USA vs UK: On The Matter of the Settlement

[Infected Mushroom]

Please consider the following hypothetical:

You are an average member of the middle class; you are a college graduate with just a little work experience but not much. You have no family.

You must choose to either live in the USA or the UK. In both scenarios, you’d have to job hunt, find a place to rent, save up, and try to “make it.”

For the UK option, you have a choice between three cities: London, Manchester, Edinburgh.

For the USA, you have a choice between four cities: New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles.

Consider all factors including but not limited to cost of living, convenience, economic opportunities, culture/lifestyle, and other tangibles and intangibles.

Which city fo you choose? What’s important to you in your choice?

I choose London.

My reasoning is UK is better because I would feel safer without the guns. Though things may be more expensive, I dearly value the architectural style of London. The rain is a huge huge huge downside but not enough to mitigate the advantages. I chose London instead of the other cities because it was once the heart of a great empire and I would take pride in living in such a historically important city.

[Washington Resistance Army]

None of the above, city living is shit.

[Suriyanakhon]

None of the above, they're all quite terrible.

[Saiwania]

The food is no good in the UK from what I can tell, and I can't have fish and chips everyday. It'd have to be the US, but I don't know anything about the cities except that they're Liberal places that're too Liberal. All very expensive places, but I'm sure with high paying jobs if you can manage to get qualified for one.

Would live as if I'm in one or more social classes beneath where I'm really at, and invest the difference to get secure financials if not early retirement.

[Sengoku Americas]

I choose none of your options and instead move to Kagawa Prefecture, where my friends and I will open our very own organic strawberry farm and live comfortably.

[Tsaivao]

I'm assuming we also don't have to worry about immigration/citizenship into these nations?

For the US, I'd probably go for Boston, as I've been there and it's really nice (even if the road network is abysmal). All four of these options are definitely not very good for fresh-out-of-college middle class American since the cost of living is definitely gonna be higher than comfortable in all four.

For the UK, it's Edinburgh, hands down. I ain't livin' in no limey city. London is far too sprawling and dysfunctional, and Manchester is Manchester.

If I had to pit Edinburgh v Boston I might pick Edinburgh, since UK healthcare and all that, but it'd be a tough choice.

If I really had free choice though, I wouldn't pick any of these options, as the cost of living in all these places is moderate to very high, which would not be good for a fresh graduate who doesn't yet have a job.

[Swedish-Norwegian Kingdoms]

London because UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

[Infected Mushroom]

I'm assuming we also don't have to worry about immigration/citizenship into these nations?

Yes. It’s not intended to be at issue. You’d somehow be a national immediately (so you can factor in the NHS).

[CoraSpia]

I would choose the USA if I wouldn't have to live in a blue state. Otherwise I'd choose Edinburgh.

[Saiwania]

London because UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

Cancelled out by the UK having no free speech and too much gun control for some people.
If I were a Briton, I'm supposed to just be okay with the British government letting in non-White immigrants from certain countries I don't approve of?

[CoraSpia]

The food is no good in the UK from what I can tell, and I can't have fish and chips everyday. It'd have to be the US, but I don't know anything about the cities except that they're Liberal places that're too Liberal. All very expensive places, but I'm sure with high paying jobs if you can manage to get qualified for one.

Would live as if I'm in one or more social classes beneath where I'm really at, and invest the difference to get secure financials if not early retirement.

Apparently around 30 years ago, the food in the UK was pretty shit. I'll be going out for dinner in the UK later tonight, because that's where I live; I'm not even in a big city. The dish on the menu at the place I'm going that I prefer is really nice slow-cooked beef cheek with a mustard/mushroom sauce. It's very nice, and I'm impatient.

[Tsaivao]

London because UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

Cancelled out by the UK having no free speech and too much gun control for some people.
If I were a Briton, I'm supposed to just be okay with the British government letting in non-White immigrants from certain countries I don't approve of?

Sai you wouldn't be okay with that no matter what country you were in.

Fortunately for most governments, they don't have to care about which immigrants you personally do or do not approve of.

[Dakini]

I was just living in Edinburgh for five years and it is my favourite city on the planet, so I'd pick that.

The only pitfalls are the housing prices (though it probably does better than most of that list on that point), the large number of tourists (especially in August) and the fact that Scotland is still stuck in the UK (which means it has been forced out of the EU and gets to deal with the Tories being awful). Otherwise, you have a city that is big enough to be entertaining, small enough to be walkable (though also equipped with an excellent public transit system), full of beautiful parks, lovely scenery, fantastic pubs and, great restaurants (with loads of veggie options), usually getting to see at least one man in a kilt a day (sometimes more if you're lucky). People are also generally pretty nice and odds are you might run into someone you know just randomly walking down the street (it's not "the biggest small toon" for nothing).

[Dakini]

London because UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

That's all the UK options.

Except that Edinburgh also has free prescriptions, eye exams and dental check ups because Scotland runs its own version of the NHS.

[Shofercia]

Please consider the following hypothetical:

You are an average member of the middle class; you are a college graduate with just a little work experience but not much. You have no family.

You must choose to either live in the USA or the UK. In both scenarios, you’d have to job hunt, find a place to rent, save up, and try to “make it.”

For the UK option, you have a choice between three cities: London, Manchester, Edinburgh.

For the USA, you have a choice between four cities: New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles.

Consider all factors including but not limited to cost of living, convenience, economic opportunities, culture/lifestyle, and other tangibles and intangibles.

