7 Surprising Things Cheaper in the UK than America!

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

You have a whoops that you'll want to fix at 4.49 where you say UK ambulances cost a few thousand dollars. easily done and still a good episode.

[@lottie2525]

Yeah, I noticed that. You don't have to pay anything for UK ambulances.

[@garywallace8521]

Thought so but had to double check in case I misheard lol 😂 still another good vid!

[@katrinabryce]

None of them surprised me. But, this is important: In the US, you pay more in taxes per person for the approx 1/3 of the population that is entitled to medicare/medicaid etc than we pay in the UK for the NHS that covers everyone. Also, in the UK, private healthcare is much cheaper than in the US.

[@grahvis]

Per capita, the cost of healthcare is, indeed, about double that in the UK.

[@tonysheerness2427]

The Americans earn much more than Brits.

[@terryandrews49]

@@tonysheerness2427 That is just wage inflation top keep up with the rising cost of living.

[@tonysheerness2427]

@@terryandrews49 Yes you have toi earn double because you are taxed double.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Yep, and you'll still get lower-income Americans convinced that the NHS and other European healthcare systems are somewhere between Stalinism and Satanism, and aren't afraid to say so, loudly.

[@florisvansandwijk6908]

that is kinda ironic, that the world's most competitive country in the world does not have very competitive supermarkets, telephone plans etc.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

it is definitely interesting!

[@bigbird2100]

The USA since the ww2 has a closed market due to regulations and political lobbying

[@bugtracker152]

I would say it's a better situation with supermarkets than it seems. We have Whole Foods and Sprouts chains which are considered mostly organic upscale stores, to Aldi's, Trader Joe's which are mostly cheaper ones, yet still a decent quality stores. Also a bunch of supermarkets like Kroger, Publix, Walmart. Also it's important to mention Amazon which is a completely different type of beast than it is in the UK - I mostly like it for customer service, fast free delivery and how easy it is to return items. Internet providers though is a completely different story. There are a couple of established providers who monopolized the market and it's really difficult for someone else to squeeze in. For example in Nashville where I live Xfinity and AT&T contributed in building the infrastructure of wire holding pillars and now they were fighting hard legally against Google Fiber not allowing them to use the same infrastructure. Google plans are twice cheaper and often provide better speeds but their existing competitors are just slowing them down because they don't want to lose their profits. At the same time they keep increasing the price of their plans. Pathetic.

[@Competitive_Antagonist]

@@bigbird2100 The UK might be more like the USA soon thanks to "Our independence day".

[@TheEulerID]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial The reason I believe is that the big companies have been able to undermine the governmental organisations that would clamp down on monopolies. That's down to money and lobbying. Once the US anti-trust system was feared by big companies. It was active in breaking up monopolies in mainframe computers (IBM), telecommunications (AT&T), oil (Standard Oil) and software (Microsoft). However, those gradually weakened, and now we have the large tech companies able to leverage their market power with much fear of regulation. The likes of Amazon, Facebook, Google, Adobe and so on seem to be able to buy up potential competitors and innovators without ant questions as to the effect on competition. I should add the American healthcare system is another. The private medical insurance companies, which have the most to lose, lobby to preserve the status quo as the more medical care costs, the more their profits. Capitalism works, but only if it is strongly regulates. That's because it has a natural tendency to monopolism and killing competition the anti-competitive practices. I should add that states can do the same too. If state sectors grow too large, then they too start to work on behalf of their employees, not of their customers. Having been there, I've experienced it.

[@tallmale188]

Somebody posted on Twitter that the US Government had negotiated new prices for medications one of the medications that they had negotiated was Eliquis and the price had been reduced from $521 to $231 per month. The price that the NHS pays is £10.50 for 10 tablets

[@IntrospectorGeneral]

It's $46.20 USD for 60 on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme. The 'out of pocket' price paid by users is $21.00 USD for that 2 month supply. People on low income, disability support, etc qualify for a concession card which reduces the cost to $5.15 USD for 60 tablets. As a taxpayer I'm happy to see my taxes spent on an obvious public good.

[@graham6137]

In Australia I pay A$30.60 ( Approx US$20) for 60 Eliquis 5mg tablets. If I was a"concession" paitient ( Pensioner etc) it would only be about US$4

[@tallmale188]

I used to work for an American Company which provided insurance for US Forces personnel in Europe. There is also differences in the level of cover provided. In regards to liability insurance the minimum required in Florida is $10,000 for bodily injury $50,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage. in the UK liability for Bodily Injury is unlimited and for property damage is £1,000,000 The clients who came from the US were shocked by this! I used to say to them "Well suppose you were hit by another road user, which level of cover would you want them to have"

[@watcherzero5256]

In the UK museums and art galleries receive a tax relief of 36-40% if they have no entrance fee, so a lot choose to have no entrance fee for the tax deductions and then just ask for voluntary donations. There is also a 20-25% relief on the production costs for temporary or touring exhibitions (temporarily boosted to 40% for the last four years) and also upto 50% of losses made by a touring exhibition can be written off for upto a combined 80% tax relief on a touring exhibition production.

[@therealisation5500]

In my city all museums are free with some world class exhibits Welcome to Glasgow

[@PedroConejo1939]

The car insurance had me. I never realised they were talking monthly. No wonder there's so many uninsured drivers in the US.

[@RylanceStreet]

As a Brit I can visit family in the USA and their car insurance covers me to drive their cars at no extra cost. But in the UK I can't even find insurer who will cover my car for a US citizen to drive, regardless of cost. Drivers from the EU or Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a few other commonwealth countries yes, but US citizens, not a chance of being insured to drive a private car, yet they can hire a car without a problem. Why?

