Why is the UK so expensive?

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Maria_Delmondo@reddit

I've lived in Australia, UK and US and am a dual citizen of 2 of these countries.

Here are my observations:

Australia: - best food quality at supermarkets - medium priced food - expensive eating out - expensive housing - moderate to decent space in housing - expensive bills (phone, energy, internet) - expensive petrol / gas - affordable healthcare - affordable education (many private schools are affordable, university is subsidised)

UK: - average food quality at supermarkets, unless you go to waitrose or upmarket places - medium priced food - affordable eating out - expensive housing - small space in housing - expensive bills - expensive petrol / gas - affordable healthcare - relatively affordable education depending on what type of school (university is subsidised)

USA: - low food quality at supermarkets unless you go to trafer joes or Wholefoods - low to medium priced food - affordable eating out (i hate the tipping culture) - moderate to expensive housing, depends on where you live, a lot of cheaper options the further away you get from metro areas - bigger spaces in housing - affordable bills (I keep my heaters on 22°c on all the time in winter and aircon low in summer my heating bills are cheap) - moderately priced petrol / gas - insanely expensive healthcare - insanely expensive education across all levels

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HorseFacedDipShit@reddit

You need to touch grass.

In no universe is Australia cheaper than the uk

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UcancallmeKen1@reddit

Take your minimum wage here and see what you get for it in Australia. UK pays more than double the price for Fuel, Alcohol, Meat, Milk, Subscriptions etc. I earned $95,000AUD p.a. in rural Australia, you would get $140,000AUD if you lived in the metropolitan areas, for a job that gets paid £40,000GBP p.a. in London. The people get effed in the a in UK.

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spamalt98@reddit

Depends what things you're talking about.

I have lived in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Cardiff and Bristol.

Australia IS cheaper for some things like comparable quality food, coffee etc. And less so on other things.. Housing etc. That said, the UK isn't far off the pace on rents.. Especially London vs Aus and Melb and especially if you compare what you're getting for those figures - size and quality. I had a much nicer place in Melbourne and Sydney for less moneu than London or Bristol 🤷🏼‍♂️

Also, everyone I know (except lawyers) earned noticeably more in Sydney and Melbourne governments in Aus. Especially government workers.

I like the UK, and am here now. But financially it was MUCH easier in Aus.

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OtherwisePatience264@reddit

I'm a software engineering recruiter at a global company and have many friends working in similar roles at similar companies. London compensation is always higher than Sydney/Melbourne.

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gintokireddit@reddit

Not cheaper, but wages are higher. Bloody dishwashers (using a dishwashing machine) earn more than what takes several years to build up to in the UK.

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ProofLegitimate9990@reddit

$1 doesn’t equal £1

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UcancallmeKen1@reddit

I don’t think you understand.

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SilentMode-On@reddit

I wish people remembered this. I’ve heard so many times “I make £35k here but my job in Australia pays $70k!” smh.

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astartes_88@reddit

What on earth are you ok about? Auz is far more expensive than than the Uk

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spamalt98@reddit

Disagree. Have lived in both. Beyond housing, I find it similar or cheaper in Aus. I definitely had more savings each month in a similar job.

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Indomie_At_3AM@reddit (OP)

Yeah I feel like a lot of people haven't actually lived in Aus and are just saying what they see on the internet. Both my mum and my sister came to Aus in 2024 and they said it was noticably cheaper than UK for things like eating out, excursions, public transport. Pretty much anything except rent.

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spamalt98@reddit

Absolutely. I'm literally back in Aus now, visiting. Random example... Coffee is £2.50-2.75 compared to £3.30-£3.50. Good sized meals out at nice cafes (nicer than most in the UK) are £8-12ish.

Cars cost so much less here in Aus too, just noticed this week.

I don't know how anyone can say the UK is much cheaper. Apart from housing. But remember, people in Aus earn more on average.

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Electrical_Profile36@reddit

People on here talk utter shite. Tbf most users are probably about 16.

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popcornelephant@reddit

It’s just not. Sorry to shit on your parade. Groceries are obscenely cheap in the UK compared to peer countries.

You think a £9 prescription is expensive? All I can is lol.

The only thing we really get rinsed on is housing.

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Personal_Usual_6910@reddit

True.

