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.

OP your thread doesnt make any sense. You can’t just up and go and work in another country so it doesn’t matter where else people have gone.

A lot of great countries to live have strict visa requirements , possibly a point system and even if your husband could get sponsored you probably wouldn’t be able to work.

A lot of countries unless you are in a highly desired profession (medical doctor for example) won’t just let you emigrate.

You have a masters and speak 2, or 3 possibly different languages but going back to work would not pay more than childcare costs?! I think your a bit work shy OP...time to get back to work.

This is how I feel- happy to pay for those who need it! In fact that could be any of us at some point in our lives. But in this country benefits are too easily given and it means the working are being squeezed. Guess it’s why the elite wealthy are off - and I don’t blame them!

Me too 😂 I am so work shy- gosh I am so bloody lazy 😂 I enjoyed your motivational speak I’ll be on the job market by next week!

At rugby darling 😘 we don’t need food banks , Ocado is fine for us

Well if taxes are the issue I would avoid the Scandinavian countries.

Thinking sideways OP how about somewhere like Malta or gibralter if you want lower tax , better weather and language won’t be an issue even in a medical role - I mean personally I like Sweden, Denmark and Netherlands for all kinds of reasons , better lifestyle ‘in my opinion’ but yes it’s high taxation - balanced up better services I feel and somewhat balanced by very reasonable childcare if you had pre schoolers , no NI and no council tax- Germany if you choose the right areas similar way of working too - although you do pay for healthcare, as you do in Netherlands - although I’m personally not keen in Germany on most things shutting about 3 on Saturdays till Monday morning ( but that’s a quirk of mine I guess)

I don't understand why you're not working OP. your children are in private school and are interested in politics, so presumably not little, but then you say childcare costs are more than your salary as a teacher. Surely the only childcare you'd need is for the odd week where your school holidays don't line up with your children's? If you were working then you'd be able to absorb extra costs.

If you can't afford it, he's not the 1%

Toronto, Canada

I have every sympathy with you, OP. We wee not in your position but completely understand middle class and rich wanting to leave the UK

If your kids also speak some German and you have a right to live in the EU then Germany is a good bet. My DB has been very happy living there for the last 30 years, his kids are trilingual and have had a good education (one in a state STEM school as his is gifted, the other in private international school). It’s not a perfect place to live but it would be okay for you I think.

You could keep your house in the UK and rent it out.

We moved away for a while (Ireland). All countries have their issues and it did help as it made us more sure we wanted to be in England.
I think surely, you are just living beyond your means? High mortgage, private school, private healthcare, you clearly cannot stretch to all that!
As for saying you live in a nice area, you don’t. The situations you have described as happening near you don’t happen where I live for example.
I have a few friends who moved to Australia. Several have come back. It didn’t offer them the lifestyle they anticipated.
Just think really, really carefully.

There are actually lot of countries are looking to attract highly educated processionals, particularly if they have a higher net worth.

it might be worth looking at this to determine which countries are more financially attractive for you:

taxfoundation.org/research/all/global/2025-international-tax-competitiveness-index/

All countries do of course have their issues, but that doesn’t change the fact that the grass can absolutely be greener elsewhere. It depends very much on the individual. Person A loving the UK and having a higher quality of life there doesn’t mean that person B has to feel the same, and that’s okay.

The outflow of higher net worth individuals from the UK has been greater than the inflow on a yearly basis from
2016, and it’s only accelerated. If people didn’t have better options out there then this wouldn’t be the case.

OP says her children have additional needs so I think the family may have difficulty in getting visas to move to certain places eg Australia & Canada; I know my friend’s sister in law had issues.

Not necessarily.

It depends on a number of factors, including the level of need, the type of visa, and whether or not someone is able to be self sufficient rather than rely on the state to provide for them.

The OP is not HNW!