[@neilmorrison7356]

Last time we were in London we went to see Swan Lake we treated ourselves and got really good tickets costing a couple of hundred pounds ouch. During the interval I noticed our neighbour had dropped something. On returning the item we got chatting. He was from New York and he said it was cheaper to fly over to London have a couple of nights in an hotel and pay for his ticket than it was to watch a similar quality ballet in New York.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦄🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦄

[@JaneAustenAteMyCat]

?! Blimey

[@oksanatoofor4470]

I saw Swan Lake at the Royal Ballet for £10 using their “Friday Rush” scheme (Friday Rush tickets are released every Friday at 1pm. They include tickets for Main Stage performances for the following week, until the next Friday Rush). For London cultural & theatre visits you need to do your research online and not buy from those ticket booths aimed at tourist

[@neilmorrison7356]

@@oksanatoofor4470 good tip I am aware of the scheme. Got my tickets as returns from the Royal opera house directly

[@normanpearson8753]

@@neilmorrison7356 I paid £9 for the ballet in Moscow , Bolshoi , that was best seats . Probably cheaper than London , even with plane tickets .

[@neilmorrison7356]

@@normanpearson8753 well done and a big yes on being cheaper in Moscow!

[@geoffclarke3796]

That was very informative. I was aware that private health insurance was expensive and grocery shopping was generally more expensive in the US than the UK but I had no idea that car insurance or mobile phone plans were so much more expensive in the US compared to the UK. One thing I found rather annoying in the US was the fact that when buying something in a shop, the cost displayed doesn't include tax which seems weird to me.

[@RushfanUK]

The sales tax is infuriating, they always excuse this by saying that variable rates state to state make it so difficult to price things inclusive, this is utter nonsense as modern EPOS systems easily work all this out as envisaged by the very fact that when paying for the shopping the till systems will add the sales tax on, I remember one American family who used to vlog on KZbin when they moved from the states to the UK, they used to both work in the US and struggle to meet their costs, in the UK only the husband was working and the wife did a total spend comparison between life in Florida and the UK, they were £500 per month better off in the UK even with her not working.

[@CarolynneBarnett]

It's not just for the standard NHS Ambulances. There are currently 21 Air Ambulance Services throughout the UK, and each has at least one helicopter available. They are dispatched when a rapid response is required - basically anything where emergency help is necessary. Every helicopter will have highly qualified medical staff onboard. A helicopter can get seriously ill or injured patients to hospital faster than by land, whilst being attended all the way by skilled medical staff. The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is the equivalent UK service for sea rescue. The amazing thing about both the Air Ambulance Service and the RNLI is that they are are both charitable services, both are manned by qualified volunteers and both funded by donations. As ever of course, if the Air Ambulance or RNLI services are called, there are no bills to be paid.

[@MrSensible2]

I'm a Brit but spent my entire career working for US companies. A couple of things struck me. First, just how old some of my colleagues were! Men who you would consider to be pensioners in the UK, still turn up for the daily grind simply to preserve their work related health insurance. The second thing was how long people spend at work yet at the same time, how little they seem to actually produce. A lot of their time seems to involve 'being a good team player', attending endless meetings & being seen to be busy. I was always more of the grumpy, rude git who got stuff done...not that it did me any good. It's exhausting forever swimming against the flow. I threw in the towel at 53. Escaping the asylum was the smartest decision I ever made.

[@peterdavy6110]

I'm also a Brit and also worked for US employers in the UK where I dealt a lot with US lawyers. Legal documents that English lawyers would draft generally ran to 2 or 3 pages. A US legal team would produce 30 pages minimum no matter how simple the transaction with lots and lots of repetition and the inclusion of every alternative term you could think of for the same basic process. It was like going back to the days of Dickens.

[@MrSensible2]

@@peterdavy6110 The Yanks do take the whole legal thing way too far sometimes. Twenty years ago, when I was massively busy, trying to extricate the company out of bankruptcy, I got quietly pulled aside by my administrative boss to say one of my American colleagues wanted to set the company lawyers on me! I'd inadvertently made the tiniest of technical mistakes & he saw this as me activity trying to cheat the system. To say I was livid was an understatement! Had he been in front of me & not safely on the other side of the pond would have lamped him one there & then. In the end, we bought in the client who I was doing the work for. They sided with me & said well if your lawyers have a problem with this, then our lawyers are going to have to get involved & then we'll have a problem with YOU. Then it all went very quiet. At the time, I was having a lot of successes & landing a lot of new business while the Americans were limping from disaster to disaster. I suspect the original complaint was as much to do with envy, malice & spite as concerns about my technical integrity...

[@RobertClark-s8f]

$7000 for health insurance in US is more than the total income tax and national insurance that is paid on the UK average income. And those taxes pay for the running of the country - NHS, welfare benefits, state pensions, roads, etc. Of course, there are a myriad of other taxes that contribute to the overall tax take. However, we dont have to pay extra for healthcare.

[@Iceyfrozone]

That was exactly what I was thinking. At level it would workout cheaper to be fun by the state but then again that would be "socialism" 😂

[@normanpearson8753]

No. If the U.K. average wage is £ 30,000 p.a. the UK. taxpayer would lose about a quarter , ie £7,500 . Maybe 9,000 dollars?

[@bugbusters-badcoder]

@@normanpearson8753 not sure where your figures come from. On 30k a year you would be on basic rate tax of 20%, and have a personal allowance of 12750, so your tax at most would be £3,486

[@cp4512]

But you get to see a doctor in the USA and don’t have to wait years for operations on waiting lists. The NHS is broken and the doctors and nurses spend most of their time striking for more money.