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Mrcatsparkles123@reddit

Exactly, you are speaking facts I think housing in any first world country is going to be absolutely astronomical especially in the next 10 years my suggestion to those of you who are thinking about getting a property in any country if you are blessed enough to be in that position get one now because I'm telling you now in the next decade it will be triple the price of what you are paying for it now, I'm not saying that you have to go mental and refurbish it every 2 years but just general maintenance of a house keep on top of repairs and things like that your house will just be worth triple if you're planning on keeping it longer you'll probably get a hell of a lot of money back over the years I can tell you that for a fact

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cocomintsd@reddit

Sounds like you’ve never even been outside the UK or in mainland Europe.

I can find a two bed in an expensive capital like Stockholm (including a living room, there’s no such thing as an apartment without a living room there) for what you would pay for a flatshare in the North East. And the difference in the quality of housing isn’t even comparable. A Spotify subscription is £8.80 there and £12 here. This applies to everything you can think of. And there’s also a reason UK groceries are “cheap” (they’re not), the food expires within 2-3 days of buying it whereas you can have bacon in the fridge for a month in Europe without risking the best before date (and that’s just the best before date, not the use by date).

The UK also has a lower GDP per capita in comparison to Western European countries and things are still more expensive. “Sorry to shit on your parade” is awfully brave for someone who has never lived outside of their home country.

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toastyroasties7@reddit

Equally, major cities across Europe, Australia, Canada and the US have obscene housing costs too.

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soulshock22@reddit

Hong Kong: Hold my beer

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remington_noiseless@reddit

Couldn't agree with this more. I'm from the UK but lived in a few countries and every time I go back to the UK I'm amazed how cheap everything is.

If you really want to see expensive cars, look at Ireland. They're basically the same as the UK but prices are about 50% higher.

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zertz7@reddit

Try Denmark for expensive cars

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SilentMode-On@reddit

Cars in the UK are cheap, especially second hand. My cousin moved here from Russia immediately after the war started. They sold a Mercedes in Russia and for that money bought a Porsche here. I looked up my car which I bought here for £3k - same model in Russia was £6k (and they have lower salaries!)

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popcornelephant@reddit

Hiring a car in Ireland too! Absolutely crazy prices for a country that essentially doesn’t have a rail network.

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Binfluencer-24@reddit

It depends when you go. August and December are crazy expensive, but a random weekend off-season and not in Dublin, not so bad.

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JoinMyPestoCult@reddit

And train fares.

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popcornelephant@reddit

Yeah that’s fair (get it?).

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wasdice@reddit

Took a while to get it. That punchline's a bit of a sleeper.

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EvilTaffyapple@reddit

Calm down Sir, let’s keep this thread on track.

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I_am_Relic@reddit

And on point(s)

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ItsDominare@reddit

sick of pun threads derailing the conversation

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DarkusHydranoid@reddit

You'd best mind the gap between the platform and your expectations

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EyesRoaming@reddit

I think the poster was talking about subscription as in Spotify etc, not prescription as in medication.

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coolcallum10@reddit

I’m extremely surprised you’ve moved from the uk to aus and are complaining about uk prices

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Indomie_At_3AM@reddit (OP)

Tbh it's just cause I noticed a difference. In Aus I can go to a local mall and get 2 freshly cooked stir fries for $10. I can get a braista made coffee for $4 and public transport is half the price. Gas, water and other monthly bills including all subscriptions are cheaper in Aus. The only thing I can thing of that is more expensive in Aus is rent.

But that's why British people are poor. They don't complain enough. They're fine with paying high prices and getting paid low wages. you be you i guess

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OkStory4999@reddit

I'm not sure it's even rhe cost of living at this point it's more just the wages are garbage

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Mrcatsparkles123@reddit

I have to respectfully disagree with 90% of what you're saying, you can get cheap groceries, cheap cars although petrol and diesel is very expensive especially if you get premium "fossil fuel" shall we say.... Although the cost of living has gone up the majority of people's wages and benefits have gone up to adjust to the inflation although people say not enough but it has to be at a standard I've been helped with my cost of living with energy vouchers gas vouchers as have many of my peers both working and unemployed families and without families so on and so forth I think the UK government has done more than enough to try and help us financially with this situation a hell of a lot more than what other countries are doing why do you think everybody wants to go to the UK from third world countries? Just ask yourself that question research it if you are born a British citizen you have won the lottery categorically have absolutely no doubt in that statement 👆 I hope this information helps just do your research and stop comparing one currency with another because that's just illogical doesn't make sense at all

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EriadorsDoorstep@reddit

Ukraine war .

