UK, Ireland / Mixed feelings after moving from Poland to England [36]

Hello all,

I'm originally from Eastern Europe. I moved with my wife to Poland 2 years ago, then moved to UK this year. The main reason why we decided to move was that we felt like outsiders. We worked in a foreign company. All the communication was in English and we did not manage to learn Polish. Learning Polish fluently and integrating into the society felt like an impossible task. We did find jobs quite easy in UK and the salaries and much higher than in Poland, but the quality of life did not improve. We did manage to save some money in these 3 months, but that's only due to the fact that we live in a very small shared flat.

Pros of living in UK (compared to Poland)

1. Everyone speaks English
2. Easy to find a job
3. Free healthcare

Cons of living in UK (compared to Poland)

1. Housing is expensive and the quality is crap
2. Public transport is expensive
3. Going out is expensive
4. There's garbage everywhere - on the streets, in the parks, near the houses, on bus stops
5. High crime rates
6. General feeling of insecurity when walking in the evenings
7. The green spaces are not integrated into the cities; there are block of flats or residential neighborhoods and there are parks with fences around
8. There's a general feeling of insecurity about this country's future

Did anyone have the same experience? Did you move back to Poland or did you stay in UK? Why?