[@normanpearson8753]

@@bugbusters-badcoder Quite right , apologies . I lose 25/6 % of my salary to tax and N.I. stamp...hence my figure . Excludes pension contributions , the Civil Service paid my share , bless 'em ! Take care .

[@RobertLloyd-f3p]

Car insurance was an eye opener, from the country that is probably the most car orientated, and where gasoline is pennies compared to the UK I am amazed at the insurance costs.

[@katrinabryce]

A US driving test is really easy to pass compared to a British one. There is an earlier video on this channel about that, so you have people on the road who have demonstrated only the ability to drive the car about 2 metres in a car park (en:US 6.6 🦶🏻 in a parking lot)

[@TheHaighus]

Further to the post about US driving tests, safety standards are also generally lower and road design is problematic. All in all, the US has very dangerous roads for a developed country (even when normalised to per capita or per miles driven) so logically insurance costs are higher to cover the risk. Bigger, more expensive cars are also more common and healthcare costs for injuries are much higher.

[@brianbradley6744]

So now I know why so many US cars are uninsured. In the UK this would entail immediate siezure of the car if caught and our cop cars have computers or radio contact that can check this while on the move, i.e. following a suspect. I think roadside cameras can also do this.

[@johnlatchford9425]

So in the US they arm the police which endangers the public, in the UK we give the police ANPR cameras to check for uninsured vehicles, so we keep them off the road

[@Sarge084]

ANPR Automatic Number Plate Recognition. Traffic police cars have this as standard, additionally there are ANPR cameras on motorways and some major arterial routes. Car parks and petrol stations are equipped with ANPR, and some are even feeding this information into a police database.

[@brianbradley6744]

@@Sarge084 Thanks. I didn't ANPR was standard in traffic police cars.

[@ChrisParrett-qo4sx]

@@brianbradley6744 ANPR is also fitted to other patrol cars as it's a useful and cost effective tool against crime. My research (for one of my novels) into how it works and how it's used… by speaking to officers who use it… revealed just how sophisticated those uses are. It not only notifies vehicle legality anomalies, but if the vehicle or its registered owner (or someone known to have access to it) is 'of interest' in relation to an investigation, or if the driver should be left to carry on because overt police interest could jeopardise an investigation, maybe because he's likely to be dangerous and armed officers will be required. The automatic… and instant… data cross referencing on the Police National Computer goes much further than mere driving offences, and can involve security services, borders control, and customs officers too in some cases, often without the police car's crew being aware.

[@video99couk]

My car insurance is less than £200 per year. Being of the slightly older demographic, and importantly NOT USING THE CAR FOR COMMUTING. So if you work from home like I do, make sure you get your policy to exclude commuting, put a cap on yearly mileage and save a bundle.

[@Chayat0freak]

My understanding is there's not a state-wide car safety test like the MOT. I'm sure our insurance would be higher if you could never be sure if the car in front wasn't going to fall apart with no warning.

[@Poliss95]

@Chayat0freak But don't forget that the MOT only covers the vehicle until it leaves the testing station.

[@Chayat0freak]

@@Poliss95 yeah but there are states with no checks whatsoever.

[@raywoods2375]

Us Brit expats living in LA were laughing at the locals skidding all over the place during a rainstorm, it never rains in California! They all had bald tires, which is all you need in dry weather, in fact they are probably the safest thing on a dry road (F1 cars use slicks when it’s dry). They didn’t work well in the wet!

[@tims9434]

​@@Poliss95 incorrect, the MOT covers the vehicle for a full 12 months so long as the car remains in the same condition. MOTs are to maintain the safety of vehicles in the UK for the reasons already mentioned. Road Tax and Insurance are both required in addition to a valid MOT certificate

[@dougaltolan3017]

​@@Poliss95True, but if once every year you fix all the problems, there's not going to be an accumulation of dodgy cars.

[@scollyb]

The cost of US healthcare is way higher regardless of method of payment. The US spends more than twice the amount per capita on healthcare than the UK

[@WIlfredWibbles]

AND the health outcomes are worse on pretty much every measure. So they pay far more to get far less. Makes sense - apparently.

[@Nerdy4Life]

Yep, and the US system is also more bureaucratic and spends much more on administration than the NHS does.

[@cp4512]

NHS is rubbish as you can’t even get an appointment to see a doctor. And then you spend years on waiting lists waiting for any operation. All whilst the doctors and nurses spend their efforts striking for more money.

[@TheHaighus]

​@@cp4512 Still far better than US healthcare, unless you are very rich.

[@TheHaighus]

​@@cp4512The strikes are to improve working conditions and to prevent further staff losses. Much of the NHS's troubles are due to staffing shortages.

[@mrrestell]

I am a retired UK citizen living in Spain all health cover is paid by UK. I had a hart atack last year everthing was covered including the 20 mile amblance to and from hospital. My cell phone cost 3 euros per month for 100 minutes

[@rickconstant6106]

Another difference with car insurance, as I understand it, is that US insurers limit their liability to third parties, leaving the driver liable for the balance if the claim exceeds the limit. Here in the UK, the mandatory insurance gives unlimited cover for third party damage or injuries.

