The US and UK are often thought to be culturally similar and despite speaking the same language (for the most part!) there are more differences between the two than you might expect. Tourists might spot some of these, but others you might not realize unless you move between the two.
8 Driving Vs Walking
One of the biggest differences between living in the US and the UK is the ability to walk places. There is so much more open space so much of the US was designed to be spread out and to be accessed by car. In the UK, everything is much more packed together so it is never far from a supermarket or store. The British roads are often smaller and busier too, meaning that often it can be quicker to walk a couple of miles than to drive.
7 Driving In The UK And US
It's not just the side of the road which makes driving different between the UK and US either, British roads are much more narrow than American roads. Some of the smaller country roads in the UK are technically two-way but don't have room for two cars to pass side by side, so one person has to stop in a pull-out or reverse back down the road to let the other pass!
Because much of the UK is connected by smaller roads, it can take a long time to get from A to B, whereas in the US, the interstates and highways connect almost everywhere, making it much quicker to drive a lot of miles.
The amount of roundabouts (turning circles) is also very different between the two countries, with the UK relying heavily on them. In the US, turning circles are rare, and where they do exist, they are usually one lane and are simple to navigate. In the UK, roundabouts are multi-lane and busy, and can often be intimidating for those not used to them!
6 Grocery Shopping
An unexpected difference between the US and the UK is the differences in food. Firstly, food in the UK comes in much smaller quantities than in the US. There won't be gallon cartons of milk in any British store. This is party because animal products like milk and meat don't last as long in the UK vs the US. In the UK preservatives and processing methods, like pasteurization for milk, are less common so everything expires much more quickly. As a result, Brits typically have many smaller trips to the grocery store than Americans.
5 The Language
Although technically Brits and Americans speak the same language, for those who move from one country to the other, there are more differences than you might expect!
Some of the more common differences are related to groceries, Americans say zucchini, scallions, eggplant, rutabaga, and arugula, whilst Brits say courgette, spring onions, aubergine, swede, and rocket. Other differences include elevator vs lift, sweater vs jumper, and trunk vs boot. Even the first floor means something different across the pond, and refers to the second floor in the US (the first is called the ground floor)
And even if the words sound the same, there are several differences in how words are spelled - Americans typically use 'z' while Brits use 's', for example, 'realize' vs 'realise'. Brits also use double letters in a lot of words, so 'travelled' rather than 'traveled'. Americans also drop the 'u' in a lot of words - 'color' vs 'colour' and typically reverse 'er', so 'center' vs 'centre'. Often words that look the same sound different too, like aluminium ('a-loo-min-um' vs 'a·luh·mi·nee·uhm').
4 Taxes
A major difference between the UK and US is taxes. For starters, Brits don't file their own taxes unless they are self-employed whereas regardless of employment status American file taxes every year.
Taxes on products are also different, in the UK when buying something in a store, the tax is already included in the price so what you see is what you pay which seems very different to the US where quick mental maths is needed to figure out the true price of anything.
3 Healthcare
Another huge difference is the healthcare system. Medical care in the UK is provided by the National Health Service (NHS) and is government-funded. So health care is completely free for all UK residents, and it is not unusual to go your entire life without paying a single medical bill.
The downside to this system is that medical care can be a lot slower in the UK than in the US, and sometimes patients will have to wait weeks or even months for procedures that might take days in the US.
2 Vacation And Sick Days
Many American jobs come with an allocation of vacation days and sick days, but this is very uncommon in the UK. Usually, there is no specific allocation of sick days in Britain, although workers will need to produce a note from a doctor for extended periods of sick time. If you're sick, you call in to explain and have the day (within reason).
The amount of vacation days also differs a lot between the US and UK. In the US, 10-15 vacation days a year (+10 federal holidays) is relatively common, whereas in the UK, 28 paid vacation days (+8 bank holidays) a year is much more standard. And Brits are much more likely to actually take their vacation days too, whereas 55% of Americans don't use the small number of vacation days they do get.
1 Paying And Tipping
For a Brit, paying for dinner in the US can be a surprising experience. In UK restaurants, the server typically brings the entire card machine to your table. The customer then inserts their card themselves to pay. Taking a customer's credit card away to swipe is not the norm at all, and can be alarming for first-time visitors to the US.
Tipping is also wildly different in the UK and US. For American wait staff, tipping makes up a huge portion of their wage so tipping anything from 15-20% is considered standard. Although tipping is always appreciated in the UK, it is by no means expected as wages for wait staff are much more reasonable. For those who do tip, there is no hard-and-fast rule about how much is a 'standard' tip, anything is appreciated!