Abstract Although privacy needs may be universal, the exact mechanisms used to regulate privacy can vary considerably from culture to culture. Consequently, when individuals relocate across cultures, privacy regulation with new neighbours may involve an incongruity between previously-learned privacy mechanisms and those prescribed by the new culture of residence. These disruptions in ability to regulate privacy can be particularly problematic given that effective regulation may relate to place attachment and a sense of well-being. Survey responses made by Asian and American students in the U.S.A. support this hypothesis. Compared to U.S.A. students, Asians had more difficulty establishing contacts with their new neighbours. However, as interaction with family within the home is an 'intra-cultural' phenomenon, these students did not have difficulty regulating privacy with family. The possible universal importance of privacy regulation was supported for both U.S.A. and Asian students in that effective regulation was related to place attachment and this attachment was related to a subjective sense of well-being.