To ask where would be an option to move to?

[Wheretogotonow]

We’re starting to look into moving abroad for a better lifestyle and improved safety, and I’d really appreciate any advice from those who have already moved or are considering it.

Our situation:

• My husband is a top 1% earner.
• I don’t currently work (child care around school) but I have a master’s degree so can look to go back into work.
• We own a 3-bed semi-detached house with a mortgage, in an expensive area due to my husband’s job we need this location.
• We pay privately for healthcare and for our children’s schooling.
• We don’t receive benefits (or receive reduced child benefit).
• We consider ourselves community-focused—we volunteer, are involved locally, and have nice children.

Despite all of this, we’re being priced out. Food costs have increased, VAT is being added to school fees, and with Rachel Reeves’ upcoming budget, it looks like we’ll be taxed even more.

We also don’t feel as safe anymore. There was a stabbing of a teenager at the end of our road—not something you expect in what’s meant to be a nice area. It’s getting worse and I’m fine to say I don’t feel safe walking the dog on my own anymore.

So, for those who have relocated or are planning to—where did you go, and why? What should we consider?
We won’t be a burden to any country we move to—our intention is to continue paying for schooling and healthcare privately and to contribute positively to the community.

No need for negative comments- we love England and are both born and bred here but it’s not the same as when we were children and I just don’t want this for our children. We know it’s time to go.

I dunno. If you can't afford to live on £185k and you choose not to work, I would suggest a basic a basic budgeting course and both adults in the house working ahead of emigration.

As a straightforward quality of life decision, this isn't a bad one. Private schooling and private medical are not unaffordable, and the quality of life as a SAHM is good. Safety (aside from being in the Middle East), which is clearly important to the OP, is a big plus in the UAE. Very unlikely to see a stabbing or shoplifting there. I appreciate that many posters disagree with some of the laws and the treatment of labourers (understandably), but overall it fits the criteria that the OP has set out.

Jersey or Guernsey? Cost of living is high but really safe

If your DH is in a medical field surely the first thing to check is if his qualifications are transferrable.

I know several people who moved to Portugal and loved it.

I moved to Turkey and hated it, my friend to Spain and she came home very quickly.

@REDB99Eastern Europe is no longer cheap sadly, especially the big cities where the jobs are…I’m from a country in that region that used to be one of the cheapest (compared to the UK) and now food is the same price or even more expensive than in the UK, and a basic 2 bed flat in the capital starts from 200/250k euros. Also you pay for absolutely everything - healthcare (even if you also pay the equivalent of NI over there), prescriptions, entry to things like museums and galleries, kids activities cost a lot and there are really any low cost or free things in community centres like there is in the UK. I always end up spending more than in the UK when I go there for an extended stay.
I’ve also spent time in 2 other European countries and everywhere has problems, personally I think the Uk is still one of the better places to raise children. I’d only move if I was going back to my home country.
Also don’t underestimate the disruption to your children’s lives if you uproot them to an unfamiliar country, my parents did this to me and I hated it, I wouldn’t inflict it on my child.
Surely there are other hospitals and other medical jobs elsewhere in the Uk where the DH can work, places with a better quality of life? I’m in Scotland and feel perfectly safe (well as safe as you can be anywhere), we live perfectly fine on average salaries, though no private school.

We live where we do as the hospital we live by has a specialist area for the type of work he does.

You have answered your own question, or certainly your DH will be able to, more so than strangers on MN.

Start with his specialist area and hospitals.

Exactly

Greenland is up and coming. India? Myanmar? Japan? 🤔

If Dubai is the OP’s number 1 choice, then fabulous suggestions with culture and a good human rights record… is unlikely
to appeal

Another vote for East Asia but depending on the specific locality you will have to account for language acquisition and the international school sector, which is not universally good. If you don't mind not seeing your children and adopt a boarding model, then UK boarding schools are an option while you are abroad, as are boarding schools in other localities.

Prob is your social circle doesn't go with you, so keep that in mind. We've done a lot of time in APAC over the last two decades so have the social network in place as well as the professional network, so could make a full time relocation work both financially and socially.

She already said it would have been their first choice, if not for the heat.

Yes

precisely my point!!!

I think so. Lot of grammar errors and small i for I.

I’m wondering whereabouts in the UK the OP is based.

If Dubai is your number 1, it says a lot about what you appreciate in a location

Surely you’ll have to look at countries your DH can practice in? Both language and qualifications. That should narrow it down.

Realistically though countries with low taxation tend have inequality and poverty which leads to issues with crime and do you want to bring up kids in somewhere like Dubai where you have wealthy expats and enslaved Asians?

Anywhere egalitarian and pleasant for raising a family has higher taxes and higher COL eg Switzerland or Luxembourg.

You mentioned Portugal but surely your DH won’t be able to learn Portuguese in months. You don’t have savings so he’ll need to hit te ground running.

Caribbean islands could be a possibility. I know they take British doctors. But COL is very high. Housing very expensive.

I think the problem you have is thinking you can live in London and pay for expensive schooling on one salary. You say you’re in the top 1% but doctors are not the people earning the big bucks. It’s people in finance or entrepreneurs who earn enough to set up their finances so they aren’t paye. They have limited companies based off shore so aren’t in the statistics. You’re not in the top 1% of earners in the uk, just the top of PAYE. This assumption is making you think “why are we not rolling in it?”

Brutal but the analysis and conclusions are accurate.

Some awfully sour posters on this thread 🤣

Well my son ( a mature age) is visiting Argentina at the moment and was also in Brazil too. I.m surprised he has been v. impressed by Buenos Aires given the 'recent' financial history of the country (the debt). So the world is a big place to chose from but language may be a barrier at first.

Singapore would be my first choice (spent a lot of time there) classier than Dubai or Abu Dhabi but outrageously expensive. Maybe Hong Kong - but they hate the Brits.

Canada? Fantastic people and high quality of life, I have been offered a relocation package there in the past but too close to my family/DM and my DC loves their cousins

Hong Kong is also fantastically expensive.

Cost of living is higher in both Australia and New Zealand than it is in the UK - they’re definitely not places to go because you find the cost of living in the UK too high! They’ve always been more expensive due to massive housing shortages in the major cities, cost of importing goods to the end of the earth (neither being known for manufacturing), etc. You have to pay for things that are free in the UK such as basic healthcare (in NZ) and state education (in both). Current global price rises have hit them too but that’s on top of an already high cost of living.

If New Zealand is your first choice - I am aware how attractive it is but also seems rather dull. So many New Zealanders try to move even temporarily to else where eg Australia! (They are also pretty much make up the back bone for crews in luxury private world wide yachting too).

We've been in Porto this week. It is a lovely city and eating and drinking is certainly cheaper than London but not startlingly so.

The weather is mild and the city beautiful but a lot of it is quite run down. It is alsp crazilycongested and there seems to be lot of petty street crime - pickpocketing, aggressive begging, low level scams. Many people we spoke to complained bitterly about blow wages and relatively high property prices - £8ook - £1M is not unusual for houses in central Porto.

While many speak good English Portuguese seems a challenging language and I assume it would be needed to work in healthcare, unless your DH plans to do private work for ex pat communities somewhere like the Algarve.

I moved to Germany 8 years ago and would definitely recommend it, especially if you already speak German.
With an Irish passport you won’t have Brexit-issues either.

We pay a lot of tax but I don’t mind as I see the benefits of it. Feel free to PM me if you want more info.