Moving to England. . . . Help?!

Welcome to Expat-blog, JENEVIEVE

I would suggest that you go through the discussions in the England forum and read the article "Cost of living in England".

It might be useful.

Regards,
Sheetul

Can I ask why you have narrowed it down to Blackpool or Liverpool?  Neither would be anywhere near the top of my list, personally, but if you let us know what you are looking for in a place to live, we can better recommend places that match what you are looking for.


Blog: beyondthequeen.blogspot.com

To be honest London is where it is happening, so much to see and do and most of it is free. Cost of living is a little pricey but definitely worth it.

How about Newcastle upon Tyne? Is it nice place - safe?
Thx.

Hi JENEVIEVE

I am originally from England so know several areas quite well.

Once thing you need to take into account is lifestyles will differ as to where you live. What are you looking for?

I was forced to go to blackpool once a year for several years as my daughter use to compete in an ice skating competition. I hated the place. It was knee deep in fish and chip papers, there was no where to park, highly commercialised, tacky and the weather was grim. I am from down south ie London way and to me Blackpool was most def an unwelcome culture shock!

I used to live near a town called St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire. It's in very easy commuting distance of London and in a way it's quite chic. Another area that is really nice is Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. Check out an area collectively called the Cotswolds. There are lots of little picutesque towns and villages. I've posted a picture here of Burford to give you some idea....
No, I can't post it here...I will send it in for inclusion in the Expat.com gallery...

Cheers
Piglet

Personally (and it all depends on what you are looking for in life) I live just outside London (about a 30 minute train ride) and it think its the absolute perfect compromise, but it still is a bit pricy. 

St. Albans is lovely, and if you are living alone you can get a one-bed flat for around £550 per month.

Cost of living generally decreases as you move up north, so the Newcastle suggestion was a great one.

Hi,

I've had another thought on location and also suggest Torquay in Devon especailly if you are looking to retire.

Are you looking to buy or rent a property?

Regarding COL the only thing that may vary up north as oppose to down south is really Council Tax and this may not necessarily be cheaper t'up north!!

Electricity - there are various suppliers offering good deals,
Gas - Again as above.
Telephone and Broadband - same where ever
TV license- same
Food - same (Check out some online supermarkets) ie Sainsburies, Tescos and ASda
Road tax - same
Insurance - Price may vary according to some locations
HEalth insurance - I don't think you qualify for NHS, as you are outside Europe...does anyone else know?

Hope this helps

Kind regards
PiP

pigletinportugal wrote:

HEalth insurance - I don't think you qualify for NHS, as you are outside Europe...does anyone else know?

Assuming she enters on a visa of any type other than a visitors visa (as she would have to in order to move), then yes, she will be eligible for NHS care.

I would suggest moving to somewhere like Birmingham, London would be a very expensive choice

I live in Lancaster, which is about an hour's drive from Blackpool.  I went to Blackpool for the first time this year and share the sentiments of someone above me about how tacky it was and grim.  There's a ton of casinos and people with blank stares plugging their money into them.  I hated it.  It reminded me of an awful version of Atlantic City.

Lancaster, on the other hand, is cheap to live in but very cute, and with a university in town, there is always plenty of life in it.  It's an hour from Manchester and not too far from Liverpool, either.  London is nice (but as others said, expensive!) if you're looking for a big city lifestyle, but if you want a smaller town that's not too inbred or deserted feeling, you should check us out or maybe you'd enjoy a place like Preston, which is nearby also.

My sugrestion as an American living in England that you don't move. I moved here from Washington State (same climate different people) back in December of last year with my wife (who is English) and we both regret moving. The economy is very poor here. It has taken me a little under a year to find a job and it took my wife seven months. We live in the Reading area which is west of London. We are both earning less than half of what we were in the states and that is even with the currency conversion. Getting a drivers license for me was difficult but well worth the experience. I am deffinately a better driver now and I know that if I need to join a rally racing team I will be able to with little transition time. Taxes are high, housing is high, people are not friendly in general, most people try to scam you, crime rate is high and unless you are an alcoholic there isn't much to do. Unless you have to move here I suggest you don't. If you think I'm being unfair or just the "Ugly American" then come here to visit first. Stay for a month or so if you can and ask the people you run into if they would move here from the US. While I was going to classes to get "retrained" for the same job I had been doing for 14 years, 90 percent of the English people thought I was stupid for moving here. The other ten percent had no comment.

The Texan wrote:

people are not friendly in general, most people try to scam you, crime rate is high and unless you are an alcoholic there isn't much to do.

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience, Texan, but it is absolutely unfair to say things like this as if they are fact. This is your opinion and one that many will disagree with.   

Perhaps your experiences and interaction with people has lead you to believe these things, but the "expat experience" is what you make it and if you are going around with this kind of a negative attitude, are you really surprised that people will respond to you with the same negativity?

As far as the British people thinking you were stupid for leaving the US... remember, that the grass is always greener.

Hope your time in the UK improves if you plan to stick it out.

Listen lady, I'm not as negetie as you think. I do try to find the good in people but I am also a realist. I don't sugar coat things. This person is going to make a decission that will alter their lives FOREVER and the more view points they have the better decisions they can make. I noticed none of you metioned the overcrowding (51 million people in a country that is 51,000 square miles according to the 2008 census), the economy is in a recession (longest since 1955 with nearly 25% unemployment), an income tax rate of 20% for a total taxation rate of around 60% if you calculate the taxes on food, fuel, council, etc.
As for the Brits that called me crazy, they have been to the US. They have seen "the grass on the other side" on many occassions.

Hi

We moved away from England to Portugal as yes, we did find people unfriendly, and it's our country!! We also could not stand the "Drink till you get drunk culture" There is also the Polictical correct brigade to contend with as well and being English in my own country we were always bottom of the list. Scams yes there are plenty...but I'm sure its the same in most places.

I would def go with the idea of renting a property first before you commit to the big move. IF you have not got a job to go to...forget it. There are millions unemployed. Friends with some pretty impressive qualifications and experience have been employed for over a year now.

I speak from the heart- I moved away as England is/was no longer the England it once was

Kind regards
Piglet

It was always difficult for foreigners to live in England, except in London, where live is absolutely great I think.
I am a German pensioner and apart from meeting the odd English person who immediately starts talking about Hitler, it is not bad to live here. Would I recommend the US citizen to move? I wouldn't, because he is going to have a culture shock!

I'm a US citizen and I felt that the culture shock was very minimal.  Every person's experience will be different.