"Moving to new york from london" is one of the relocation searches Google completes most often, and the results are mostly moving-company blogs. This is the version from the city side: what brits actually deal with in the first months, and how not to spend them alone.
The visa#
Most Brits arrive on an employer-sponsored visa (L-1 intracompany transfer, H-1B, or O-1 for people with a record in their field), as students or trainees (F-1, J-1), through a US spouse, or on the E-2 treaty investor visa if they are starting a business. Nothing on a blog replaces an immigration lawyer, and the ESTA visa waiver is for visits, not for moving.
The apartment, after the FARE Act#
Since June 11, 2025, a tenant cannot be charged a broker fee when the broker was hired by the landlord (the FARE Act), and the landlord must give you an itemised list of fees before signing. Two things that have not changed: the 40x rule (landlords want annual gross income of at least 40 times the monthly rent, or a guarantor earning about 80 times, or a paid guarantor service, which is what most newcomers without US income end up using), and the rule to see the apartment in person before paying anything. Rents are higher than London's and the stock is older; dishwashers and in-unit laundry are luxuries, and a "two-bed" can mean a converted one. Brokers show apartments on weekends and they go within a day.
Money and banking#
You arrive with no US credit history, which affects apartments, phone plans and cards: open a US bank account the first week, get a secured or starter credit card, and keep your UK accounts open. Salaries are higher and so are healthcare costs: understand your employer's plan and the deductible before you need it. Tipping is 18 to 22% at restaurants and expected for bartenders, taxis and deliveries; it is part of the price, not a bonus.
The culture shocks#
New Yorkers are direct, not rude, and small talk with strangers is normal in a way London is not. Service is fast and attentive because it is tipped. The grid makes navigation easy and the subway runs all night but with fewer lines than the Tube and no zones. Prices are quoted before sales tax. Dates are month first. Summers are hotter and more humid than anything in Britain, and winters are colder and brighter; a real coat and a real air conditioner are not optional.
Where Brits settle#
Brits cluster in the West Village, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, the Upper West Side and, for families, Park Slope and Hoboken; there are British pubs showing football at 7am on weekends in the East Village and Midtown, and a large expat network that is easy to find and easy to never leave.
The first month, not alone#
The first month is logistics; the second is when the loneliness arrives. Book two recurring rooms in the first month (a run club, a class, a league, a volunteering shift) so they are in place when you need them: how to make friends in NYC. And consider the shortcut: a Local Friend on Roavi, a New Yorker for an afternoon at a rate they set, who shows you where people like you actually go, which neighbourhood you should have picked, and how the city works. Roavi lists seven in New York; messaging is free. Moving to NYC alone has the 90-day order.
One afternoon with someone who lives here.
Meet local guides in New YorkConsidering the other coast: moving to Los Angeles from the UK.
The warmer option: moving to Miami from the UK.
Other US cities Brits move to: Houston, Miami, Los Angeles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What visa do I need to move to New York from London?
Most Brits arrive on an employer-sponsored visa (L-1 intracompany transfer, H-1B, or O-1 for people with a record in their field), as students or trainees (F-1, J-1), through a US spouse, or on the E-2 treaty investor visa if they are starting a business.Do I still pay a broker fee for an apartment in New York?
Not when the broker works for the landlord: since the FARE Act took effect on June 11, 2025, that fee is the landlord's. Expect the 40x income rule (annual income of 40 times the monthly rent) or a guarantor, and never pay for an apartment you have not seen in person.