Which city fo you choose? What’s important to you in your choice?

I choose London.

My reasoning is UK is better because I would feel safer without the guns. Though things may be more expensive, I dearly value the architectural style of London. The rain is a huge huge huge downside but not enough to mitigate the advantages. I chose London instead of the other cities because it was once the heart of a great empire and I would take pride in living in such a historically important city.

Edinburgh, Los Angeles, Manchester, Boston, London, San Francisco, New York City. Edinburgh is the best of the bunch in terms of what I'm looking for, and I enjoyed my stay there. LA ain't too bad, the city mastered diversity, although it's experiencing a homeless crisis due to the sheer ineptitude of its leadership. Prior to homelessness crisis, it was fun to visit. Manchester's that industrial hub, but you have to be rough to make it, and always keeping that up is, well, rough. Boston's the Americanized Manchester, one without good healthcare.

London's a beautiful city, but it's declining in value, (IMHO,) so not sure if it's worth it, plus it's heavily overpriced, especially for the middle class. San Francisco is one of the few shrinking cities of California, heavily overpriced, woke, and lots of homeless. New York City has a city income tax, in addition to all of the issues that are going on with London and SF.

Edinburgh is a city where I can see myself living. LA if it cleans up its act, sure, why not? The rest? Maybe fun to visit, but not to make a life in.

[Drongonia]

Edinburgh. It's by far the safest of the cities and the thought of living in the United States is truly awful.

[Shofercia]

Edinburgh. It's by far the safest of the cities and the thought of living in the United States is truly awful.

I love your sig!

[CoraSpia]

I was just living in Edinburgh for five years and it is my favourite city on the planet, so I'd pick that.

The only pitfalls are the housing prices (though it probably does better than most of that list on that point), the large number of tourists (especially in August) and the fact that Scotland is still stuck in the UK (which means it has been forced out of the EU and gets to deal with the Tories being awful). Otherwise, you have a city that is big enough to be entertaining, small enough to be walkable (though also equipped with an excellent public transit system), full of beautiful parks, lovely scenery, fantastic pubs and, great restaurants (with loads of veggie options), usually getting to see at least one man in a kilt a day (sometimes more if you're lucky). People are also generally pretty nice and odds are you might run into someone you know just randomly walking down the street (it's not "the biggest small toon" for nothing).

I'd say that the best pubs are a little way out of Edinburgh proper, in Leith. Does that count?

[Dakini]

I was just living in Edinburgh for five years and it is my favourite city on the planet, so I'd pick that.

The only pitfalls are the housing prices (though it probably does better than most of that list on that point), the large number of tourists (especially in August) and the fact that Scotland is still stuck in the UK (which means it has been forced out of the EU and gets to deal with the Tories being awful). Otherwise, you have a city that is big enough to be entertaining, small enough to be walkable (though also equipped with an excellent public transit system), full of beautiful parks, lovely scenery, fantastic pubs and, great restaurants (with loads of veggie options), usually getting to see at least one man in a kilt a day (sometimes more if you're lucky). People are also generally pretty nice and odds are you might run into someone you know just randomly walking down the street (it's not "the biggest small toon" for nothing).

I'd say that the best pubs are a little way out of Edinburgh proper, in Leith. Does that count?

Leith didn't used to be part of Edinburgh, but it's basically been amalgamated into the city. I have some friends who live in Leith and it's nice enough and it does have some good pubs (though at least one has been a victim of the pandemic, I'm not sure about the others). My favourite pubs are more central.

[CoraSpia]

I'd say that the best pubs are a little way out of Edinburgh proper, in Leith. Does that count?

Leith didn't used to be part of Edinburgh, but it's basically been amalgamated into the city. I have some friends who live in Leith and it's nice enough and it does have some good pubs (though at least one has been a victim of the pandemic, I'm not sure about the others). My favourite pubs are more central.

Wait, what's gone away? If it's Teuchters landing it'll be very sad.

[Alien Overlord]

All of the United States options are bad. They are all anti-gun and for that reason I would never want to live in them. That being said England in general has a much stricter grip on the population and their oppressive policies are even less attractive. While I'd prefer any Republican dominated state in the US, i suppose any of the US cities would do since I could still travel outside in order to hunt and do other things.

[CoraSpia]

All of the United States options are bad. They are all anti-gun and for that reason I would never want to live in them. That being said England in general has a much stricter grip on the population and their oppressive policies are even less attractive. While I'd prefer any Republican dominated state in the US, i suppose any of the US cities would do since I could still travel outside in order to hunt and do other things.

That was entirely my point. If the choice was whether I wanted to stay in England texas or Tennessee, IM could buy me a plane ticket.

[Dakini]

Leith didn't used to be part of Edinburgh, but it's basically been amalgamated into the city. I have some friends who live in Leith and it's nice enough and it does have some good pubs (though at least one has been a victim of the pandemic, I'm not sure about the others). My favourite pubs are more central.

Wait, what's gone away? If it's Teuchters landing it'll be very sad.

To my knowledge, Teuchters is still there. Stewart Brewing had opened a pub out in Leith which has been lost to the pandemic.

[Roegerland]

My reasoning is UK is better because I would feel safer without the guns.

Lol allow me to introduce you to the good old kitchen knife.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

Edinburgh would be my first choice, then San Francisco. I wouldn't particularly want to live in any of the other cities. My impressions of US cities come mainly from films, Boston seems like a horrible place based on all the films set there.