Mizter T

There are a lot more of them (both in terms of routes and frequency) than there were 20 years ago, and very popular they are too. I appreciate they're simply not going to feature on some people's horizons, but regardless I'd suggest they shouldn't be dismissed.

rwoman

Highly, highly unlikely I would do so.

I would not have my job if I gave up American citizenship.

antichef

You are not the US Ambassador are you? 😃😃

rwoman

Hahhaha

No.

JFSV

I would agree with what has been said above - 70k gross per annum should give you a very reasonable lifestyle in London.

I would go even further and say that, income tax wise, England is not so bad. I have lived in Germany before where, literally, you would see your gross monthly salary pretty much slashed by half.

Here I would say that income tax (specific personal circumstances aside and high high earners, of course) amounts to roughly one third once you have applied the relevant thresholds, deducted any available personal allowances, etc. I also find (as an expat myself) the annual £11k ISA tax-free allowance as an excellent saving/investment measure.

Hope this helps

Raffles

I am pretty sure, if you take US tax rates but adjust for stuff you get free in the UK (healthcare, education, retirement benefits etc) there is minimal difference. You need to average it over a lifetime, though - you are effectively paying for Uk healthcare, schools and retirement benefits which you are unlikely to be using during your time here.

Stuff also tends to work here. I never understood the enthusiasm for paying low taxes whilst your national infrastructure collapses around you!

Thanks for your contribution towards paying for the rest of us though :-)

lhrsfo

Agree with the last post - for a given amount of tax, many more things are included with the package. This also applies to prices quoted - in the US, there are all sorts of hidden extras which don't apply here. In short, the overall cost of living seems to be substantially understated in the US.

Calchas

They get education for free in the US, it's not that bad

nacho

Not for college! Especially if your kids are bright enough to get into an ivy league college without scholarship.

Low tax rate doesn't mean that things don't work - You only pay 15% income tax in Hong Kong and you are covered by NHS, you pay less than GBP 4 to visit a GP and GBP 10 for hospitalization each day. University education is subsidized and the tuition is something like GBP 500 per year (you can get interest free loan if you can't afford it).

Here in Sweden you pay pretty at least that (GP visit is something like GBP 16 + medication - 7 days penicillin costs you around GBP 20 - fortunately there is a cap to that which is around GBP 200 for medication and GBP 100 for GP visits), there is no NHS dental service either - and guess how much tax you pay - 60% is taken away from your salary!

I think that living in big cities (Paris, London, NYC, Hong Kong, Tokyo) is a great thing if you don't have kids - if you have kids - 70k doesn't get you much.

rwoman

For K-12, yes. College/University level studies are NOT free in the US!

stut

Nor in England these days, sadly. Capped and partially subsidised, yes, but at a rate that's often more than English-speaking universities elsewhere in Europe...

nacho

True, not many people can afford GBP 9000 per year for tuition.

I'm hoping to send the kids to Scotland as it's free for EU citizens