Any lawyers here who have experience working in both the US and UK? Were the differences in salary and working conditions worth moving between the countries?

I'm a corporate M&A solicitor in the US, 1 PQE, hoping to move to the UK (ideally the Greater London area) for the better quality of life, social/political culture, raising a family, safety from guns, etc.

However, I'm dismayed reading some of the comments on here because they mirror everything American transactional lawyers hate about the profession and wanting to quit the law, from the long hours to the toxic workplace AND that is on top of an annual UK solicitor salary of ~£70k.

As for me, before I was made redundant my post-tax salary was £110k, and I was working over 65 hours/week on average (2k billable)—with no vacation for the first year. If I move to the UK, I will have to take and pass the SQE bar exam...which makes me question whether practicing law in the UK even makes sense for my lifestyle goals.