Expat's Return to UK After Six Months Blames High Costs, Poor Transit

Annie Symonds, 43, a British expat who had been living in Sydney, Australia, with her Australian husband Stephen Moylan, 47, decided to return to the UK in 2018. The couple initially settled in Brighton, but their experience was short-lived. After only six months, they moved back to Australia, settling on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Symonds, who co-founds the travel guide website Londoner In Sydney, explained that her return to the UK was driven partly by homesickness and a desire for familiarity. However, she found the reality of daily life significantly different from her expectations. "It was great for the first month or two, because we came back in the summer, and there was a heatwave at the time," Symonds recounted. "But I remember saying to my husband, this is the happiest you're going to see British people now, until next summer. Which was a bit of a shock for him."

Commuting and Workplace Culture

A major challenge Symonds faced was the commute. She took a job in radio that required her to travel from Brighton to London. "The job was super toxic, and it just wore me out. The commute from Brighton to London was horrendous," she said. "It would always take about three hours each day just to get to and from work."

She described the trains as frequently being late and taking longer than expected. Beyond the unreliability of public transport, Symonds noted a perceived passive aggression among people during her commute, which contributed to her feeling drained. "It made me start to miss things about Australia that I never thought I would."

Cost of Living and Lifestyle Adjustments

Symonds also found the cost of living in the UK to be significantly higher than she remembered. She recalled a Thai meal in England costing double what she would expect to pay in Australia in 2018. "I ask my friends, 'how can anybody afford to live here?' and they say, 'Oh, it's all on credit cards, that's how everyone's doing it'," she observed. "Because the cost of living versus how much you're getting paid in the UK is not matching up."

Replicating her healthy lifestyle from Australia proved difficult. Symonds found early morning runs in the dark and cold of Brighton a stark contrast to her experiences in Australia. "I just found a lot of people were very miserable and it was really hard to try and keep up a positive attitude," she stated.

Cultural Differences and Expectations

Symonds highlighted that while many assume England and Australia are similar, she found significant cultural differences. "Australians are very, very different to the British as a whole. The banter is very different," she explained. She noted that expats can struggle to make friends and that the desire to return to the UK is strong for many. However, she cautioned that the experience of visiting for a holiday is distinct from living there.

"What people misunderstand is going back for a holiday versus living there are two very different things," Symonds advised. She urged those considering a return to carefully consider their motivations and what an average day would entail.

Despite missing the UK's cultural attractions like London, Symonds found that once she moved back, the downsides of commuting, weather, and the general atmosphere outweighed the perceived benefits. The couple has been living on the Sunshine Coast since their return and has not looked back.