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popcornelephant@reddit

Do you know that anything under £500m is considered a rounding error at the Treasury?

£8m a day on illegal migration is not a major problem for the public finances.

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spamalt98@reddit

You understand £8m a day is £2.9b a year. A figure quite a way above your self imposed rounding error level. And a figure that could do a lot other things for the UK.

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EriadorsDoorstep@reddit

ok mr Expert

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Suitable-Length4255@reddit

It definitely isn’t considered a rounding error, what have you that idea?

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Jimmy90081@reddit

The thing that gets me is the price of things like cars or games and items like that, and tech. In the USA a car may be say $50,000 USD. In the UK, that same car will be £50,000 GBP. Looks the same on paper, but £50k is actually $64k. So we are paying $14k more for the same thing.

Just like how a MacBook in USA is $999 and UK is £999, which is actually $289 more. Which is it so much more in the UK?!

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spamalt98@reddit

Tech prices in the UK are mad. Tor rip off. And car prices too. I'm shocked and still haven't bought one because they're so expensive compared to Australia.

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JackyHaj@reddit

My perception is the same. Groceries might be cheaper (I haven't completed my in depth comparison) but as a traveler I am finding everything more expensive. Fuel cost £1.46/L today despite being around $2/L when I left Aus. I can't remember what a large zinger meal costs in Aus but it cost me £8.78 here. I am sure that a zinger meal doesn't cost $15 in Aus. Most of my meals have been between £10 and £20. Back home I would very rarely spend $40 on a meal!

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spamalt98@reddit

Completely agree. The UK is more expensive (especially when incomes are taken in to account) than Aus.

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spamalt98@reddit

A lot of people here are saying the UK is much cheaper than Aus all things considered (rent, expenses etc).

It really depends what things you're talking about.

I have lived in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Cardiff and Bristol.

Australia IS cheaper for some things like comparable quality food, coffee etc. And less so on other things.. Housing etc.

That said, the UK isn't far off the pace on rents.. Especially London vs Syd and Melb (the big cities) and especially if you compare what you're getting for those figures - size and quality much worse in the UK. I had much nicer places in Melbourne and Sydney, for less money, than London or Bristol 🤷🏼‍♂️

Also, everyone I know (except lawyers) earned noticeably more in Sydney and Melbourne governments in Aus. Especially government workers.

I like the UK, and am here now. But financially it was MUCH easier in Aus.

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BroodLord1962@reddit

I think you are wrong, Spotify is $10,99 in the US and £10,99 in the UK, but minimum wage in the US is only $7.25. Food is more expensive in the US. Do some basic research before you put a post up.

According to the property price index, Australia is the 13th most expensive country to live in. The UK is 27th.

Here's some basic information from a company that specialises in relocations to Australia.

Private Lets (One-bedroom apartment) 1,800 to 2,300 $ per month £ 610 to 740 per month

Utilities (Gas, Water, Electricity, Internet) 270 to 320 $ per month £ 80 to 140 per month (includes TV licence)

Groceries 500 to 1,000 $ per month £ 460 to 620 per month

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Suitable-Length4255@reddit

What? Food is way more expensive in Aus. Also, US prices exclude sales taxes.

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JamOverCream@reddit

Groceries are exempt from sales tax in most states. That said, when I visited last year to a Medium Cost of Living area with no tax on groceries, they were a fair bit more expensive than UK

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Spadders87@reddit

Its not. Youre perception is just wrong.

https://numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp

Were 27th on that list. Below the likes of Ireland, Australia, USA, and New Zealand, France, Holland, Austria, Finaland, Denmark and Norway.

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Ook_1233@reddit

Numbeo is not a good source

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Conscious-Ball8373@reddit

23rd with rent costs included, but yes.

However, the local purchasing power index is not so great; relative to income, the UK is behind NZ, Australia, Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Norway and the USA (though still in front of France and Ireland).

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Spadders87@reddit

Local purchasing power, were 24th on the list. Sure theres nuances between the metrics but i can just name the 23 other countries that are more expensive locally. Including Iceland, Denmark, Germany, Finland and Japan AND the USA which is more expensive locally. They're 5th on the local purchasing power index, were 24th.

If we where 24th on education levels. No one would be asking why is the UK so clever?!

