Moving to Britain from Australia?

Question

I currently live in Australia, and I am willing to move to UK in the future because I have a career that's more highly paid in Britain. Please don't say Australia is cheaper, b/c things have now changed. I found out that income tax is higher in Australia, and a lot of Australian cities these days have comparable cost of living to UK cities. Property prices have skyrocketed, and the whole inflation here is out of control.

What cities/places are good to raise a family in UK?

These are the places I am interested in:

Brighton(but properties are too bloody expensive)

Cardiff

Edinburgh

York(too historic for my taste? Will I feel like I am in 18 or 19th century all the time?)

Bournemouth(looks nice, but too quiet and boring, isolated?)

Leeds

I am NOT interested in clubs/bars at all, but need good place with shopping, ideal convenience in facilities, good schools, affordable cost of living, low crime, etc.

-> Which do u think is the best among the places I am interested in?

Answer 1

Hi

I did the Australia to UK thing a few years ago, but am back in Australia again now.

I did just want to pick up on your comment "I found out that income tax is higher in Australia'

It isn't just the income tax, you should also take onto account the NHI contributions, like our medicare levy but much higher.

The Nat Insurance rate of 11% wipes out the tax rate difference.

I suppose I felt a bit negative about the UK rates as I was my own employer and had to pay the employers NHI of 12.8% on top of my personal 11% NHI, PLUS the tax, which I agree is lower at 20%.

The UK can have some advantages, but I think I prefer Australia now.

Edit to answer the 2nd question:

I have heard that Melbourne is a bit like the UK for weather, highly changeable.  I prefer SE QLD.

The tax side is a bit more complex than just the basic tax rates, which would be UK 20%, Australia 30%, which in theory sounds a big difference, but can become very similar when you add in the Medicare/NHI deductions.

If you have a better paying Job in the UK, then I would suggest trying it for a time.  The experience itself is worthwhile for anyone, and you do not HAVE to stay if you end up wanting to return.  Good luck ;)

Answer 2

Every city has its dodgy areas, much like Australia, but for some, these areas are smaller than others.  

You mention Edinburgh - that's a nice city, but has a few dodgy areas.  If you can afford to live in a nice area then that'd be a good city to live in.

Cardiff is the same - my sister lives there, and like everywhere else, have a bit of cash and you can live the good life - but there are bad areas to be avoided.  It is also very happening on the club and pub scene so the city centre could be enjoyed or avoided at weekends depending on what your preference is.

Leeds, I don't know too much about Leeds, but I'm sure it is a similar story.

Brighton and Bornemouth - both seaside towns, both attract retireees and both have a big tourism industry so busier in summer than winter.  Brighton has a reputation as a bit of a party town and also a big g*y community, or it used to (not that that should put you off at all, but expect people out and about having fun in the centre at all hours, especially during weekends).

York I really like - very historic but modern too with cafes and bars etc.  I don't know too much about it at night, but would imagine that it would be the kind of place which would attract people for boozing and partying, just like anywhere else.

The thing about all these places is that you don't have to live right in the cities or towns.  You could easily live outside in one of the smaller towns or villages and enjoy being on the doorstep of the larger community.  They're all good places and have their own redeeming features, but you just need to make sure you move to a nice area of any of them.

I'm from Merseyside.  I love Liverpool but I wouldn't want to live right in Liverpool itself.  I also lived in Cambridge for years and love it there too, so that'd be a place to consider - terrible traffic but very appealing with its colleges and green spaces etc.  Also very international and academic so if you are a pharmacist, which I guessed you may be from what you wrote, then I'm sure that city would have a job for you.  Oxford could also be an option, but I'm not familiar with it, so can't advise.

Of all the places you mentioned, I think Edinburgh and Cardiff would probably have the highest crime, but they're bigger cities so it kind of goes hand in hand.  

Wherever you chose to live though, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you didn't get on there - there are always options to move further out and still work in them.

Answer 3

why don't you just relocate to another part of ozzie it's big enough, there's nothing over here for you

Answer 4

I chuckled at your comments on York - yes, the historical side is what they push in adverts and tourist info, but it's a living working city and on a day-to-day basis you certainly don't live in a medieval museum

I wouldn't want to live and bring up kids in Brighton, party capital of the south

Edinburgh is lovely, ticks all your boxes, but is much colder than the others in temperature

Bournemouth is nice but is retirement capital of the south with a good sized population of more elderly people

my vote would go for either York, Leeds or Edinburgh

Answer 5

to pick up on a point your mentioning about Australia being expensive. It's no different to the UK then. i'd ventrue a  guess that the UK will be more expensive. Everywhere is in a bit of economical downfall at the moment, and the price of everything has hit the roof.

the island doesn't get it's nickname "rip off Britain" for nothing.

we are also going through a bad patch for crime at the moment, so no matter where you go in the UK, your likely to witness or be a victim of something. My personal experience was being stabbed in my local park for being English (it's funny that i live in England)

and we have a government that is incompitent. If i had the money to try and get away i would, but because the government is so set on taking all our money through taxes and keep the majority of Britain in poverty, there is nowhere else to go.

but it sounds like everywhere else is the same

at least you have nice weather in Australia. I have to put up with the depressing grey clouds and rain all the time :-(

As for where to live. The further North you go, the cheaper it gets, House prices and living costs do drop slightly. But with the cheaper housing, you get increased crime, so you can't really win

there are worse places to live. But i don't think you will find it too much different from how your feeling In Aus to how you would feel here. Everyone is sturggling a bit these days.

Edit: As far as the weather goes. It's rather unpredictable. Last summer we had nothing but rain, and most of the UK was under flood waters, The summer before that we had a heatwave and we recorded the highest ever temperatures in the UK had ever had.

This summer currently, has been a bit grey and miserbale, with the odd few days of Sun.

The winters for the most part are cold, windy and rainy. The most depressing thing about winters however is not the rain, but the lack of daylight. The sun will start to set at about 3pm, and rise at about 9am

The further North you go, the colder and wetter it becomes, especially Northern England around the pennines. Wales also get's a lot of rain. The best weather, will be in the south.

it's not that the UK recieves more rain than other countries though. It's just that when it rains, it falls quite lightly, and it takes it time about doing it, so whole days here and there can just be lost to grey skies and rain, and thats when it starts to get depressing

is there any chance of taking an extended holiday to the UK to find out for yourself if it's really what you want to uproot your entire life for? people can describe as much as they want over the internet at what a place is like, but you will never get a true feel for it till you get the chance to experience the areas for yourself.

Answer 6

Haven't you already asked this question about 4 times? If I remember correctly, someone suggested to you that you 'being willing' to move over here was not all that positive