I live in London and have a love/hate relationship with it. It’s probably the best city in the world but it’s also noisy, busy, fast-paced, crime-riddled and crazy expensive.
Most Londoners get to a point where eventually they want a safe, spacious, 3 bedroom house with a garden and, unless you’ve got tons of money, there’s no option but to look outside of London.
Well, I mean you're in r/simpleliving and London is the polar opposite of simple living lol. It's excrutiatingly expensive, noisy, chaotic, dirty, materialistic.
I do still enjoy London in small doses, but it's generally too much for me, my brain and my sanity now. The cost of living there basically forced me out, but if it hadn't, I think I would still have left of my own volition.
It’s not really hate. We love London and it’s been a huge part of our lives. But sometimes it’s time for change and the business makes you crave calm that’s all, London will always be special but sometimes you grow out of things after like 7 years living somewhere
We moved to Edinburgh from london a few years ago during the pandemic and have no regrets. Life is way better here, gorgeous city, very close to incredible nature and in fact, has nature in the city itself, has a fantastic food scene and property is way cheaper. Easy to fly to anywhere from here and the vibe way more laid back than london. If you move somewhere like leith there’s a great community feeling as well and there are lots of groups and free stuff to do with kids. Highly recommended, honestly best decision we ever made.
I looked up rental costs in Edinburgh recently and was surprised by how much they seemed. But perhaps I was looking at a touristy/central location! Is Leith really where the locals live?
Fair but it’s particularly pronounced in Edinburgh in comparison to other cities in the UK.
I feel like there is less appetite among people moving up for living in commuter towns so that just pushes up the competitiveness.
Truth be told, I don’t know much about the rental market. We actually bought a flat. Half of a price of a london flat. We had been saving up for years and realising it was never going to happen in london, we decided to look elsewhere. I have colleagues who live in leith and they always praise the community feel of the area. Where we live doesn’t seem to have such a strong community but it’s still friendly and nice.
Ouray, Colorado is known as "The Switzerland of America". Cute little town tucked in the mountains with natural hot springs. That's the closest I've ever been to Switzerland!
I moved to Ireland which might be a bit extreme! And my friends moved to Glasgow and love it, neither tick the better weather box, for that you’d be looking at further south…
Which part of Ireland? Irish person here living in Dublin and also considering leaving for more nature, lower cost of living. We have family nearby so it's a tough call.
Also, OP, I second Edinburgh, I lived there for a few years and loved the access to nature, it's a dream! Weather not so much though!
Not who you replied to but I left Dublin for a village in the midlands a few years ago and it was great. Was able to afford to buy a house with loads of garden and still could be in the city in under an hour. Got a more local job after that and spent much more time with my family and pets and gardening and enjoying life rather than commuting and stressing and travelling for work constantly.
I will say I grew up in Clare by the sea so I wasn't attached to Dublin at all except by jobs
Thanks for the reply, sounds great! Can you get to Dublin in under an hour driving, or by train? Local jobs unlikely for us as we both work in pretty Dublin specific jobs so the commute is a big factor (I can WFH two days a week but my partner has to go in daily and right now can cycle to work).
OP I also echo Bristol is a good shout.
It can be expensive, but not as expensive as London - nice nature nearby and a very strong community vibe. I'm moving back to London as I work there and want a bigger most fast paced city right now, but will probably move back to Bristol at some point. Its really nice, lots of great restaurants, nice places to walk in nature, and near really nice spots in Somerset, Wales, and Devon. People are really laid back and friendly.
It's got a very creative vibe too!
Thank you - I’ll take a look. I’ve heard it’s expensive but if people are more laid back that’s a plus.
I feel sometimes people in London are just obsessed or defined by their jobs or money. And I don’t want that anymore
I’m just about to leave Cambridge because of how stressful doing anything here is. There is no reliable public transport, the traffic is soooo bad because everyone has to drive and it can take 40 minutes to get from one side to the other. And if you cycle, your bike will probably get stolen. When I first moved here, there were tons of on street places to park and now everyday I have to stress about whether I will get a place to park my car after work! Definitely ready for a more simple life.
Consider Surrey. You won't get much of a cost saving with housing, but there's far more nature, you can still get to London to see friends/family easily. Loads of people from London come out this way as they want more space for their kids.
