To leave UK due to weather and cost of living

[Blossompink]

We are absolutely fed up of this constant cold, wet and dreary weather and are seriously thinking it's time to leave the UK. It's not just the weather which is making us miserable but also the cost of living is just ridiculous simply trying to keep the house warm and do simple tasks like drying clothes outside.

We are late 50's, no mortgage, have some savings, but would probably need to have an holiday let type set up to bring some money in or a small business.

AIBU to have had enough of life in the UK and want to move elsewhere?

Agreed.

Plus, winter is getting harder to deal with now that infrastructure has taken a bit of a dip - roads and paths aren't maintained and I don't fancy a 12 hour wait for the ambulance that will take me to my no mod cons hospital trolley on the day I go arse over tit on an icy path and break my hip, in the dark, on my way to the job that the government tells me to work till age 68.

South of France is fine. You may like Portugal too OP. Learn a language and follow your dream. If it goes wrong you can always come back. Thats not to say it will though, people move all the time. I live in UK part time now, in the Summer months. I pop back for Christmas sometimes as I like UK Christmas style. Its fine. I can't deal with the cold for long though so I just do a week or 2. I did similar to what @Comfortablechair has mentioned re renting out homes

My nearby neighbours downsized from a large detached house to a very modest semi and also bought a flat abroad. Both still work part time from both countries but are miffed about not being able to spend longer in the sun due to crap Brexit deal.

I also know a billionaire who moved to a stunning area in Switzerland who was not impacted by Brexit. He got one of those tax sweetheart deals…

Our retirement plan was always to have a 'main' home somewhere hot and a small place here in UK that would be holiday let whilst we were in our main home.
Unfortunately Brexit has ruined that so we're now trying to work out how to make the aim of living with no socks a reality

I honestly don't know why any of us stay.
It's been life limiting this winter, utterly awful.

Ghastly, isn't it? I will give this country one more year to shape up and then I'm out.

🙌Love this

I spent an extended period of time in Spain last year. The heat was insane and made me feel physically sick. I spent most of the time indoors, and was far less active than I am here. The heat just drained me of my energy and larger parts of Southern Europe are becoming hotter for longer periods, even in winter. Drought is also a real problem with some places now no longer allowed to fill swimming pools. They would love some of our rain.
As a pp said the grass is not always greener.

Make your plan start with where you want to go . Say France start learning through audio .
Ive looked into a move but have ties here at the moment . You could do a TEFL course too then teach English in France or portugal is very popular .
Rent an house and live cheaper .

Rent your house out in the UK as a holiday let yes it’s a high income , but you really do need someone reliable and trustworthy or you will have the biggest sore head ever as there is nothing you could do to sort out any issues from abroad .
You only get one chance I’d go for it in
your shoes .

Not everyone reacts the same way to heat and cold. I am fine in high twenties or even mid thirties heat, I need heat. This rain that we've been having has had me practically suicidal, it is so wet and dispiriting and cold and draining. I get so tired of the phrase 'the grass is greener', it isn't always true.

Remember in some areas this is the wettest 18 months we’ve had on record. This isn’t the norm! So I wouldn’t make any rash decisions. Also, everywhere is going to be affected by cost of living and global warming, we’re pretty lucky to have fairly mild weather here compared to places with extreme weather events, fires, floods etc…However renting a place in southern france or spain for the winter months isn’t a bad idea.

Where do you think you could move to that the CoS is lower than the U.K.?

The grass isn’t always greener. Cost of living is bad is other countries too. I have friends in France who moan about the col, energy charges, hospital waiting lists.

I have family who took early retirement (early/mid 50s) and moved abroad for the sunshine. They had a decent pension to live on. They came back to the UK when their health was declining and they wanted NHS care - possibly not such a bonus now but still easier than accessing health care in a foreign language (which you don't speak).

Food in France is way more expensive than in the UK. As are many other products (toiletries, basic medicines like paracetamol - about 2.40 euros for 16 tabs of 500mg!).

I would seriously research cost of living before moving, in addition to all the admin stuff.

@MsLuxLisbon agreed, the grass is greener isn't always true, but it often is.
I'm talking temperatures of 40 degrees with people being taken ill with heat stroke.
Rivers have dried up, olive and wine production is in crisis, and water restrictions are only going to worsen.
I agree that the amount of rain here this year has been intense, but I do see it in a different, more positive light after experiencing that climate.

I only read the entire thread to see where @Chypre came from and they never replied!
Iceland? Siberia?

Summers in Australia vary by state but I’m in Melbourne and our summers have not become intolerable. Actually we have had milder summers here the last 3 years or so and lots of perfectly beautiful days thrown in . We always get the super hot day of course but they never last that long .

O would look at Alderney. No restriction on property, very quiet, laid back kind of life. BEAUTIFUL beaches, beautiful weather in the spring and summer months. A lovely community feel. 40 minute flight to get back to the UK.

Am guessing you own a home in the UK you would plan on keeping? And would then rent that out, thereby contributing to stock shortage and COL crisis in the UK, but would set up shop in eg Spain and not work but spend your time bitching about the Nasty Party back in UK and how housing there is a nightmare?
Go for it, a lot of people do

My aunt bought a house in France in the last year. I've gone to visit and literally no one speaks English. You need to make a sure you go to an area where English is spoken or you will need to learn the languages

Me too! Where is this place with less sun than the UK? I mean, it's colder in Scandinavia but also sunnier, so that leaves ... Faroe Islands?

can you just move abroad since Brexit? family friends of ours who are millionaires wanted to live in Spain his parents already do haven’t been able to live there full time they are building a property but have had to keep their uk property as they can’t move to Spain permanently

I get the weather has been grim but col is affecting most countries could you go abroad for the winter months?

i watched a Portuguese news programme today with a segment showing vine growers using braziers to try to save the harvest that would otherwise be ruined due to cold, frost & rain.
My ex-husband was born in France, lived & worked there until he was 20. He & his wife left the UK to live there 2 years ago and have so many issues trying to sort out admin. They also had to be evacuated from their home near Bordeaux during the forest fires. The house survived but it took a long time to clear the ashes & smell. His wife still wants to move somewhere warmer…
as others have said, test the water before burning your bridges.

Brexit kind of scuppered those of moderate to low savings and investments being able to move to Spain etc. If you wanted to move elsewhere you're probably going to need more money. Plus give thought to healthcare should you need it. Reading horror stories of elderly people getting trapped overseas with no proper arrangements in place.