Regret moving out of London

[littlegemi]

We moved out of London during the pandemic and I can't stand it.

We decided to buy but I just feel so out of my element here (North Essex). We have a toddler and having more space is nice but the lack of cultural activities and variety is getting me down. Even the takeout food choices are depressing

My partner and I are both from other countries (him Europe and I'm from N America) I've never found it so difficult to make friends and don't have family here so now I have to travel 2 hours to London just to socialize.

Did anyone else move out of London and regret it? What did you end up doing?

I feel for you OP. If you are foreign, its even harder as it's not like you are surrounded by family.

I very much value the diversity and culture of London and it can be miserable outside of here.

I know some people who had to come back. If it's the housing cost factor, are you happy to downgrade to a smaller place. Could you rent out where you live, and use that income for your rent and top it up. Risky as it depends on your tenants. Salaries are higher in London, so that helps.

Good luck

I'm British so it's different in that I have more family here, but I moved out of London to a suburb of a small city and really disliked the place. I was happy enough because I liked my house and job though. After 2 years I met my partner, got pregnant and moved to a slightly larger small city which I've loved ever since.

Could you consider moving to a different city - Birmingham or Manchester for example?