Well what do you wanna do?
What do you want to major in?

Public colleges for international students cost around that much as England's average, maybe even more tbh since international

Private colleges can cost up to 50k but ive seen plenty that go up to 60k (cough USC)

there is a non-weighted and weighted GPA system ... 4.0 nonweighted max
by A-level i'm guessing you mean honors? it will affect your weighted but not your nonweighted

it depends on ur grades and stuff but look towards the University of California campuses since theyre so thirsty for international students ($$$)

I'm from the UK as well and I want to go to an Ivy League but I can't afford it

apply first. they have a lot of scholarship donors

this is definitely something I was looking at and will probably consider more seriously, thank you!

would this be as expensive as going to a university?

Nah, cc is MUCH cheaper, you can get a lot of your prereqs out of the way at a much lower cost (if you have to pay for yourself) and then transfer to a uni and complete your degree. I think it does take away from the experience though, if that's what you're after.

I wouldn't suggest moving here to go to a community college, you'd have to find housing yourself and what not and more than likely a job.

probably Anthropology or Sociology, maybe Journalism. I haven't properly decided yet.

Do you want to be in a "college town" or a genuinely big city? And what do you consider "big?"

College town= 20,000-30,000 people, life there revolves around the university and it's schedule

I'm open to anything tbh, but I consider big cities places like NY & LA obviously. But I'd love to live in Boston or Chicago.

Hmmmm okay...

Schools in LA: University of California at Los Angeles, University of Southern California --> These might be reaches depending on your money/GPA situation

Other options are Loyola Marymount University, Whittier College, Occidental College

Schools in Chicago: DePaul University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University at Chicago

Depending on your money/GPA situation, Northwestern University might be an option

Schools in/near New York City: New York University, Barnard College, Fordham University (I don't recommend this though, the main campus isn't in Manhattan and probably won't offer the "city" experience you're looking for)

Schools in/near Boston: Boston University, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Boston College

I wish I could help you but I have no idea how the UK academic system works... some of these might be a reach for you and some might not be challenging enough.

thank you so much for your help! I'm going to check these out.