She is having trouble stretching a top 1% PAYE salary (so over £165k per annum) to cover her family's living costs. They spend everything they have and cannot amass capital by the tone of her posts. Tbh, with OP's requirements (including private school for DC), realistically the DH would need to get an amazing expat package to cover all that. Those kinds of packages are as rare as hen's teeth nowadays. The pickings were already getting slimmer when we went to East Asia 20 years ago, I guess it's even harder now.

Realistically any safe developed country with a good choice of international schools is probably going to be out of reach financially speaking, especially if she has more than 1 child. It sounds like they would need two incomes to run their lifestyle in most developed countries.

Her husband is a medical specialist and they’ve previously lived abroad on an expat package. I’m sure they’ve already got a good idea as to what is available to them.

Additionally, the family already speaks French and German, which suggests they may already be EU citizens. If so then considerably more doors are open to them.

I've lived in NZ. Cost of housing anywhere nice is insane. COL is really high. There's always issues with the "brain drain" ie Young people moving abroad because of lack of opportunity.

Beautiful country but considering what you aren't happy with in the UK I think it's unlikely to suit.

I live in Sydney and the cost of living is miles cheaper than London. BUT that is partly because we bought our house 12 years ago and now have almost paid off the mortgage. People are right - housing is pricy although there are plenty of 4/5 bedroom houses in Sydney for around $3-4million (£1.5-2) if you’re prepared to live within 45 mins of the city (which are all very nice areas!).

But day to day, everything is cheaper. Groceries, our rates (council tax) is around £300 a quarter. Our electricity bill averages over the year £5 per day and that includes heating, cooling, and water heating. Public transport is cheap (about £2 for a ticket from the outskirts to the city, a journey of 45 mins) and reliable.

Plenty of things to do are free, the beach, bush walks etc. Museums are cheap. Eating out costs around half that of the U.K. The equivalent of a pub meal for a family of 4 with soft drinks would be around £60-70.

Tax is higher (47% is the top rate) but you begrudge it less because it’s easy to get a Dr appt that day, the streets feel safe, schools are good, whether private or state. You do pay for a Dr appt (unless on a low income) but it’s about £12 I think. You don’t pay for children’s appointments.

Plenty of Drs here work in both private and public as well and there are great hospitals all over.

so in conclusion I would say the downsides are: the cost of buying a house and the fact that we’re a 24 hour flight from the U.K. Flights back have gone up now as well. We are also a long way from Europe and it would be nice to do those little trips over to other cities. To leave Aus you’re on a flight for over 6 hours to get anywhere. You do get used to it though and then your kids will do things like refer to an 8 hour flight to America from the U.K. as “pretty short”.

I would say everything else is a plus.

This has sold it to me ❤️ 😅we will look into it! Happy to pay more tax to be able to use the services properly.

OP has not said that they previously lived abroad on an expat package, and respectfully, if she had a good idea of the possibilities she would not be asking MN or AI.

She said that her DH had previously worked in Dubai for five years. We do not know what his package was at the time. From her comment it seems that she has not lived there. Many foreigners work in other countries on local contracts, without the benefit of expat packages, or with minimal extras. Most companies will only pay for DC private education and a whole family move for a very senior or highly specialised role which would otherwise be impossible to fill. I am by no means saying that these positions are not out there, just pointing out that they are rare.

Regarding EU citizenship, OP has already stated that she has the right to Irish citizenship, but does not seem to hold it at the moment. I do not know what the case is with DH. However yes, this does open up more possibilities because of lower immigration hurdles in the EU and EEA and Switzerland for EU passport holders. It does not make life any cheaper when you get there though, which seems to be the crux of OPs problem (especially private/international school fees).

I have lived and worked abroad on both local and expat-package contracts (Europe and East Asia). I speak three languages to native level, am fluent in another two and can get by in one more. I am also a dual national. So I feel I have some experience to base my comments upon.

I would say to think, think, think again and then think some more. I would be wary of moving to another European country as they are mostly in a similar state with similar problems to the UK. Australia is very expensive. The one country l would try in your position is Singapore. There are still good opportunities there.

Australia, 100%.