[@TheEulerID]

The legal minimum coverage in the UK for third party claims is £1.2m for a single claiming according to the "THE MOTOR VEHICLES (COMPULSORY INSURANCE) REGULATIONS 2016". It may have been increased since, but it is not going to be unlimited. You would have to check with your particular insurance policy to see what you actual third party maximum coverage is. What is effectively unlimited are third party personal injury claims and they can be huge. Their can be eight figure sums involved. However, you are correct that many US states have ludicrously low minimum third party coverage figures, and that extends to personal injury claims. There also seems to be no industry-funded scheme for personal injury claims against uninsured drivers. Given that the massively high rate of road fatalities in the USA, it makes me wonder how it all works out. nb. high insurance costs and the virtual necessity of a car in much of the USA also means they have a much higher proportion of uninsured drivers (and, for that matter, non-roadworthy vehicles as many states do not mandate safety checks for cars).

[@peterbrown1012]

I heard that no matter who is at fault, you have to make a claim to your insurance, not claim off the other drivers insurance, is this true?

[@TheEulerID]

@@peterbrown1012 If you have fully comprehensive insurance, it's easy. You claim off that and if they consider the other party to be at fault, then they will attempt to reclaim costs off the other party's insurance. If the other party's insurer admits liability, and your insurer recovers their costs, you don't lose any no-claims bonus you might have and do not have to pay any excess. I suppose it might be possible to claim yourself, but I can't see why. If you claim off your own insurance in the first place, then that's the quickest way of getting your car either fixed or written off and receiving its value. If you only have third party insurance, you can't claim off your insurance company. Now it might be that your insurance might include legal assistance, but that's not guaranteed. Otherwise, you have to claim yourself.

[@peterbrown1012]

@@TheEulerID I forgot to say that I was asking about US insurance

[@tonys1636]

@@TheEulerID When I was unfortunate to have a blameless shunt (the filling in a sandwich) and having TPF&T insurance I claimed through my company and just submitted the other parties (3) details to my company. Details obtained from the Police as hospitalised overnight.

[@adrianmcgrath1984]

A big factor in cellphone companies expenses is terrain. In North America there are numerous mountain ranges, valleys etc, all of these require extra really stations , and many of these are remote and must be reached by 4x4 or helicopter for servicing and maintenance

[@Rumade]

Private healthcare is also cheaper in the UK for certain things. I am giving birth in a private hospital in London. The midwife led delivery package is about £11,000. With reductions through our work's insurance, we will only pay about £1,500.

[@jamesgilbart2672]

I'm shocked by the costs of food, phone charges and car insurance. If the cause is largely a lack of competition in those markets, it suggests that USA citizens are being ripped off. The moaners and those who promote a privatised healthcare system in the UK should listen to your list!

[@yrv130]

Tuition fees are free for Scottish students, as the dad of two beautiful and clever graduate daughters, all I had to help with was their accommodation costs.

[@adoptedscot]

Us too, my husband is Scottish and has always lived in Scotland and our daughter went to St Andrews ( unfortunately a couple of years after Catherine and William , aka the Prince and Princess of Wales) so all we had to subsidise was accommodation which in St Andrews was horrendous.

[@suecox2308]

When I lived in England in the 1970s, university education was free, which I think is why people now think UK university fees are expensive, but they still seem like a bargain to me after decades in the US.

[@robertwatford7425]

Another fascinating subject :-) It was the car insurance that surpised me!

[@colinpotter7764]

Eating out prices have certainly increased since I first went to the USA, and with the tax at the end, it’s called a tip, it’s getting too expensive compared with the UK.

[@daveedmondson9002]

I lived in the USA (Phoenix AZ) about 40 years ago. At that time groceries in the USA were around 25% CHEAPER than in the UK.

[@COMEINTOMYWORLD]

I have heard food prices mentioned before but it does still seem surprising. There is a lot of moaning nationally in the UK about the cost of food, eg shrinkflation, inflation, but as you state there is fierce competition here from different stores. What interests me if that obviously the USA has a massive agricultural sector so is that working efficently when feeding the population?

[@marutn8913]

"Food Inc. 2" (2023) and "Food Inc." (2008) documentaries might be able to tell you more about food in US. There are many more like this across different streaming platforms.

[@FiveToedSloth1]

I bought a multipack of Rowntree's Watermelon ice lollies recently. They are delicious. Thank you!

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

I'm so glad you like them! My favorite!

[@wingnut71]

I can confirm. Very nice little treat.

[@stevehartley7504]

I'd like to see you compare the cost of NHS per year in tax (NI) with a comparable health insurance premium! I don't think the average American understands just how good our health system is compared to a US insurance

[@lottie2525]

And we don't get any bills ever. Even when insured they have to pay a heavy whack of 'excess' I think they call it 'co-pay' or something like that. No wonder people won't call for an ambulance and avoid preventative care or going to the doctor to check out a random mole or something like that. It's crazy.

[@Canalcoholic]

You have to factor in earnings. I did my 40 years on the treadmill in the printing trade on the 'creative' side, but never earned more than £25k per annum.

[@garjones99]

In the early 2000s I got into a chat with a friend from Texas and I was living in Malaysia. We worked out it would cost him three times as much to send an SMS to his wife in the next room than me texting her from the other side of the world.

[@Poliss95]

England. A student loan is not like other loans. It would be better described as a graduate tax. You don't start repaying it until your earnings exceed £25,000 a year and after 40 years any outstanding amount is written off.

[@avancalledrupert5130]

25k is basically minimum wage

[@tims9434]

They've done away with the 40 year rule now

[@normanpearson8753]

@@tims9434 Sure?

[@cp4512]

@@Poliss95 errrrr. That’s exactly how a loan works with a payment holiday. Plus the interest keeps ramping up whether you pay it off or you don’t. The only difference between a student loan and a normal loan is that the interest rate if much higher with the student loan and you can’t shop around so there’s no competition.

