… To be considering leaving the UK?

I live in Dublin and think Ireland is the best country in the world !!

Seriously though, in my opinion the list of places I could live has become very short because of heat . It's really down to northern Europe now . I cannot imagine living in a country where you can barely go outside during the day for months every year . It must be hellish !

I have lived in five different continents and am most happy in the UK. Every country has its problems. It does seem a specific British phenomenon to be particularly down on the UK. When I weigh up all the factors and the British people in particular, I would not be able to find a better place to live overall.

They have a flat rate of tax that you can pay- which can be a low marginal rate depending on how wealthy you are.

Cayman Islands. Moved in 2022. Never going back to the UK. No regrets.

🙄 That kind of attitude is useful for decisions like what shall I have for tea? or even where to go on holiday, but this is a massive, life changing decision.

So much jealousy on here towards OP. Probably because the jealous people know that they have nothing to offer anywhere else and therefore cannot escape too increasingly batshit country.

Enjoy hating the rich, they are leaving because they have choices. While the envious ones with not much to offer stay behind and pick up more of the tab for those who have nothing to offer.

Honestly, worth every penny tbh. That's largely WHY they have such a high quality of life. I doubt the same system could ever work well in the UK at this point but living there, it felt natural.

What a strange reaction . Does it personally offend you that OP wants to leave the UK?

Are you in finance OP?

Hubby's folks have lived in Cyprus happily for years but are now escaping to Portugal due to lots of recent changes that seem to be making life harder for them. We personally just came back after 10 years in the Netherlands - we miss it terribly and not sure if we made the right move coming back to the UK tbh. Quality of life is much poorer here.

It makes me laugh, the rich are the wealthiest they've ever been, but their desire to hoard even more money because they have to pay tax for the privilege is quite grotesque.

Tbf at least it will just leave the people who want to fight for what's best for the country behind. Maybe we can make it a better place. Good luck with climate change with some of those options though and it must be nice to care so little about slavery and human rights issues you'd consider the UAE. 😬

Not everyone wants this and some (like me) positively loathe the idea. The thought of moving back to the town where I grew up, surrounded by my old school friends and extended family, and belonging to a ‘community’ where everyone knows everyone’s business is genuinely the stuff of nightmares. Absolutely unthinkable.

Ireland has an excellent education system. If you can afford to purchase a property, you would be happy here.

Renting is a disaster, although those with tenancy agreements are protected.

The cost of living is higher than the UK, it balances out as wages are higher too.

The DC are very friendly and mix well, school is very inclusive, religion is optional in all schools, my youngest DC go to a Catholic school, many of their pals opt out, there is no issues.

Take it on balance. Houses are very expensive but are now in line with cities like London. Toronto for example was relatively VERY cheap for a long time. Petrol is a lot cheaper. And so is electricity. And so is water.

Living there is very different to visiting. There are many good coat of living calculators comparing countries people can use:

So flights are more expensive but also worth mentioning that distances are larger. Toronto to Vancouver is a five hour flight.

Commuting abiut equal
distance from Home Counties to London - £30. Suburbs of Toronto equivalent? £11 - and free parking at the train station.

Do you not have or want any sense of belonging to somewhere? Being part of a community or something bigger than yourself? I guess there have always been nomads who travel from place to place and never put down any roots, but its not the kind of life I'd choose or want for my children.

Each to their own though I guess.

I'm too committed to the UK now but I'm really encouraging my kids to at least get degrees that are of use abroad and maybe do gap years in places they might want to live.

If a party with a landslide can't get a grip on spending nobody will. Plus we're overcrowded to and insane degree. The small market town I grew up in has sprawled to an insane degree. The mid size town I now live in has also sprawled. What used to look on fields is now a cycle ride from the countryside and there's a dog poo epidemic which is a clear symptom of overcrowding. Muggings on EScooters have become normal and totally un Policed.

The UK has had it. If you're a worker it's long since time to leave. 😢

For goodness’ sake, what’s with all the bitchy comments dripping with bitterness?! Moving country is a big decision and doing research / getting opinions / fact finding is perfectly sensible and not just “faffing”. If you don’t like the topic, don’t click on the thread.

Do you need to get a job in order to sustain yourselves long term? Are both fluent in French?

Not sure why you’re unable to scroll through a relatively short thread, or filter the OPs posts, but she has said several times they have both British and EU passports, and therefore can live anywhere in the Union without restrictions. HTH

Abu Dhabi over Dubai if you choose the UAE.

🤐