First of all, my list refers to Edinburgh, since I did not live in other cities.
View of Edinburgh from Calton Hill
My list of advantages of living in Scotland
- Compactness. Edinburgh is relatively small, so you can walk almost everywhere.
- Transport. If the location is not within walking distance, then with a high probability it can be reached very quickly by direct bus.
- Nature. Scotland is often recognized as the most beautiful country in the world. There is a very healthy combination of mountain and sea.
- Air. It is very clean, and after Scotland in big cities you begin to feel how polluted it is.
- Water. After the Scottish drinking water, which just flows from the tap, almost everywhere in other places the water seems tasteless. By the way, Scottish water is sold in bottles throughout Britain, and usually it is in stores in the most prominent place among all water bottles.
- Availability of housing. Prices for apartments in Edinburgh are about the same as in Moscow, but salaries are on average twice as high, and the percentage on the mortgage is very small (about 2%). As a result, a person of the same qualifications can afford much more comfortable housing compared to a Moscow colleague.
- Architecture. Edinburgh was not injured during the war, and it has a perfectly preserved medieval center. As for me, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
- Low social inequality. Even the minimum wage (~ 8.5 pounds per hour, about 1,462 per month) here allows you to generally live with dignity. For low salaries in Scotland, low taxes + for those who really need help with a variety of benefits. As a result, there are not many poor at all.
- There is virtually no corruption, at least at the grassroots level.
- Security. It's relatively calm here, they almost never steal and rarely try to deceive.
- Road safety. Mortality on roads in the UK is 6 times lower than in Russia.
- Climate. The Scottish climate is often not liked, but as for me, it is very comfortable. It has very mild winters (in winter around +5 - +7) and not hot summers (around +20). In general, I need only one set of clothes. After St. Petersburg and Moscow, the winters are very pleasant.
- Medicine. She is free. So far, the interaction with local medicine is extremely positive, a very high level. True, they say that if you need an urgent appointment with a rare specialist, you need to wait a long time.
- Low-costers. Most European low-cost airlines fly to Scotland, so you can fly around Europe for a penny.
- English language. Despite the emphasis, it’s great that most people can immediately understand in most situations.
- A large number of places for cultural activities. Despite the fact that Edinburgh is relatively small, there are many different museums, theaters, galleries, etc. And every August, Edinburgh generally hosts Fringe, the world's largest art festival.
- The quality of education. Higher education in Scotland is very expensive, more on this below. But Edinburgh University is consistently among the top 30 in the world, and, for example, in linguistics, it is generally in the top five.
- The opportunity to obtain citizenship. With a regular work visa, you can get permanent residence in five years and another year in a citizenship. Britain allows two citizenships, so you can keep your country's passport. A British passport is one of the strongest in the world, and in most countries of the world you can travel without a visa.
- Fitness for people with limited mobility. Now that we have begun to move around with the stroller, this is especially felt.
Dean Village, Edinburgh
Cons of life in Scotland
Despite the fact that I like living in Scotland, life here is not without drawbacks. Here is my list:
- There are no direct flights to Russia.
- Taxes are higher than in most countries of the world, and even higher than in England. I give a very substantial part of my salary in the form of taxes. I must say that the tax is very dependent on salaries and for people who earn below average, taxes are very small on the contrary.
- Expensive higher education for foreigners. Despite the fact that education is free for locals, visitors must pay for it, and it’s very expensive, tens of thousands of pounds a year. This may be important for those who are moving with a partner who wants to study here.
- Lower salaries for programmers compared to London, not to mention Silicon Valley.
- Less career opportunities compared to major cities.
- Not Schengen, you need a visa to travel to European countries.
- And vice versa: a separate visa is needed for the Russians, which reduces the number of friends who get here.
- Trash. Compared to other countries in Northern Europe, the order is not so perfect, although not dirty. Mostly local gulls are to blame for the garbage.
- Scottish accent. It’s hard to understand it from a habit, although after a while you get used to it.
The advantages of living in Moscow and Petersburg that I did not notice while living there
Before moving to Scotland, I have lived all my life in Russia, of which 12 years in Moscow and 1.5 in St. Petersburg. Here is a list of things that, it seems to me, are the clear pluses of Moscow and St. Petersburg compared to Britain. In general, this applies for the most part to any Western European country.
- The opportunity to see friends. My closest friends have remained since school and university. Despite the fact that many left Russia, the majority still live in Moscow and St. Petersburg. When you move, the opportunity to see them often is lost, and it is very difficult to make new friends in a foreign country.
- A huge number of professional events. In Moscow, some conferences, meetings, informal parties are constantly held. Not every city in the world has a professional community of the same size as in Moscow.
- Cultural adaptation. In your country, you know exactly what is decent and what is not, on what topics you can talk with a stranger and what you can't. When moving, this adaptation does not, and especially at first, it causes a certain level of anxiety and discomfort: as if not to say something superfluous.
- Concerts of famous music groups. Moscow and Peter are big cities, and famous musicians constantly come there.
- Cheap and high-quality internet. Before moving I used unlimited internet from Yota for 500 rubles (6 pounds). My British mobile operator has the cheapest rates starting at 10 pounds per month. For this they give 4GB of Internet. At the same time, at such a tariff there is an obligation for 2 years, that is, it cannot be changed, even if prices become cheaper in 2 years. The same goes for regular home internet.
- Banking applications. Most of the mobile banking applications in Britain are “hello from zero.” They do not even have elementary notifications of operations, and transactions appear in the list after 3 days. Recently, new startup banks, such as revolut and monzo, have begun to appear in which this is fixed. By the way, revolut was founded by a Russian, and, as I understand it, the application is being sawn in Russia.
- Personal - baths. I love going to the bathhouse. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, there is a huge selection for any budget and class. Here, basically, it is either a small crowded sauna by the pool, or a huge SPA-complex at some hotel for a lot of money. There is no option to just go to the bathhouse for little money.
- Food. After a while, you begin to miss the traditional food that you can eat constantly in Russia: borsch, olivier, dumplings, etc. Recently I traveled to Bulgaria, went there to a Russian restaurant and received great pleasure from it.
The Shore District, Edinburgh
In general, taking into account all the pros and cons, Edinburgh is a very comfortable and safe city, providing a high quality of life, although not without certain disadvantages.
Thank you for reading the article, I am glad to answer questions in the comments.