[@johnplus1]

You are correct on the high cost of entry into museums say in New York. However if you read the small print you will see that the entrance price shown is a reccomended price and therefore what price you pay is up to you. My daughter in law is an American living in New York. On our last visit to NY four of us went to the Met. and all she paid for us was $1 total.

[@steveknievel]

There's a mistake in your video at 4:47 where you say an ambulance in the Uk costs a few thousand dollars

[@kenmccormick8059]

Yes, she obviously meant to say US.

[@orbtastic]

She is wrong and right. She obviously meant to say US but in some cases in the UK you can't get an NHS ambulance (depending on level of illness, illness and health authority) so to get a private ambulance it'll cost you ~£2500. It's eye wateringly expensive.

[@tims9434]

​@@orbtastic more likely to get a taxi

[@orbtastic]

@@tims9434 That's fine for something trivial. Not when there's a risk of death or serious injury i.e. my friend who kept having bleeds and they were life threatening.

[@colingregory7464]

I remember Jeremy Clarkson saying that he had a quote for Ford Escort XR4i for which he was quoted more for the yearly insurance than for the car

[@stephenlee5929]

Yes but his job is somewhat a risk factor.

[@colingregory7464]

Even so, paying more for a years insurance than the car (£20,000 $40,000 ish at the time ?)

[@david-hf3dk]

I paid £150 for my car insurance this year in UK.

[@deanstuart8012]

When you get off the ferry in Guernsey there is a sign saying that ambulances are not free in Guernsey. Presumably this is also the case in the other Channel Islands.

[@xyork]

Yes. The Channels Islands are not part of the UK, you should buy travel insurance, it's very inexpensive.

[@andybaker2456]

I've been to Guernsey more times than I can remember, and I never knew that! I don't recall ever seeing that sign either, although I usually arrive by plane, so maybe they don't (or perhaps "didn't") have those signs at the airport?

[@missharry5727]

Since January 2023, Guernsey has been in a reciprocal health care agreement with the NHS. All you need is proof of UK residence. When I badly gashed my leg in Guernsey earlier this year I was taken to hospital in an ambulance and patched up free of charge on production of my driving licence. Unfortunately the rest of my holiday was on Sark, where my alternate-day checkups for the rest of my holiday cost me all of £120.

[@robert3987]

The cost of cell phone connections surprised me the most.

[@andybaker2456]

@@missharry5727 Thinking about it, I remember being in Guernsey on holiday in August 1981 when I came down with a throat infection, and needed to see a local GP. I'm pretty sure my dad wasn't charged for that, or that we had to show any proof of UK residency. But maybe things were different back then, or that GP visits have always been free. 🤷‍♂️

[@ireneholmeide3240]

I grew up in Britain and attended University for free with a scholarship.This included room; Board and laundry 😊

[@Rhianalanthula]

Where i am around the corner is an Aldi, a big Tesco, and a Lidl, which are all in walking distance.

[@oz25]

Thank you for the original video x

[@CollectiveWest1]

Good video! A lot of tourists from the US seem to make videos about how cheap products are here in supermarkets. But bear in mind that the US is a richer country on average so some products will just be more expensive because of that. That's why it can be helpful to compare average GDP per person on a purchasing power parity basis (PPP), in order to get a more realistic view of living costs. A bigger issue may be that it can be difficult to get fresh fruits and vegetables in some places in the US (I hear). In the West End, it is even possible to get some basic tickets for £5 (standing at the Globe or the Proms for example). There can also be day tickets released in small numbers on the day of a show, or special offers, as well as multi-buy offers for several shows in a season by a company. By the way, in London and other cities there can be recitals by musicians (students or professionals) which are free. And DC's Smithsonian museums are great - they are all excellent. Also they were mostly empty when I went there a few years ago, except the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum and the African American History and Culture Museum.

[@COMEINTOMYWORLD]

But also on this point in the UK we pay far more for designer brands and Apple products than in the USA so there are different forces at work here. High end brands know they can charge more in the UK than the USA because they can still sell their products.

[@tonys1636]

English Third Level education was free when I was at Uni and a maintenance grant was available for those who's parents could not afford to maintain the child whilst away from home.

[@Poliss95]

I'd say the student 'loan' system costs the government more than grants would.

[@0KiteEatingTree0]

I finished at uni just before the fees came into effect Glad of that

[@Lostachilles]

Tbh, as it is now, it's really not that bad. Is it a bit crap that they're charging? Yeah, it is, since higher education = better job/income = more tax paid & better GDP contributions. Important to note that they don't charge for University in Scotland. But.. even here in England, a three-year degree (so a Bxx Hons) will set you back a whopping £27-ish per month in repayments at entry rate. This does tier up with income thresholds, of course, but it's really extremely affordable even if you don't get a high-paying career after university. Still, all that said.. I'd much rather them make it free again. It benefits the whole of society and, even though the loans are cheap, the loan system can deter students who would otherwise go on to become some of our most intelligent, educated, and important individuals who might just invent things that change the course of history.

[@domfjbrown75]

​@@Lostachillesmake it free, but bring back polytechnics. Uni degrees are almost worthless these days!!

[@tonys1636]

@@Lostachilles Few ever fully repay it as often don't reach the earnings repayment threshold for many years, whatever is not repaid after 30 years from starting work is wiped, just hard luck for Doctors, Lawyers, MP's, Govt. Ministers and those that became CEO's.

[@erikdalna211]

In Scotland, university tuition is free, wherever in the UK you attend university and most Scottish universities give students MAs rather than BAs.

[@Salfordian]

Subsidised by the English taxpayers via Barnett

[@lindawitt9063]

Do you not have to complete a BA first, and then complete your Masters?

