I've just started out on my PPL and I'm intending to go to the US to do most of it - on the costs front:
As you say:
JAA PPL 45 hour course = £3000
10 Hours extra lesson's on top of the 45 = £500
Air fare = £300
Accomadation = £400
Food/Drink = £300
Visa's = £100
3 - 4 hour Check test at local club = £400
That's a grand total of £5000!!
But in the UK - certainly at Aberdeen where I'm based it would be:
45 Hour Course = £6075
Don't forget landing fees, none in the US, £16 a pop at Aberdeen
10 Hours extra lessons on top of the 45 = £1350
Food/Drink = £300 (still have to drink and eat!)
That's a grand total of £7725!!
So US £5000
and UK £7725
The other major benefit for doing it in the US (to my mind) is the time factor. I know for a fact that if I try and do it over the course of a year, I'd have trouble arranging more than 1 hour every 2 weeks because of my working schedule. Couple that with the crap weather up in Scotland for a large part of the year, and it becomes a no-brainer.
Luckily, I've got the time off work and I'm trying to tie it into a visit to a stateside office which would save me another £400 in flights.
I plan to do another 5-6 hours instruction once I'm back in the UK to get up to speed on the slightly different procs - the key thing for me is that I'll be able to dedicate a whole month to it, and can afford to hour build for an additional week when Im out there for around £45 per hour, which is a third of the price of the UK.