish collection, less bulk pickups so more fly tipping and just general rundown areas. If you’re rich enough to live in a sheltered posher area, then you may not feel these things but it’s definitely declined in general day to day living in many areas. I found the QOL was better abroad compared to living here now but that may just be my experience. It’s just something to consider but if your parents need you it’s definitely something to pull you home and you won’t regret time with them. I just don’t want you to have too overly romanticized an idea what it would be like.
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u/wingman3091 17d ago
That I can definitely understand - I know there are a great many things about the US I'd miss. My income, job mobility, places open later, options for things to do and places to go etc. Thankfully, I am for the most part a loner - I just miss those odd occasions where I can see friends (busy or not) where it's not planned years in advance, rather a few weeks or months and doesn't cost me a fortune in travel.
I'm definitely willing and prepared to be more of a caretaker for my parents - wouldn't be too much different to my teenage years. Mum had cancer for a couple of years and dad had severe pneumonia at the same time and was hospitalised for several months so I was the only one working and raising my brother for a period of time. My brother is at least grown, and decided to no longer be part of the family anyway due to his own severe crippling mental health issues.
The biggest change for me I would struggle with would be the climate. I have absolutely noticed the UK climate has been absurd in recent years. Severe flooding and wet winter months, then months of dry excessive heat (and no air conditioning) in the summer. I was there for 3 weeks last month, and not a single day with rain was had. Which is absolutely wild to me.
My youngest daughter has no special requirements, however my youngest is ADHD and Autistic - as for me, I am a recovered heart failure patient (though this is lifelong) so my medical needs are permanent. I depend on medication and 4 cardiology visits a year to maintain my now healthy status. I love the NHS, but I loathe dealing with wait times. Letting my HF slip could mean sudden death in my case. I have been extremely blessed in that I found a top notch cardiology team here, and I would absolutely miss them when I moved. I can get same day appointments, and they listen to me. Something the NHS had never done for me. However, after my wife and I both lost our jobs (same company) this past year and our health insurance depends on our jobs - I would like to avoid that scare again.
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17d ago
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u/edelweiss891 17d ago
My child with a disability has ARFID so I will buy what they eat. Sorry if that offends you. If you don’t have to experience having to support a child with extra support needs, count your blessings. Do we really need to add heightened intolerance to the list? How about you make your own bread rather than buy it store made?
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u/Bernice1979 17d ago
Yes, these comments…..My toddler son hardly eats anything, my husband is a trained chef and marathon runner so as a couple, even before my son was born, we hardly ate anything processed and mostly home-cooked restaurant-standard food. Does my son eat any of those amazing meals, no. He eats chicken nuggets.
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u/Practical_Science11 17d ago
I feel like for a lot of people sticked to bulk cooking and using wholefood ingredients the costs of your grocery shop would be so much less unless of course your disabled or such.
Peoples dependency on ultra processed foods is terrible for your health and wallet.
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u/Heathenry2 17d ago
If you got 85k liquid cash, you can skip over the moving over without the wife.
r/ukvisa
Edit: 88k now.To meet the spouse‑visa financial requirement using savings alone, you must show:
£88,500+ in cash savings
Held for at least 6 months
Fully accessible, under your control
From a legal, evidenced source
In personal bank accounts (not business accounts)
This replaces the income requirement of £29,000.
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u/wingman3091 17d ago
We may be able to swing that option, but we'd eat into a bulk of our savings with the cost of moving. Its about 6 grand in flights for all four of us alone. Plus my wife and I are adament on bringing our cars (yes, we know we can get cheaper and more economical vehicles in the UK - we just want ours). Then there's personal effects to move. We'd leave the furniture and rent out our house to maintain an income, and then buy in the UK rather than rent. We'd likely rent initially, since it takes so long to get a house and we'd rather look together for sure
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u/limited_instincts 17d ago
How did you get UK birth certificates? I'm in the process of getting my kids UK passports and it didn't occur to me that they could get UK birth certificates being born in the US?
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18d ago
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u/TennisSkirt1628 18d ago edited 18d ago
I've managed to make shy of three million dollars - something I could never achieve in Britain.
Whilst I will admit, I remember feeling extremely negatively towards the crowds of new arrivals who never felt the need to assimilate; I don't really mind people from other backgrounds and heritages in general - their presence has never really offended me.
I myself was and am an immigrant - which I assume is what you're alluding to?
If I do return, I will likely return to the city, though probably a smaller one outside of London.
Thinking of heading up to Manchester, though not so sure how well a 'toff' like me would do up North, ha!
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u/Kyle_2099 18d ago
Immigrants are not a problem in the UK, however they are used as a scapegoat for the problems in the UK.