[@yrv130]

@@Salfordian the Barnet formula gives the Scottish government £40 billion back of the £88 billion raised in taxes and revenues in Scotland!

[@robertfitzjohn4755]

@@yrv130 I'm sure there are large costs funded by the UK Government on behalf of the Scottish people - defence, for example.

[@yrv130]

@@robertfitzjohn4755 where do you think Scottish tax payers money goes to? It goes to Westminster who then give Scotland it's 'pocket money'! Scotland doesn't get 9% of the defence budget spent in Scotland, the main defence base is the nuclear sub base that the majority of Scots and the Scottish government want moved out of Scotland.

[@definitelyhexed]

My cellphone in the UK is £7pm and I get 12gb, unlimited calls & texts.

[@robertspeakman3726]

Shes telling the truth , having lived there until 2013 for 30 years i saw massive changes in the cost of living . It has become unaffordable for the middle and low income families

[@artyonehundred]

Ambulances: you may get a bill for an ambulance if you are in a road traffic accident (and you are deemed to be at fault) you may get a bill, but you are supposed to pass the bill to your insurance company to pay. Assuming you have a comprehensive policy.

[@keithparker5125]

When I took my motor insurance exams over 40 years ago (yes, there are exams if you want to become an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute) I was taught that if you have an accident, never call for an ambulance but let someone else do it. The reasoning behind this was that the charge was only imposed if a driver involved in the accident called for the ambulance. This has now changed and the charge is imposed to recover the cost of NHS treatment where personal injury compensation is payable. This can is currently £225 for an ambulance, £744 if you get treatment but not admitted to hospital, and £915 per day if you are admitted to hospital (with a maximum of £54,682). These charges are met by insurance companies if you have insurance.

[@raywoods2375]

@@keithparker5125 Wow; didn’t know that. I worked for AXA Insurance, not as an Associate but as someone who designed their business IT systems. The ambulance cost was never priced into the customer claims, but I assume the Actuaries added it into the premiums.

[@keithparker5125]

@@raywoods2375 I studied for my ACII in the late '60's and it was included in my Motor Insurance textbook then. The figures I quoted were as of this year but I suspect that there are many occasions when the costs are not collected - does not mean that they won't in the future especially as it is a good income for the NHS.

[@JM-jc4up]

My car insurance actually went down in price this year. Last year I paid £191.37, this year £183.34.

[@Polyglot85to90]

I don't know if you've ever done this before but it would be interesting for you to do a comparison between UK and US university life: cost differences, differences in what students are/are not allowed to do, differences in accommodation types etc

[@ChristianVonCarmian40kVtuber]

You said "dinky" - in the US I think that means small and cheap, in the UK it means small but valuable because of the Dinky Toy line

[@bermudagirl50]

I remember being on holiday and chatting to a nice American lady about mobile phone plans. She was shocked to find I paid £6.00 a month for 4GB which gets carried forward if I don't use it all. I can't remember what she said she paid but it was a lot more.

[@stevenclarke5606]

I’ve just been in the USA , and I was shocked at the costs, I needed some eye drops, for hay fever, so I went to Wallgreens , it cost me $15 , in the UK it would have cost me about £3

[@seijika46]

Just goes to show that a mixed/regulated market is better for ordinary folk than a dangerously unfettered one.

[@user-gil-e]

In Aussie: Aldi mobile plans from $17, mine is $25 for heaps of data and international calls. I'm left of centre, so I support universal health care and low cost higher education.

[@mssdn8976]

I believe that salaries are greater in the USA, so you have to balance cost of living with salaries

[@AlexisMoore-nx6wf]

Another difference in higher education is the approach to student debt. As I understand, in the US, graduates are personally liable for repaying their loans. In the UK, if graduates can’t repay their loans nothing happens. It’s more of a graduate tax than a loan.

[@johnmcnally7812]

I'm sorry, it costs money to give birth or take an ambulance?! That is insane!

[@definitelyhexed]

Travel insurance is another one. If I go to the US I'm insured for $10,000,000, as a Brit, and it only costs like £20

[@nicks40]

I read that a US surgeon might pay $65,000 a week for medical negligence insurance. Maybe if people stopped claiming $100,000,000 for a chipped nail it might help.

[@normanpearson8753]

All suing claims , and payouts , there are ludicrous . I want my rights to be violated , here in the U.K. !!

[@mrc7478]

But my chipped nail was reasonably painful.

[@nicks40]

@@mrc7478 Pain is purely subjective. Just ignore it.

[@mrc7478]

@@nicks40 I'm not calling you as a witness.

[@nicks40]

@@mrc7478 I wouldn't.

[@davidnorthrop2298]

Magic Jack phone is $30 a year in U. S.

[@josouthwood438]

When I’m not illegal streaming football (soccer) I noticed with the mobile network ads I thought they were expensive even at exchange rate

[@steverpcb]

M phone is with 1P mobile, it costs 1p per text, 1p per min, 1p per anything !

[@michaelleiper]

I can't believe the cost of the US mobile phone plans - because I'm on a fairly expensive mobile phone plan, but it's still cheaper than the US plans you were talking about and it includes free roaming in a lot of countries in the world, including the US. I think the only restriction is that there's a fair usage cap of 12GB of data per month when roaming abroad. (I think you can't get the plan I'm on any more - Brexit means only the people who got the plan in 2021 or earlier still have completely free roaming). And I didn't realise Dubai wasn't in the plan one time - so it's a good thing I had a fairly low spending limit set. My daughter has the same plan - so no problems when she did a semester in San Diego - just used her UK phone just like normal for phoning home and data - and just called friends with US phones on Whatsapp.

