US to UK nursing Salary

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Hi everyone,

I'm curious about living in the UK on a nurses salary. Is it worth going through the paperwork and visa process?

I saw someone say that the salary is NHS band 5 which is around £25,551 a year, which is $33,500 usd. This seems low. How does this compare with the cost of living in the states? Is it lower in the UK? Can a single person live on a nurses salary without being in a stressful financial situation?

Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

The UK has a well-known charity for nurses in financial distress called the Cavell Trust or some such. That is very telling to me.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Why does this keep coming up? Salary is what it is. All nurses are paid the same rate dependent on banding. Cost of living varies. Trying to do a direct comparison between UK and US salaries is pointless. As for the Cavell Trust, I had to Google it as I have never heard of it before. Seriously meanmaryjean, it tells you nothing.

For some reason nurses in the UK seem to manage to buy houses, buy cars, have holidays abroad and have a social life all on this "poor" wage that Americans think we get.

I am not saying it is a great wage and yes it definitely should be better but please America, stop, just stop.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
Why does this keep coming up? Salary is what it is. All nurses are paid the same rate dependent on banding. Cost of living varies. Trying to do a direct comparison between UK and US salaries is pointless. As for the Cavell Trust, I had to Google it as I have never heard of it before. Seriously meanmaryjean, it tells you nothing.

For some reason nurses in the UK seem to manage to buy houses, buy cars, have holidays abroad and have a social life all on this "poor" wage that Americans think we get.

I am not saying it is a great wage and yes it definitely should be better but please America, stop, just stop.

My apologies- I meant nothing other than noting that this charity exists. I learned about it via my Twitter feed- and it *seems* like a big deal there. Clearly, internet perception has colored my thinking and does not match reality.

I am about to get an education on all things UK as my daughter is marrying a young man from Isle of Wight in December.

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The reason it "keeps coming up" is because band 5 is $33,500 usd. My question is about the fact that where I live, I'd be around the poverty line at that salary. I'm asking what's different between here and there that makes that a living wage there. Hopefully someone else has some insight on the answers to this.

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Was in the UK last month.

Food seems cheaper than what we are used to in Western Canada. Clothing is more expensive but Britons and other Europeans don't hoard things the way North Americans do (and yes, I saw the media reports that the UK buys far more disposable fashion than anywhere else)

Property prices? Well where do you want to live? London and the southern UK is $$$, parts of Wales and Scotland, doable.

Gas/Petrol is more expensive but public transportation is better than what we have in my area (and yes I know rural services aren't great). People walk more than North Americans. My relatives walk to stores and don't drive. A tank of fuel probably lasts then two to three weeks.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Places to look for food prices. Morrison's, Asda, Tesco. Rent try rightmove.co.uk don't forget price what you see is what you pay, isn't added at till unlike USA and Canada. A lot of cost of living depends on you and your lifestyle

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
The reason it "keeps coming up" is because band 5 is $33,500 usd. My question is about the fact that where I live, I'd be around the poverty line at that salary. I'm asking what's different between here and there that makes that a living wage there. Hopefully someone else has some insight on the answers to this.

And I pointed out that UK nurses manage to buy houses, cars, holidays etc. and are able to have a social life. So not sure what you are taking umbrage at.

It makes no difference whether you earn $10/hour or $1000/hour in the US, it is what you earn in whatever country you are in that matters. Direct comparisons are useless.

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Specializes in Practice educator.

A single person working full time will EASILY survive, don't forget that 25k is much more with enhancements, you SHOULD be earning at least another third of that with weekend and nights, so 30-35k in the first few years and once you hit the top of your band you should be where I was which is a monthly wage AFTER tax of £2200+ which is $2800 a month.

If you work a 9-5 Mon-Fri job, yeah, you're screwed, I went from a Band 5 23 hours a week working on ICU to a Band 6 30 hours a week 9-5 and I LOST money, a lot of money.

My wife is a band 5 on SCBU working 22 hours a week and earns more than me at Band 6 on 30 >

(I am in no way suggesting that nurses can't struggle or that our pay is great, but realistically your average nurse should not struggle on the wages paid)

If you're really struggling, then just join an agency and work one day a month, you can earn £300+ in some places.

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