I Moved From the UK to Los Angeles: Biggest Surprises, Differences

• I’ve lived in cities around the world, but moving from the UK to LA has been a big adjustment.
• Because transportation in LA can be difficult, I’ve struggled to maintain substantial friendships.
• However, I’ve also encountered some pleasant surprises, like LA’s experimental theater scene.

Growing up in the UK, I never imagined I’d one day call Los Angeles home. However, in 2023, I traded the sheep in Wales and the Tube in London for the palm trees of Southern California.

When I first visited LA in 2020, I fell in love with a local who eventually became my partner. A few years later, our marriage brought me across the pond, and I was ready to start my new life in the City of Angels.

Although I’d traveled and lived abroad in places like South Korea and China, adjusting to life in the US has been the biggest culture shock I’ve experienced.

Here are a few things that have surprised me most since moving from the UK to LA.

I’ve observed a different attitude toward friendship in LA

In my experience, it’s not as easy to form a substantial friendship with someone in LA as it was in the UK. I’ve found that one of the first things people ask me in LA is what part of the city I live in — and my answer often dictates whether we will become friends.

Depending on traffic, driving from the west side to the east side of LA can often take over an hour, so meeting a friend or a new acquaintance on a different side of town requires effort and planning.

Back in London, for example, it always felt easy, and often quick, to hop on a train to a different part of the city — or even a different town altogether.

With good public transport, living far from friends in the UK rarely prevented my friendships from forming or flourishing.

LA’s scrappier theater scene has changed my perspective on performance art

Coming from the UK’s rich theater culture, I was curious to see how the scene in LA would compare, especially given the city is typically known for its film studios.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a vibrant and diverse theatrical landscape, though it has a few major differences from what I had known in the UK.

For example, London’s West End is known for its polished productions of classic plays and big-budget musicals, but LA offers an eclectic mix of intimate venues and experimental spaces, emphasizing new works and avant-garde productions.

Clown comedy (a type of performance art with actors dressed like clowns) and magic shows are huge in LA, and people constantly put on performances with next to no budget.

Unlike London’s often well-funded theater ecosystem, LA’s scene thrives on scrappy creativity and an experimental spirit, shifting my view of what performances can achieve.

I was stunned by LA’s Mexican food scene

People in LA always seem to talk about clean eating and green juices. However, what quickly stood out to me was how prevalent Mexican flavors and food are in this city.

In my experience, Mexican-inspired food in the UK was most often limited to soggy nachos at the pub or overpriced but very average tacos.

However, in LA, Mexican food is super easy to come by. And it perhaps shouldn’t have been surprising, given that a 2024 Pew Research analysis found LA County to have the highest concentration of Mexican restaurants in all of the US.

I’ve found myself trying endless new dishes, like tamales, mole, and chilaquiles, which I’m now not sure I could go without. Before moving here, I hadn’t even tried a burrito.

People in LA are constantly hustling or self-promoting — traits that were often looked down upon back in the UK

Perhaps the most striking cultural difference I’ve noticed between LA and pretty much anywhere I’ve been in the UK is the relentless ambition.

Based on what I’ve seen, the profession you say you’re working toward can hold more weight than what you’re currently doing full-time.

I’ve met people who confidently say they’re writers, directors, and actors, but that often means that it’s what they do in their spare time. People constantly seem to be hustling, networking, or working on their next big project.

Although I find it inspiring, as someone from the UK, the constant drive to achieve and succeed can also feel exhausting.

Back in the UK, constant networking and self-promotion were often seen as trying too hard. I’ve had to learn to find a balance between the two extremes.