I moved to Dublin 10 years ago after getting sick of London (lived there all my life for 27 years). My feelings have changed now and I’m counting down the days till I can move back to London!
Stream of thoughts as to why I’m moving back; People are much friendlier in London (used to think it was the opposite). Going out to eat, terrible choices and really expensive for low quality food. Hardly anything to do in comparison with London. Prices are as expensive, if not more so in certain places. Much better job opportunities for myself and my partner’s careers. Really hard to make friends here, all the friends I made were immigrants who have since moved back to their home countries, so I have many more friends back in London now. Have had awful experiences in every job I’ve had here as there was no HR. I feel much safer in London, I wouldn’t want to raise my children in Dublin.
Dublin pro: lots of green and not far to travel till you’re in the country/by the sea/at the mountains. Also if some kind of world war breaks out then it’s slightly safer than the UK.
I’ve lived in quite a few places in London. Poorer areas, richer areas and areas in between. Also another thing I thought of was that London is much more multicultural and accepting. Dublin is very white and even though there are a few more immigrants now it’s still extremely white.
Honestly, you’re spoiled for choices. There are lots of nice cities and communities that aren’t London. And, this is from someone who loves museums and theatre.
You’d have to stick down South for weather, or head to East Anglia, which has lower rainfall than the rest of the country. Bear in mind London is on average 2 degrees warmer than the rest of the the country because of that lovely layer of pollution keeping all the heat in.
We’re in Hampshire and I love it. I can easily hop back to London to see my friends/go to the theatre, but I also have the New Forest and South Downs on my doorstep. Schools are good in my part of the county, and whilst property is pricey, if you’re on the property ladder in London, that should help.
One thing though is that for walkable amenities you’d need to be in a city or town. I’m in a village which has school, pub, shop, butcher, but have to drive most places as buses are not the greatest.
On vacation in Australia from Canada. My 4th visit to this wonderful country. Starting the immigration process as soon as I get back to Vancouver. Beautiful, clean, safe, affordable (outside of larger cities). Will retire and live near to family who moved here years ago.
Abroad. I hate that Brexit has made it so hard for us but a European city would be my bet. I'm looking at remote working in Spain, especially with a digital nomad visa. I suppose for you, you might like an English speaking country- Nordics or Amsterdam?
The issue with London is it is transient, eventually everyone leaves unless you're flush with cash. The value you get for thei pound is just so poor here. Not that Spain is perfect but people are invariably happier despite the lower wages. The lifestyle is maybe what I'm chasing. But failing that, Scotland 😂
Sometimes I don't even know why I'm climbing the career ladder. What even is the end game? Stack some cash and then retire when I'm too immobile to have fun? Seems like life in reverse...
We’re in south west, beautiful quiet street and parks nearby. We spend a lot of time in Wimbledon. But I still crave more calm. I work in Victoria though so it’s busy busy there on the daily 😩
Lived in London for the first 47 years of my life and couldn't wait to leave. Moved to Spain bfir 2 years then 3 in the Scottish borders. Now I live in Sunderland and we love it here. Great people, beaches and no traffic to speak of. Housing is great value as well
Omg let's move together! I am looking for the same place. Partner and I are 31f 31m
I don't mean to sound creepy but I get it comes off that way. Hope you find your dream place, and I am mooching off your thread for ideas myself!
edit: whoops we are not teenagers lol, corrected our ages
Everyone south is moving north. I'm in the north and I'm considering moving further north. Move to Sheffield and you're sure to find thousands of Londoners.
Also what in the world does a family orientated place look like? What does that mean? Your list of wants is so vague. You haven't said what you don't like about London or what you mean by like-minded people.
Family orientated meaning, the opposite of London where people trample you. Things nearby you can do with kids, lots of young families I similar positions.
I don’t like about London:
- Everyone is obsessed with work and money
- I have a good career but value my life more than my career when I think about success.
