When software engineer Zeb Mehring swapped New York City for London, he says it was not because he was trying to escape the United States.
Instead, he felt he had already reached what he described as the “climax” of the American lifestyle.
“Nowhere in the US really appealed to me aside from being in New York,” the 29-year-old told the Daily Mail.
“I’d always wanted to live abroad.”
Since relocating to London, Mehring says he has found qualities in Britain that he felt were harder to come by back home, including dependable public transport, simpler travel and fewer everyday hassles.
“Things just work a lot better,” he said.
“Things that are often a big deal in the US are just not a big deal at all.”
Mehring’s move reflects a wider trend of Americans increasingly considering life on the other side of the Atlantic.
Expats say Britain’s abundance of parks, such as London’s Primrose Hill, public transportation and walkable neighborhoods offers a lifestyle that is hard to find in many US cities
Americans are increasingly looking across the Atlantic, with North Americans accounting for a record share of overseas buyers searching for homes in Great Britain
North Americans accounted for a record 19 percent of all overseas-based applicants searching for homes in Great Britain during the first quarter of 2026, up from 15 percent a year earlier and more than double the share seen a decade ago, according to Hamptons’ International Applicant Index, which analyzes buyer registration data from the Connells Group.
The Hamptons research found that while overall international buyer demand fell ten percent year over year, demand from North Americans rose 13 percent, making Americans and Canadians the fastest-growing overseas buyer group in Britain.
Property experts say buyers are being drawn by everything from London’s relative affordability and historic architecture to Britain’s walkability, culture and quality of life.
‘While international buyer demand has eased overall, Americans are bucking that trend,’ Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, told Property Wire.
‘For many, London is starting to look like relatively good value again, and we’re increasingly seeing people buying with a view to living here, not just investing.’
The profile of overseas buyers is changing too.
First-time buyers accounted for a record 23 percent of international applicants during the first quarter of 2026, while investors made up just 12 percent, the index showed.
Among North Americans, 27 percent were first-time buyers, and only ten percent were looking for investment properties.
North Americans accounted for a record share of overseas buyers searching for homes in Great Britain, with London leading the way
Honey-colored stone cottages in the Cotswolds have become increasingly popular with American buyers drawn to the English countryside. Above, Castle Combe in Wiltshire
Jennifer Ulloa, 32, never planned to make Britain her permanent home.
The Arkansas native initially crossed the Atlantic as a 23-year-old to pursue a master’s degree after concluding it would be more affordable to study in the UK than in the US.
But what began as a temporary move almost a decade ago soon turned into something much more permanent.
‘I stayed because I wanted to get a job in the UK and get sponsored,’ Ulloa told the Daily Mail.
‘What happened was that I found a husband through it all. So it was definitely worth it. He is Scottish too, so bonus points.’
Ulloa said she first realized Britain felt like home while wandering through London’s Brick Lane during one of her early visits.
‘I was taken aback by the amount of accents I heard, the languages spoken and everyone outside the restaurants trying to get you to come in and eat,’ she said.
‘My parents are immigrants and I’m a first-generation American, so I felt more at home in a place where everyone is from a different place.’
Property experts said Americans are increasingly searching for homes in England’s historic towns, rather than prime central London. Above, Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire
Classic Georgian townhouses have become increasingly popular with American buyers
She said Britain’s diversity was unlike anything she experienced growing up in rural Arkansas.
Ulloa believes the biggest difference between life in the US and Britain has little to do with speaking the same language.
‘Americans optimize for making money, while Brits optimize for having a pint after work,’ she said.
‘They’re very different definitions of success.’
She believes healthcare plays a significant role in shaping those cultural differences.
‘You’d think because we speak the same language we’d be more culturally similar than different,’ she said.
‘But I personally think the two places are very different.’
Ulloa said she has embraced many parts of British culture.
‘I am a sucker for a good train network, the pub after work and the accents,’ she said.
‘I’m very stereotypically American girl in the UK.’
But there are still parts of home she misses.