[@alanstebbings2886]

My father was a caretaker at a eesearch lab and we would frequently have two or three US scientists over on exchange In vuew of rhe costs no wonder so many of them had children while they were here

[@CinobiteReacts]

My car insurance is like £140 a year, and if you use a cash back site I get about 40 back on that

[@Molikai]

I remeber, oh, 15, 20 years ago, I could not call my American friends mobile from the UK because her carrier would charge her international fees for an INBOUND call.

[@terencesaunders1357]

Have just renewed my car insurance for £310.00 for my 2012 vw golf. Admittedly I am 73. Also got my son on my insurance.

[@Poliss95]

A friend of mine had afternoon tea in Texas. Cost $70.00 and it wasn't very good. The average cost of afternoon tea in the UK is around £15.00 and the quality is much higher.

[@normanpearson8753]

It's still a lot for what you get , but has to be done !

[@donnawing4492]

Would be interested in the opposite of this as to what is cheaper in USA and expensive in UK

[@wrigjo101]

Private health care is also a lot cheaper. My Local private hospital changes £15,000 for Harts sugert or £7,00o for angioplasty

[@FalcomScott312]

I'll give you an example of things are cheaper here in the UK than the US. Like for intense the Museums here in London were I live is free compared to someone where they're in the US that's so expensive!

[@Afriqueleblanq]

Vegetarian friend in Vermont, US, complained about sub-standard, very expensive "fresh" veggies compared to London or Cape Town (where food quality is tops!) 😊

[@ajs41]

I went shopping in Whole Foods in Boston when I was visiting my brother who lives there, and was just astounded by how expensive everything was compare to the UK, and the quality was about the same. In other words, Whole Foods, which is supposed to be a near-luxury groceries shop in the United States, had products that were just average by UK standards.

[@raheem201231]

When referring to mobile plans. It seems like you’re talking about SIM + Phone for the US and a SIM only for UK. The price will range massively, especially for those you don’t understand the system.

[@DCW39]

Broadway pays more to their staff ( actors and backstage). That’s why it’s more expensive.

[@normanpearson8753]

Hugely more .Even a box in the West End wouldn't cover an ordinary seat on Broadway , and the U.S.A. musical flopped .

[@wayneclark9435]

Just a thought, whilst I get some things are more expensive but what is the average income difference, I am sure it is higher in the US?

[@johnlbirch]

Re. students fees in the UK. Tuition fees are covered by students loans - which are very strange "loans" as essentially they are designed so that they are not paid off, and what has to be paid off is linked to income. And when you are 50 the loan is wiped. This weird situation is because student fees and loans system is effectively a graduate tax. It operates in all ways like a tax, except that in theory you have to repay it even if you go abroad. However that would require foreign courts etc. to enforce repayment and I am not sure that happens (or at least the UK government tends not go to court to enforce payment for people outside the UK), partly I think because if an overseas court rules that its really a graduate tax then the whole house of cards might collapse.

[@djlads]

I suppose technically, you don't have to tell them and it keeps building up, but as it's wiped at 50, who cares.

[@raheem201231]

It wipes out if you never made use of the educational platform you have. You should be making £60,000+ a year not still struggling in £20,000s. Most people who get it wipe out didn’t do anything with it in the first place.

[@djlads]

@@raheem201231 You can blame successive governments making people go to uni instead of focusing on technical skills that don't require uni and can still get you a well paid job. Even the Tories were starting to argue again about "Mickey Mouse" courses because they knew not many people are paying back the loans, which is the same arguments they had to introduce the loans! People doing "Mickey Mouse" courses which for them meant any social science or art. Though they cut art funding elsewhere. Instead it was only recently they introduced T-skills and even now they don't sell them properly as a great alternative that can lead to high paid jobs, without the debt.

[@traceyhill7784]

We noticed shopping for food was very much more expensive our last trip, hard for families out there

[@finlandtaipan4454]

I think nice beer is much more affordable in UK than US. Like Belhaven 80 shilling for example. It beats Shiner Bock.

[@robinhillyard6187]

Healthcare costs in the US are incredibly complicated and, for most working people, part of the cost is borne by their employer. But, overall, per capita, the UK spends about half as much as the US. You might argue that healthcare is of higher quality in the US, and some of it truly is. But, overall, people live several years longer in the UK.

[@ohsweetmystery]

Obesity morbidity and mortality is not fixed by healthcare. The unhealthy should absolutely bear their own health care costs.

[@faithlesshound5621]

Infant mortality and maternal mortality are higher in the US and life expectancy is lower. The US does worse on health indices than any Western European country.

[@robinhillyard6187]

@@ohsweetmysterysadly, you are echoing the OPINIONS of many Americans. I was trying to stick to facts. I’m not really interested in your opinion.

[@marksmith9566]

@@robinhillyard6187 Why not?

[@harrybarrow6222]

One point that is worth considering is that salaries in the USA are roughly double those in the UK. So, some of the higher US prices might not be quite so shocking. On the other hand, higher pay in the USA does mean that anything involving labour or service is more expensive.

[@hughtube5154]

Flights are cheaper in the UK too. I heard that in New Jersey they can charge you more car insurance based on your sex. Females are less likely to crash so can get it cheaper, apparently.

[@wingnut71]

It used to be that way here too until someone took them to court for sex discrimination.

[@lottie2525]

@@wingnut71 Yeah, remember Sheila's Wheels?

[@pspence9569]

You quoted prices for several universities in the USA and just one blanket cost for England. Went on about free museums. in England. Most are free in Scotland, like our universities. If it's just England against America, put that in the title.