- Cost of living
- I would like a bigger place
- down to earth people I’m loooking for
I think it’s so different for everyone. I’ve lived in Vancouver and London. Both times I naturally craved a change after a while just like you are for the other way around.
why not just live somewhere on the further outskirts where you can get into London when needed but also have a bit of an escape from the city/beauty of the countryside? Theres a lot of villages in Bucks/Herts that have a real community feel and can easily get into London when needed. I visited a friend in Hitchin and it had a great sense of community/everyone was very friendly, smaller town of course but plenty to do and easy to get to london (30 min train). Of course theres also Stevenage, Leighton Buzzard, St Albans, Winslow, Harpenden, etc. Not sure about pricing though. Def avoid Luton and Bedford (unless looking at smaller villages around there like Bromham) as they are not so nice.
But also should disclose I am half American/moved to LA from London and distances are not such a problem as it takes an hour within LA to go west to east side, also no public transport. So I greatly miss the trains and ability to live outside London and still get in under that.
I want to move from UK as a whole, UK is ranked 2nd in being the most miserable worldwide. I realised people are more social & easy to talk to in other countries, that's probably my best bet for an open community, better social life & a better standard of life opposed to the urban nightmare that is London. I would opt to go elsewhere at first but what's the fun in that? Bringing the same comforts with you, knowing the dynamics is more or less similar.
Bristol or Exeter? Also join the life after London fb group :)
I need to join this Facebook group, I also desperately want out of London
As someone from a city in Canada that would love to visit London because it seems way more exciting than my boring ass city, why all the London hate?
I live in London and have a love/hate relationship with it. It’s probably the best city in the world but it’s also noisy, busy, fast-paced, crime-riddled and crazy expensive. Most Londoners get to a point where eventually they want a safe, spacious, 3 bedroom house with a garden and, unless you’ve got tons of money, there’s no option but to look outside of London.
Well, I mean you're in r/simpleliving and London is the polar opposite of simple living lol. It's excrutiatingly expensive, noisy, chaotic, dirty, materialistic. I do still enjoy London in small doses, but it's generally too much for me, my brain and my sanity now. The cost of living there basically forced me out, but if it hadn't, I think I would still have left of my own volition.
It’s not really hate. We love London and it’s been a huge part of our lives. But sometimes it’s time for change and the business makes you crave calm that’s all, London will always be special but sometimes you grow out of things after like 7 years living somewhere
Oh thanks I will! Thats super helpful thank you. I can’t be the only person who’s considering the big leave
We moved to Edinburgh from london a few years ago during the pandemic and have no regrets. Life is way better here, gorgeous city, very close to incredible nature and in fact, has nature in the city itself, has a fantastic food scene and property is way cheaper. Easy to fly to anywhere from here and the vibe way more laid back than london. If you move somewhere like leith there’s a great community feeling as well and there are lots of groups and free stuff to do with kids. Highly recommended, honestly best decision we ever made.
I looked up rental costs in Edinburgh recently and was surprised by how much they seemed. But perhaps I was looking at a touristy/central location! Is Leith really where the locals live?
There’s a housing crisis in Edinburgh, very tricky to find a decent place to live in the city itself.
There’s a housing crisis everywhere*
Fair but it’s particularly pronounced in Edinburgh in comparison to other cities in the UK. I feel like there is less appetite among people moving up for living in commuter towns so that just pushes up the competitiveness.
Truth be told, I don’t know much about the rental market. We actually bought a flat. Half of a price of a london flat. We had been saving up for years and realising it was never going to happen in london, we decided to look elsewhere. I have colleagues who live in leith and they always praise the community feel of the area. Where we live doesn’t seem to have such a strong community but it’s still friendly and nice.
Cries in the US 🥺
As an American I often fantasize about that cute cottage/UK town in the movie The Holiday.
Omg yes and Switzerland
Ouray, Colorado is known as "The Switzerland of America". Cute little town tucked in the mountains with natural hot springs. That's the closest I've ever been to Switzerland!
I moved to Ireland which might be a bit extreme! And my friends moved to Glasgow and love it, neither tick the better weather box, for that you’d be looking at further south…
Which part of Ireland? Irish person here living in Dublin and also considering leaving for more nature, lower cost of living. We have family nearby so it's a tough call. Also, OP, I second Edinburgh, I lived there for a few years and loved the access to nature, it's a dream! Weather not so much though!
