Career Boosts & Budget Blues: Expat Life in the UK in 2026

The UK gives expats a leg up on the career ladder, but an ailing healthcare system, high costs, and gray skies drag down their quality of life.

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026 Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

In Brief
An Ailing Healthcare System & Gray Skies
The Price of Life in the UK
A Boost for Careers, Despite a Weak Economy
A Familiar Language & Easy Admin
A Cooler Welcome
The Typical Expat in the UK
Further Reading

In Brief

The United Kingdom lands in 28th place out of 31 destinations in the 2026 Expat Insider survey, putting it among the bottom 5 worldwide.

Expats there struggle most with their Personal Finances (29th) and the Quality of Life (28th). Results for Working Abroad (22nd) and the Ease of Settling In (21st) are below average, too. The UK’s one relative bright spot is the Expat Essentials Index (16th), thanks to easy-to-navigate admin topics and a language that’s simple to pick up.

All things considered, 63% of expats in the UK are happy with their life abroad (vs. 70% globally).

An Ailing Healthcare System & Gray Skies

The UK’s 28th place in the Quality of Life Index is driven by poor results across nearly all its subcategories, with Healthcare (28th) standing out. Expats rank the quality of medical care dead last (31st): not even half (49%) rate it positively, compared to 71% globally. And the availability (28th) and affordability (24th) of healthcare don’t fare much better.

Getting around isn’t cheap either — the UK ranks 30th for the affordability of public transport, with less than half of expats (49%) viewing it positively (vs. 70% globally). At least the Leisure Options (19th) offer some consolation, including the culinary variety and dining options (18th).

Opinion

It offers good entertainment and social interactions. Also good transport links even though it can be expensive. (South African expat in London)

Opinion

The Safety & Security Subcategory (26th), however, is another sore point. Only three in five expats (60%) feel personally safe in the UK — a full 21 percentage points below the global average of 81%.

Then there’s the infamous British weather: just 29% rate the climate positively (vs. 58% globally). Expats seem to know what they’re getting into, though. A third (33%) name climate and weather among their biggest concerns before moving, more than twice the global average (15%).

The Price of Life in the UK

Money is the biggest pain point of all: the UK ranks 29th out of 31 in the Personal Finance Index.

Nearly three in five expats (58%) rate the general cost of living negatively (vs. 40% globally), with 18% going so far as to give it the worst possible rating (vs. 9%).

This also shows in expats’ budgets: two in five (40%) say their disposable household income is not enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 29% globally). Consequently, less than half (45%) are satisfied with their financial situation (vs. 55%).

Again, none of this comes as a surprise. A high cost of living is by far the most common concern for expats before moving to the UK (34% vs. 21% globally).

A Boost for Careers, Despite a Weak Economy

The UK’s 22nd place in the Working Abroad Index hides a stark contrast. On the one hand, the country ranks an excellent 8th place in the Career Prospects Subcategory: two-thirds of expats (67%) say that moving there has improved their prospects (vs. 55% globally), and they’re happy with their personal career opportunities (10th) and the local job market (13th).

On the other hand, Salary & Job Security (29th) is a real weakness. Only 38% view the state of the economy positively (vs. 59% globally), ranking the UK second to last for this factor (30th).

Work & Leisure (27th) disappoints as well: despite a slightly shorter full-time workweek (40.7 hours vs. 42.2 globally), expats rank the UK just 27th for work-life balance. The local business culture largely does support flexibility such as remote work and flexible hours, though (10th).

A Familiar Language & Easy Admin

The UK’s best result comes in the Expat Essentials Index (16th), and much of that starts with language. More than three-quarters of expats find the local language easy to learn (77% vs. 39% globally), a factor where the country ranks 2nd worldwide — no surprise, since the Expat Insider survey was conducted in English. But there’s also little getting around it: just 27% say it’s easy to live in the UK without speaking it (vs. 48% globally).

Admin and digital life are refreshingly painless, too. The UK places 12th for Admin Topics: about half the expats say dealing with local bureaucracy is easy (51% vs. 38% globally). Opening a local bank account (14th) and handling government services online (12th) are similarly straightforward, and close to nine in ten say it’s easy to pay without cash (89% vs. 86%). Opinions aren’t as favorable when it comes to the access to high-speed internet (25th) or the ease of getting a visa (23rd).

Housing is an even bigger problem, though. The UK sits in the bottom 10 for the affordability of accommodation (24th): close to two-thirds rate it negatively (64% vs. 49% globally).

Opinion

Prices are super high, especially for housing. (Romanian expat in Luton)

Opinion

A Cooler Welcome

The UK manages a middling 21st place in the Ease of Settling In Index. Only around half the expats describe the British as friendly in general (55% vs. 63% globally) and toward foreign residents in particular (52% vs. 61%).

That makes building a social life hard work. Just a third of expats say it’s easy to make local friends (33%), while close to half disagree (46% vs. 40% globally).

At least the culture itself doesn’t pose a big struggle. About 60% find it easy to get used to the local culture, right in line with the global average and good for 16th place. The shared language clearly helps — expats in the UK are also slightly more likely than most to say their friends are mainly local residents (21% vs. 17% globally).