Software engineer Zeb Mehring moved from New York City to London after deciding he wanted to build a life abroad
Arkansas native Jennifer Ulloa moved to the UK for a master’s degree but ended up building a life there, marrying a Scot and settling in Edinburgh
Ulloa said Britain taught her that success ‘can also mean having time to enjoy your life’ after leaving the US nearly a decade ago
‘I miss the speed of service in the States and I really miss Southern hospitality,’ she said.
‘People are much more inquisitive and chatty in the South. In the UK, being reserved is the default.’
But she also cautioned that social media often presents an overly romanticized picture of life across the Atlantic.
‘Everything looks picture perfect. It isn’t,’ she said.
While praising the NHS, Ulloa said it has ‘its limitations’ and pointed to high heating bills, crowded cities and the lack of air conditioning during Britain’s increasingly warm summers.
‘These are just a few realities I had to learn the hard way,’ she said.
Despite the trade-offs, Ulloa said she has no regrets about making the move.
‘It was 1,000 percent worth it,’ she said.
‘The US gave me ambition and taught me to dream big, while the UK taught me that success can also mean having time to enjoy your life.’
She and her Scottish husband now own a home in Edinburgh, where she hopes to retire one day.
London remains the biggest draw.
Joanna Cocking, head of Hamptons Private Office, said Americans are increasingly drawn to Britain’s history, architecture and lifestyle rather than simply investing in property
Typical budgets for American buyers can reach £5 million ($6.7 million) for country homes, according to Hamptons Private Office. Above, the Yorkshire Dales
Data compiled by Hamptons Research showed the capital was the only UK region to record an increase in overseas buyer registrations during the first quarter of 2026, with demand rising eight percent compared with a year earlier.
A quarter of all international inquiries focused on London, while the Hamptons report found that 28 percent of North American buyers were searching for homes in the capital, up from 24 percent last year and 17 percent five years ago.
But today’s Americans are not necessarily chasing multimillion-pound mansions in Mayfair.
According to the Hamptons research, just five percent of North American buyers were looking in prime central London, down from 13 percent at the market’s peak in 2013, as more buyers shift toward other London neighborhoods and regional markets where their money stretches further.
Joanna Cocking, head of Hamptons Private Office, told the Daily Mail that American buyers have become one of the firm’s strongest international client groups.
While the different political landscape may influence some, Cocking said the appeal extends well beyond this.
Instead, Americans are drawn by Britain’s architecture, history, legal system, schools and shared language.
And many are chasing the quintessential English dream: honey-colored stone cottages, Georgian homes and rolling Cotswolds countryside.
Typical budgets vary widely, Cocking said, with many Americans spending around £2 million ($2.7 million) on London apartments and as much as £5 million ($6.7 million) on country homes.
Property experts said today’s American buyers are often looking for homes they can put down roots in – not just investment properties
Many are purchasing second homes where they plan to spend several months each year, while others are making permanent moves.
For Mehring, however, the biggest difference has little to do with property.
He said London’s transportation network allows him to spend far less time sitting at home and much more time exploring.
‘It’s very easy to get literally everywhere,’ he said.
He has also been impressed by Britain’s healthcare system and public services.
‘The doctor’s office works much, much better,’ he said.
‘People are able to easily handle whether it’s doing their taxes… Things just work.’
Not everything has been perfect.
Mehring said Britons are generally more reserved than Americans, making it harder to build friendships than it was in New York.
‘Socially people are much colder,’ he said.
‘It’s very much an attitude of, “You do you, I do me.”‘
Still, he has no regrets. ‘I love my life and my lifestyle now.’
Ulloa, who has now spent nearly a decade in Britain, said that living in both countries has taught her not to romanticize either.
‘Something I like to live by is reminding myself that most things are “middle of the road,”‘ she said.
‘Things are never going to be as awful or scary as you fear and they aren’t going to be as romanticized or dreamy as you hope. Reality is somewhere in the middle.’
‘As long as you’re comfortable knowing that, then I think living in the UK can be incredibly rewarding.’