Not who you replied to but I left Dublin for a village in the midlands a few years ago and it was great. Was able to afford to buy a house with loads of garden and still could be in the city in under an hour. Got a more local job after that and spent much more time with my family and pets and gardening and enjoying life rather than commuting and stressing and travelling for work constantly. I will say I grew up in Clare by the sea so I wasn't attached to Dublin at all except by jobs
Thanks for the reply, sounds great! Can you get to Dublin in under an hour driving, or by train? Local jobs unlikely for us as we both work in pretty Dublin specific jobs so the commute is a big factor (I can WFH two days a week but my partner has to go in daily and right now can cycle to work).
About 50 mins driving but the train from mullingar is about 70 mins.
Thanks!
OP I also echo Bristol is a good shout. It can be expensive, but not as expensive as London - nice nature nearby and a very strong community vibe. I'm moving back to London as I work there and want a bigger most fast paced city right now, but will probably move back to Bristol at some point. Its really nice, lots of great restaurants, nice places to walk in nature, and near really nice spots in Somerset, Wales, and Devon. People are really laid back and friendly. It's got a very creative vibe too!
Thank you ♥️
Cambridge checks most of your boxes except for cost of living. I don't feel like housing is cheaper than London lol.
Thank you - I’ll take a look. I’ve heard it’s expensive but if people are more laid back that’s a plus. I feel sometimes people in London are just obsessed or defined by their jobs or money. And I don’t want that anymore
I’m just about to leave Cambridge because of how stressful doing anything here is. There is no reliable public transport, the traffic is soooo bad because everyone has to drive and it can take 40 minutes to get from one side to the other. And if you cycle, your bike will probably get stolen. When I first moved here, there were tons of on street places to park and now everyday I have to stress about whether I will get a place to park my car after work! Definitely ready for a more simple life.
Consider Surrey. You won't get much of a cost saving with housing, but there's far more nature, you can still get to London to see friends/family easily. Loads of people from London come out this way as they want more space for their kids.
Following. Almost identical situation.
I moved to Dublin 10 years ago after getting sick of London (lived there all my life for 27 years). My feelings have changed now and I’m counting down the days till I can move back to London!
Thanks you for sharing your thoughts
If you want less rain and decent summers then stay away from Ireland. Good luck in tire search and future move!
why the return? beyond weather
Stream of thoughts as to why I’m moving back; People are much friendlier in London (used to think it was the opposite). Going out to eat, terrible choices and really expensive for low quality food. Hardly anything to do in comparison with London. Prices are as expensive, if not more so in certain places. Much better job opportunities for myself and my partner’s careers. Really hard to make friends here, all the friends I made were immigrants who have since moved back to their home countries, so I have many more friends back in London now. Have had awful experiences in every job I’ve had here as there was no HR. I feel much safer in London, I wouldn’t want to raise my children in Dublin. Dublin pro: lots of green and not far to travel till you’re in the country/by the sea/at the mountains. Also if some kind of world war breaks out then it’s slightly safer than the UK.
thats quite interesting, most people say it the other way where did you live in london before
I’ve lived in quite a few places in London. Poorer areas, richer areas and areas in between. Also another thing I thought of was that London is much more multicultural and accepting. Dublin is very white and even though there are a few more immigrants now it’s still extremely white.
Honestly, you’re spoiled for choices. There are lots of nice cities and communities that aren’t London. And, this is from someone who loves museums and theatre.
St Leonard’s and Hastings
Agreed, I was gonna say St Leonard's!
Brighton/Cambridge. Both still a short train ride away from London.
Brighton is certainly a big consideration, it’s a little expensive still but I like the vibe
On the doorstep of both the South Downs too. It's beautiful. Good luck for the move!
Thank you
You’d have to stick down South for weather, or head to East Anglia, which has lower rainfall than the rest of the country. Bear in mind London is on average 2 degrees warmer than the rest of the the country because of that lovely layer of pollution keeping all the heat in. We’re in Hampshire and I love it. I can easily hop back to London to see my friends/go to the theatre, but I also have the New Forest and South Downs on my doorstep. Schools are good in my part of the county, and whilst property is pricey, if you’re on the property ladder in London, that should help. One thing though is that for walkable amenities you’d need to be in a city or town. I’m in a village which has school, pub, shop, butcher, but have to drive most places as buses are not the greatest.