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Conscious-Ball8373@reddit

I'm not quite clear what you're saying here, but I think you've misunderstood "local purchasing power" - having a higher number means that people on an average income are able to afford more things than if the number is lower. So being 24th on the list means that people in Iceland, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Japan and the USA are about to afford more things than we are.

If you click on the "More information about these indices" link, it describes local purchasing power like this:

Local Purchasing Power: This index indicates the relative purchasing power in a given city based on the average net salary. A domestic purchasing power of 40 means that residents with an average salary can afford, on average, 60% less goods and services compared to residents of New York City with an average salary.

So, while the USA has relatively high prices compared to the UK, it also has relatively high incomes and relatively low taxes, leading to higher purchasing power (though I am slightly surprised that the average across the USA is higher than the average in NYC!)

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Spadders87@reddit

Youre right, i have. Premise still stands, were not 'so expensive'. Its relative to our position, and for the most part, its affordable or at the very least more affordable than 122 other countries on the list.

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oovavooo@reddit

Agree with others, the UK is fairly moderately priced - some things cheaper, some things more expensive. Could be a lot worse.

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fjordsand@reddit

I lived in Spain for a year and food shopping here is miles cheaper 😂 try paying 5€ for a mars bar. But eating out and drinks are very cheap

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ldn6@reddit

I’d actually disagree. The UK used to be significantly more expensive relative to other countries, but is less so nowadays due to a combination of a lower exchange rate but also extremely high costs elsewhere. Groceries, for instance, are probably cheaper than in nearly any other developed country and things like Internet and mobile phone plans are substantially less expensive than in the US, where I’m originally from.

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fromwayuphigh@reddit

Yep, another transplanted USian here. The death grip that regional telco oligopolies have on cellular & internet service is fucking medieval - competition amongst the players in the UK makes for a much more consumer friendly situation.

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ItsDominare@reddit

I was with Comcast in the US, because they were literally the only cable internet provider in town. Now back in the UK, I get twice the speed for about a third the price.

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redrighthand_@reddit

The Verizon/AT&T duopoly is mental when it comes to phone costs over there.

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ldn6@reddit

I pay around $70 a month to Verizon just to keep my US number open. It’s stupid.

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ImpressiveGift9921@reddit

Another why is UK (insert negative) statement. How interesting.

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yourlocallidl@reddit

The milk snatcher started privatising our public sectors, and many people after her carried that baton.

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Careless_Tackle_229@reddit

What a load of bollocks.

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Tacklestiffener@reddit

I have only got this to offer, as a Brit living abroad. In Spain, my car insurance went up this year by about 30€ (8%ish) because I bought a new, bigger, car. If I kept the old car, about the same. It's fully comp, any driver over 26 and includes breakdown recovery anywhere in Europe and the UK. There is no such thing as no claims bonus.

My annual gas bill (in big bottles) went down this year by 6€. My electric bill is around the same. Same for water (although there is very long drought in progress)

Food is more expensive because we don't have a constant supermarket price war. Cars and furniture are stupidly expensive.

All in all though, I think some people in the UK are making out like a bank robbers and they have managed to buy/silence any watchdog or government.

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JohnFrenchGB@reddit

Uk is now just another third world country but with a high cost of living

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pelican678@reddit

I feel like people making these incendiary statements have never actually travelled to the third world. As someone who has I would never compare the two. These are places without running water, any form of sanitation, disease and child mortality are rife, healthcare non existent, education a luxury just for a lucky few, no infrastructure at all. I could go on but people here sometimes forget how lucky they are compared to other countries. It’s because we are always comparing ourselves to the very top developed countries.

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JohnFrenchGB@reddit

The irony is that you basically described Birmingham 🤣

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ExtensionJoke5541@reddit

Spoken like someone who’s never left the village they were born in, and likely never will.

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pelican678@reddit

Groceries are way cheaper here than in America or Australia. The quality is also a lot better in terms of value of organic produce, free range eggs and meat etc. I would argue apart from property prices, rents and public transport costs (in particular rail fares) the uk is otherwise quite affordable compared to other developed nations.

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RFCSND@reddit

Even with current rises and inflation, and accounting for purchasing power of the £, a lot of daily stuff (especially groceries and internet/mobile) is a ton cheaper than similar markets.

I would concede that energy costs are crazy high here compared to other places. That's a function of our inability to build renewables, alongside our stupid pricing system for electricity and gas set by the regulator.

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