What a Move from the US to the UK Could Mean for Your Home

The idea of starting over in a new country often brings excitement, but also a fair share of uncertainty. When the move is across the Atlantic, even familiar routines can begin to feel unfamiliar. The rhythm of daily life changes, and your living space quickly becomes the grounding point for all that is new.

Image by Mathias Westermann from Pixabay

When Sarah packed up her Chicago townhouse and relocated to a small village outside Bath, she thought her biggest challenges would be unpacking and adjusting to the time difference. What she didn’t expect was how much her idea of “home” would shift. The layout, size, and even the way natural light entered her UK cottage shaped her habits and moods in ways she never anticipated.

A move from the United States to the United Kingdom is more than a change in address. It is a change in lifestyle, values, and how you relate to the space around you. The size of rooms, access to gardens, and use of multifunctional furniture all influence the way your home supports you. Understanding these differences helps you make decisions that feel intentional instead of reactive.

Whether you are preparing for an international move or simply curious about how a new culture can redefine comfort, knowing what to expect can make all the difference. With thoughtful planning, your new space can be more than a landing spot. It can become a home that reflects not only your past, but the possibilities of the life ahead.

Design and Size

The most obvious difference between the housing markets of the US and the UK is their size. Homes in the US will tend to be larger, featuring more open floor plans and space per person. According to statistics taken from Figure.nz, homes in the US average 2.4 rooms per inhabitant. Back in the UK, that number reaches 1.9. A major contributing factor here is the prevalence of terraced homes in the UK, which account for 26% of the housing stock. In the US, this proportion is a mere 5.6%.

Together, these facts mean that anyone moving from city to city or suburb to suburb from the US to the UK will likely find a slightly smaller home in a similar area. This difference is somewhat mitigated in rural homes, however, which will be important should you choose a life path such as remote work.

Housing Prices

Housing price differences between the UK and the USA can be quite similar, though they diverge at interesting points. In the UK, housing prices tend to be higher overall, but this is driven by the increased cost of property in big cities. Shipit.co.uk offers a fantastic breakdown of costs here, comparing city centre and outside-of-city centre homes for London and New York.

In the city centre, house prices per square meter are noted at £15,875 and £13,967 for London and New York respectively. Outside the city centre, these costs are around £8,432 and £10,025, again for London and New York. The takeaway here is that big-city living will tend to be more expensive in the UK, whereas it can be easier to find a country home in the UK on a stricter budget.

Market Setup

The final major element to dictate how a move will work comes from the differences in the way sellers operate and communicate. In the US, the big difference comes from the use of a multiple listing service (MLS). This system allows estate agents to more easily communicate with the entire marketplace, and to sort through more properties and provide potentially wide-reaching access for buyers.

In the UK, real estate agents tend to work only through the property in their portfolios. Without access to a MLS, this can make finding properties in an area more complicated. Rather than one agent, buying a house in the UK can mean finding several, though this can also act as an advantage. With fewer dedicated properties, UK agents also have a better ability to intimately know a house and the area, to provide a clearer image of what buyers can expect.

It’s also worth noting that the UK has recently been updating many of its systems through newer online sales platforms. For example, those looking to sell can now sell houses fast at Sold.co.uk, an online house sale platform. This service sells thousands of houses a year by connecting buyers and sellers through online databases, vastly reducing wasted time and letting owners sell in their own timeframe. In fact, while the average time to sell the traditional way in the UK is 175 days, these methods can complete sales in less than a week. This means if you do intend to move to another part of the UK, you always have a rapid option.

Designing a Life That Fits on Both Sides of the Atlantic

Relocating from the United States to the United Kingdom invites more than a change in surroundings. It encourages a shift in mindset. Every corner of your new home, from the kitchen layout to the garden path, holds the potential to shape your routines and influence how you feel in the space. Embracing these changes opens the door to a more intentional way of living.

As you adapt to different floorplans, storage norms, and design aesthetics, you might find your relationship with your home growing more thoughtful. You may start to value cozy corners over wide-open rooms, or learn to enjoy the charm of a smaller space that prioritizes comfort over square footage. This transition can help you redefine what “home” means in a way that aligns with who you are becoming.

No matter your reason for the move, this journey offers a rare opportunity to build a home that reflects your values, habits, and dreams. With patience and care, your UK home can become a sanctuary that blends the best of where you’ve been with the beauty of where you are going.