A friend moved to Houston 18 months ago with his Mrs & 2 little ones. They went from a 3 bed semi in Surrey to a 5 bed detached with a swimming pool and he's swapped his 50 min train ride into the city for a pleasant 20 minute drive in his Jag!!

He earns a big wage but works like a donkey, but overall they've all settled in and I can't see them coming back!

Another friends parents moved to somewhere in the mid west (not sure where), when my mate was 16. He and his brother refused to go, but they went anyway with another brother and sister. 17 years on, they were struggling financially and with failing health decided to return to Auntie Blighty. They now live in a council house on benefits!

His brother and sister stayed. The brother is in the police and the sister is 20 stone!!

My mate has no regrets about staying here.
I was chatting to an American chap a while back who had had a motorbike accident and smashed his knee. His insurance covered the operation and all was OK except that afterwards none of the insurance company's would cover his knee. About 5 years on the knee started to give him trouble and it turned out that he needed another operation. He had to remortgage his house to pay for it.

I've never been to the US but I bet it's a fantastic place in parts and provided you can make decent money it'd be great

Otherwise you're screwed!!!