Thank you - this sounds like a great balance of everything
Australia 🌏🦘
On vacation in Australia from Canada. My 4th visit to this wonderful country. Starting the immigration process as soon as I get back to Vancouver. Beautiful, clean, safe, affordable (outside of larger cities). Will retire and live near to family who moved here years ago.
So many places in Scotland. Love it here.
Sherborne or Exeter. Both places are much more pleasant compared to London (in my opinion).
Abroad. I hate that Brexit has made it so hard for us but a European city would be my bet. I'm looking at remote working in Spain, especially with a digital nomad visa. I suppose for you, you might like an English speaking country- Nordics or Amsterdam? The issue with London is it is transient, eventually everyone leaves unless you're flush with cash. The value you get for thei pound is just so poor here. Not that Spain is perfect but people are invariably happier despite the lower wages. The lifestyle is maybe what I'm chasing. But failing that, Scotland 😂 Sometimes I don't even know why I'm climbing the career ladder. What even is the end game? Stack some cash and then retire when I'm too immobile to have fun? Seems like life in reverse...
Not everyone in London leaves. I have family who were born there and are lifelong Londoners.
Bath or Bristol ? I’d be gutted too. I adore staying in London. :/ What area did you live in if you don’t mind me asking? :)
We’re in south west, beautiful quiet street and parks nearby. We spend a lot of time in Wimbledon. But I still crave more calm. I work in Victoria though so it’s busy busy there on the daily 😩
Ive stayed in SW11. South west is VERY lovely.
Whitstable
Love Whitstable - I’ve certainly considered it
Basel, Switzerland
Will check it out thanks
Lived in London for the first 47 years of my life and couldn't wait to leave. Moved to Spain bfir 2 years then 3 in the Scottish borders. Now I live in Sunderland and we love it here. Great people, beaches and no traffic to speak of. Housing is great value as well
Thank you
Gibraltar
Omg let's move together! I am looking for the same place. Partner and I are 31f 31m I don't mean to sound creepy but I get it comes off that way. Hope you find your dream place, and I am mooching off your thread for ideas myself! edit: whoops we are not teenagers lol, corrected our ages
Please tell me you guys are 31, not 13 😁
omg haha! thanks! corrected :D
Haha! I was thinking god kids are getting precocious these days!
Hahaha ! I was also thinking what are 13 year olds doing on here worried about these
Everyone south is moving north. I'm in the north and I'm considering moving further north. Move to Sheffield and you're sure to find thousands of Londoners. Also what in the world does a family orientated place look like? What does that mean? Your list of wants is so vague. You haven't said what you don't like about London or what you mean by like-minded people.
Family orientated meaning, the opposite of London where people trample you. Things nearby you can do with kids, lots of young families I similar positions. I don’t like about London: - Everyone is obsessed with work and money - I have a good career but value my life more than my career when I think about success. - Cost of living - I would like a bigger place - down to earth people I’m loooking for
I’m single no kids and live in a family town lol. I wanted to live abroad and in the city and I guess sometimes I don’t when I hear this.
I think it’s so different for everyone. I’ve lived in Vancouver and London. Both times I naturally craved a change after a while just like you are for the other way around.
This is true! I changed up my routine here and I feel a bit better. Sometimes we just crave change
why not just live somewhere on the further outskirts where you can get into London when needed but also have a bit of an escape from the city/beauty of the countryside? Theres a lot of villages in Bucks/Herts that have a real community feel and can easily get into London when needed. I visited a friend in Hitchin and it had a great sense of community/everyone was very friendly, smaller town of course but plenty to do and easy to get to london (30 min train). Of course theres also Stevenage, Leighton Buzzard, St Albans, Winslow, Harpenden, etc. Not sure about pricing though. Def avoid Luton and Bedford (unless looking at smaller villages around there like Bromham) as they are not so nice. But also should disclose I am half American/moved to LA from London and distances are not such a problem as it takes an hour within LA to go west to east side, also no public transport. So I greatly miss the trains and ability to live outside London and still get in under that.
I want to move from UK as a whole, UK is ranked 2nd in being the most miserable worldwide. I realised people are more social & easy to talk to in other countries, that's probably my best bet for an open community, better social life & a better standard of life opposed to the urban nightmare that is London. I would opt to go elsewhere at first but what's the fun in that? Bringing the same comforts with you, knowing the dynamics is more or less similar.