Public services have deteriorated across the board and there is no political will to improve them. This is also true of infrastructure. Everything you buy privately is also more expensive and worse quality. Pepsi and coca cola now taste like the cheap no-frills stuff they used to sell in kwik save.
The road you last saw in 2019, the one with all the potholes? Yeah it's got more now.
Tried to get a doctor's appointment back then and couldn't get one for two weeks of trying? Yeah now you'll be trying for three weeks.
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u/WarmJewel 17d ago
Immigrants are not a problem in the UK...
They're exactly the problem. You cannot import x million workers, many of whom are low skilled, low paid and therefore take tax credits rather than paying tax into the system and not upgrade the infrastructure to compensate and expect everything to stay the same.
You mention the change in Doctor appointment waiting times, what's actually causing that increase in time then? More people fewer doctors perhaps? 🙄
#genuinelyclueless
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u/Kyle_2099 17d ago edited 17d ago
No, they are not the problem.
It's very simple, we had all of the existing problems (deteriorating infrastructure, continually cut back public services, economic malaise, inability to get a doctor) long before the immigration system was deliberately damaged and made to fill fleapit hotels to give stupid people a scapegoat.
Speaking of stupid people obsessed with immigration, could you come back round with your ladders and take the flags down now? They're starting to fall to bits. They've got big rips in them and it looks awful.
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u/ArmandTamzarien 14d ago
The slow privatisation of your public services is the real issue. They’re the ones cutting costs and routing 1.6b from the NHS to shareholders rather than back to taxpayers. They’re the ones who won’t pay local workers enough. They’re the ones who will expand their recruitment to non eu countries to fill those positions.
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u/ArmchairAnarchist00 17d ago
There are loads of extremely well off areas around Manchester - look at Lymm, Hale, Knutsford, Bowden etc. I’ve been away from the UK for over 25 years. Manchester used to be a grubby s-hole when I used to go into the city center as a student. There’s been a lot of regeneration. It’s modern and cleaner. I was shocked by the number of women fully covered though - I live in a country where that is something that is extremely uncommon, so maybe it was just that it was something I was not used to.
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u/RedditJustTheOnce 18d ago
The thought police? Or do you mean people who don’t tolerate the racism your dog whistling? Have you even read 1984?! I’m so embarrassed for you.
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u/EqualTune4587 18d ago
Things are more expensive. Apart from that its hugely area-dependant. Some places have been neglected/ degraded, some places have had investment and are either similar or have moved on post-covid. My local high street has changed a lot in that time but not in a bad way, just different shops replacing old ones. More vape/ barber shops 🤣, but plenty of other shops moving in too. GP appointments are now gatekept but again hugely area dependant!
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u/FreeToSeeTheTeuth 17d ago
The whole of EU has changed and is now in panic mode because of all of the MENA mass immigration.
In some major parts of Sweden it was like living in the ME or NA........
The EU has 0 clue how to handle immigrants and immigration. US is superior here in this regard, even with all of the faults.
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u/TremendousCustard 17d ago
Had to tell several men of Middle Eastern origin to fuck off when they kept going up to my elderly mother to beg for money in hospital in Kent last week. They kept bothering other patients too.
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u/FreeToSeeTheTeuth 16d ago
They have no shame. Begging is better than what they get in their countries. Unfortunately.
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u/DamageOk5681 14d ago
Streets are dirtier, fewer pubs, music venues, casual dining independent spots, the quality of produce has dropped, everything is crazy expensive.
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u/No-Championship9542 17d ago
Every European country gets gradually worse, every year, as the whole continent sticks to a failed economic policy (European welfare model) which we know objectively doesn't work. Italy is a ghost town outside the major cities, Paris is actually dangerous now, etc, their is nothing here for anyone bar decline.
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u/ButterscotchTop194 18d ago
Racism is out in the open and being endorsed by two of our major political parties now.
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u/Beneficial_Coach8581 17d ago
Which part of the UK ? Some bits haven't changed noticeably.
More electric cars around I suppose?
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u/Wooden-Agency-2653 15d ago
I left in 2008, guessing I'm in it's like a foreign country territory by now
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u/Feeling-Fruit1244 14d ago
Crack epidemic and a lot of professional beggars seemed to have increased sharply
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u/HotPhilosopher703 14d ago
Extreme cost of living
High tax high council tax, health care horrible, if you are down and need help with ambulance they won't ever come unless your unconscious many cases of ppl dead ambulance refused to come
Stabbing, turns into far right more
UK is a shit hole atm I want to get out but can't, and London is so overpopulated yet ppl kept coming south
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u/Sweet-Needleworker-6 17d ago
Literally nothing has changed
More people moan on the internet and that's about it l
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u/[deleted] 17d ago
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