[@judithrichardson3684]

There is a blanket maximum charge per annum for undergraduate courses. There is currently a lot of talk about raising this.

[@ademyers2741]

My car insurance is £200 - per year!!

[@raywoods2375]

Having lived in the US on two occasions for a couple of years, the charge for an ambulance was a shock. Glad I never had to request one. I assumed it was a free service like in the UK. So what happens if you can’t pay?

[@RobinPalmerTV]

I found in the US if you can avoid the heavily processed food it can be pretty cheap but the “SAD” tends to be full of all that. I bet if the US DMV had a similar system to the MOT over here, insurance prices would come down. It’s terrifying how many unfit vehicles are on the roads there! I have a few friends who went to NYU and came to London for a year or two. The NYU halls here were so luxurious compared to the halls British students were in, but the fees my friends paid were eye wateringly expensive, though I suspect pocket change for many students.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

yes, so many unfit vehicles, just another thing to be scared of in the US! American dorms are definitely AMAZING compared to the UK...but not worth the price, still, despite how fun they can be to live in!

[@RobinPalmerTV]

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial My friend lived in a UK dorm in London and the shared oven had the unique ability to burn one half of a frozen pizza whilst making sure the other half of the pizza remained frozen...

[@JenniD1990]

I wonder if comparing average income for like for like jobs would shine some light on the discrepancies in costs. I’d say graduate jobs in US earn a lot more than U.K. (where many graduate jobs start around £30,000/year). Would be interesting to see some job comparisons at a like-for-like level. (I’d expect minimum wage is better in U.K. but above that income is likely higher in USA - of course would be hard thing to compare since expected working hours would be higher in USA too. Work culture in USA is scary compared to U.K.) Another thing that is wildly difference is the cost of rent/mortgage payments. UK isn’t cheap but US is significantly more for a lot places.

[@ajg1kea1967]

I remember back in the mid 90's asking my girlfriends cousin what he earned as a Brooklyn cop, I'm sure it was about $70k whereas in the UK a PC was on just over £20k

[@FatNorthernBigot]

I love a bargain, so I'm moving to London. 😉😂

[@normanpearson8753]

Yes ,Belgravia , Kensington , Chelsea , dirt cheap ! But...very frw fish n chip shops , and NO mushy peas ! Game changer?

[@FatNorthernBigot]

@@normanpearson8753 Nothing moist? I'm staying in my expensive town up North. Those thrifty, bargain-hunting southerners can keep it!

[@iainsan]

The distances involved in the US for refrigerated food transportation must affect prices. In the UK, everywhere is within a couple of hundred miles of everywhere else, but in the US, everything is five times as far away. For the same reason, this must be a reason why so many preservatives are used in US foods, compared to those in Europe.

[@gchecosse]

Yeah but the US produces a massive food surplus while the UK needs food imports to survive, so it's still surprising.

[@Poliss95]

The UK imports 40% of its food and has customs tariffs added too. American cargo trains and trucks are much bigger so economies of scale should make prices lower.

[@barbarabarbarakozak1192]

I meant a year.

[@mehedisharif8632]

In UK car insurance cost very expensive. I pay more than 1000 pound a year.

[@normanpearson8753]

@@mehedisharif8632 How?

[@MikeRyan-vd1qw]

Tello in the US do an unlimited phone plan for $25/month

[@necronom]

£400-800 sounds madly expensive for car insurance. Maybe that's for younger drivers and larger cars. Mine is £156 for a Fiesta, and no road tax.

[@scottythedawg]

hang on to it.

[@andrewwaller5913]

So many variables with car insurance. There is no average.

[@laurelcosten1012]

I am in California with a 20 yr old Mercedes station wagon and pay about £800 per year. I am an older grown up driver….

[@ruthie_sos6600]

I’ve never heard of insurance that cheap. A new young driver can be looking at £3k, my grandad has just been renewed at £800 for the year

[@MalcolmRose-l3b]

@@laurelcosten1012 I remember working in Buena Park when I was a kid and having a chat about car insurance with the store manager (he was just about to renew), I asked him about his No Claims Bonus and he looked at me like I was from Mars....

[@BritishBeachcomber]

The cost of medication is low in the UK because the NHS negotiates a price for the whole country.

[@MikeBradleyUK]

If food is so much more expensive then why haven't portion sizes reduced. The restaurants serve mega sized portions.

[@monkeymanbob]

Economies of scale - the more you buy the cheaper it becomes and US food is rammed with salt, sugar and corn syrup making convenience food cheaper, but if you want a piece of steak that hasn't been pumped full of hormones you are going to be paying a lot more for a comparable size.

[@therealisation5500]

Both my girls have had a university education one at one of the best in the world and it didn't cost me anything Welcome to Scotland

[@michaellucas4873]

I travel to the US frequently, and almost EVERYTHING is cheaper in the UK than in the US!

[@catinthehat906]

It's true of Australia as well, when my mother visited from Sydney she couldn't believe how cheap the supermarkets were for most produce in the UK.

[@michaellucas4873]

@@catinthehat906 Absolutely right, Aussies have been ripped off at supermarkets for years and most of them now understand that. When I was last in Oz, a Kiwi there told me that prices in NZ were even worse if anything!

[@jrd33]

I just renewed my car insurance. £175 for the year, fully comprehensive. Don't hate me :-)

[@nheather]

Don’t forget that the average salary in the US (in dollars) is about double that of the UK (in pounds). So if you say that a British University charges £10,000 and a US one charges $20,000, that is about the same in terms of spending power.

[@Salfordian]

I'm paying £8 a month for 50GB data on my mobile tariff