If you had to move to another country, which one and why?

Donna

I am American. I would choose the UK. I have lived in England before. My husband is English. We both have experienced both countries and agree that the UK is by far the better country to live, work and raise a family in.

I love your public transportation. In much of the US, public transportation is non existent. In the US there is an epidemic of old and elderly people driving cars..who clearly should not be doing so. If someone has a limited income, public transportation can be and is a life saver.

The NHS is awesome. Yes it has it's issues. But when compared to what we have in the US now, or even what was just passed, the NHS kicks every aspect of American health care. In the US 3/4 of all bankruptcies are due to medical bills and 50% of those had medical insurance. How many times have you heard of someone in the UK filing for bankruptcy due to medical bills?

While we are on the subject of health care. I have lived in England and have experience the NHS and the US system. We wait MONTHS, yes MONTHS in the US to get in to see a specialist..even for chronic or emergency situations. Yet in the UK we never waited more than a couple of weeks.As a matter of a fact they (the NHS) scheduled my husbands ankle reconstruction surgery so quickly that we asked to have it pushed back a couple of months so we could get a few things in order. And this was not an emergency surgery, as he was walking on it, albeit in pain.

The US is ranked 37th as far as health care goes..while the UK is 18th. That in an unto itself is telling.

Cars in the UK get an average of 3 times the gas mileage as the exact same make and model car here in the states. Now wonder why that is? Hmmm...

The US gallon an pint are also smaller than in the UK. Of course having a smaller gallon also exaggerates the differences in fuel economy.

Housing in the UK, overall, is MUCH cheaper when compared to the US.

You can actually afford to eat healthy in the UK. Here in the US, to purchase fresh fruit and veg, you almost need to take out a second mortgage. Example....a cauliflower is $3 a head..outrageous. Chestnut mushrooms are $3.96 for 6 ounces. Courgettes are around 3 for $10. Do you think you will like paying these prices?

You actually have some job security in the UK. After working for an employer for a yr you get a real job contract. Not like the dribble offered here. My husbands job contract here says he can be fired at any time for any reason or no reason..is that a real job contract?

In the UK my husband automatically got 5 weeks paid vacation a yr..starting day one. Here in the US, IF you get a vacation at all, it will be after working for your employer for a yr, then it is unpaid (usually) for a week. Sad, sad, sad.

Travel to other countries from the UK are dirt cheap. Here it is going to cost you a small fortune to travel to another country.

It is very difficult to find uncensored news, or news about real world news.

The judiciary system is a joke. We sat in a court room where a 13 yr old girl had to give testimony about her anal rape, while the perpetrator sat right in front of her. That is because in the US the accused has the right to face their accuser..even if they raped a child.

The educational system in the US lags so far behind other developed countries. Just look up the stats. Do you want to have your kids in a country where they will be at a massive disadvantage the minute they get out of school?

Wages overall are higher in the UK when compared to the US. Of course we also take into account things like health care contributions when we figure the difference (when I say we I mean myself and my husband) In the UK when you pay you NHI contribution you are done. You don't have to pay another dime in order to seek health care. In the US you have to pay premiums (right now we pay $18,820 a yr out of pocket) but wait it doesn't stop there. We then have to meet a deductible before the insurance company will pay a red cent. That deductible (depending on your policy) can vary between a couple hundred dollars, to thousands. Then after you have met your deductible you still have to pay 20% of the medical bill...this is all while paying your monthly premium. Which system sounds better. Even though taxes are higher in the UK, you actually get something for them, unlike here in the US.

Speaking of taxes..you are going to pay road tax, school tax (whether or not you have a child) state taxes, federal taxes, medicare and social security, then you have sales taxes, property taxes...the list goes on and on. In the end, people in the UK retain MUCH more of their wages than people in the US.

If you move to the US and decide you don't like it...you are still subject to pay US taxes each yr...irregardless of what country you live and work in. You have to do this for the following 10 yrs if you were a permanent resident/green card holder...or forever if you are a US citizen.

Think long and hard about moving to the US. The 2 countries are a world apart.

Donna

chin

I'm from the US and I guess I would go with Australia because I share the language, their culture is fairly similar, and Canada and the UK are too cold.

Vivac

Lol @ Ramon,

I would also have to choose Australia for several reasons which would be too long to list.I am from the US but would choose Australia mainly for economic and personal reasons,I grew up around Aussies growing up so know a bit about the country and decided that would be preferable at this point in life.

Ramon

I am from New Zealand, I married a Canadian and I now live in Canada. Canada is very cold in winter.

I should have married an Australian. LOL

Andy F

I'm from the UK and if i was forced to move, i'd go to the USA. The culture and language are basically the same and i've personally always held great respect for our American cousins.

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