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Cost of Living in London
Summary about cost of living in London:
- Four-person family monthly costs: 3,450.65$ (2,707.89£) without rent (using our estimator).
- A single person monthly costs: 960.34$ (753.63£) without rent.
- Cost of living index in London is 13.18% lower than in New York.
- Cost of living rank 44th out of 511 cities in the world.
- London has a cost of living index of 86.82.
| Restaurants | [ Edit ] | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 15.00 £ | |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 55.00 £ | |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 5.00 £ | |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 4.50 £ | |
| Imported Beer (11.2 oz small bottle) | 4.27 £ | |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 2.63 £ | |
| Coke/Pepsi (11.2 oz small bottle) | 1.22 £ | |
| Water (11.2 oz small bottle) | 0.98 £ | |
| Markets | [ Edit ] | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 3.41 £ | |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 0.90 £ | |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 0.61 £ | |
| Eggs (12) | 2.12 £ | |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 2.66 £ | |
| Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1 lb) | 2.94 £ | |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 3.79 £ | |
| Apples (1 lb) | 0.88 £ | |
| Banana (1 lb) | 0.46 £ | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 0.84 £ | |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 0.89 £ | |
| Potato (1 lb) | 0.57 £ | |
| Onion (1 lb) | 0.50 £ | |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 0.77 £ | |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 0.91 £ | |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 7.50 £ | |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 1.69 £ | |
| Imported Beer (11.2 oz small bottle) | 1.77 £ | |
| Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) | 9.50 £ | |
| Transportation | [ Edit ] | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 2.50 £ | |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 132.00 £ | |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.50 £ | |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 6.44 £ | |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 36.00 £ | |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 4.47 £ | |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 18,500.00 £ | |
| Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 18,864.96 £ | |
| Utilities (Monthly) | [ Edit ] | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 141.36 £ | |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 0.14 £ | |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 24.11 £ | |
| Sports And Leisure | [ Edit ] | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 46.25 £ | |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 12.11 £ | |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 12.00 £ | |
| Childcare | [ Edit ] | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 1,057.23 £ | |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 15,250.00 £ | |
| Clothing And Shoes | [ Edit ] | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 62.27 £ | |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 31.35 £ | |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 65.10 £ | |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 78.30 £ | |
| Rent Per Month | [ Edit ] | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 1,688.40 £ | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 1,174.83 £ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 3,096.92 £ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,972.61 £ | |
| Buy Apartment Price | [ Edit ] | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 1,306.99 £ | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 667.62 £ | |
| Salaries And Financing | [ Edit ] | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 2,198.99 £ | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly | 3.20 |
Prices in London
These data are based on 8793 entries in the past 12 months from 947 different contributors.
Last update: June 2017
Last update: June 2017
100 Comments so far
The city is very dirty, public services in UK are a joke, tube is a joke...the place is full of yobs, badly behabvioured youth etc.
Unless you come from a third world country, and are desperate, do not come.
If you have any skills, you will live far better even in poorer European countries, where rents are 20x lower, and you have some quality of life. You will save more money as well.
I've lived in London for years...never again. Unless you can earn at least 100k, forget life. Many spend 80% on just rent in tiny tin can, often in crime infested neighbourhoods.
Forget buying house etc. Just about any other place is better, choose any rich continental country...London is truly a dump.
Work hours are very long, pay is low, and worker security terrible. Do not come here and waste your life like some of us did. It's a disgusting city.
Learn another language and go to a proper country, with far higher purchaisng power. Or be stuck in poverty here where bathroom can cost 1m, and you can't get a decent broadband quite often.
am looking for job in London , IT Field . Anyone can help me to get work visa . and i will buy the cost
I would say that you won't get a proper living in London with less than 50K/year.
Will it be wise to move to London with Partner and 2 kids ? Will the salary be enough for a decent life with a car one 2 bedroom apartment ?
Food in supermarkets is in my view very cheap and generally good quality.
A loaf of bread (800 grams) costs only about £0.80
A 4 pint (over 2 liters) bottle of milk is only £1
A whole large chicken is less than £5 while beef is ~£10/kg
Food in restaurants and fast food places varies a lot which is true in any city in the world. Fast food outlets are about £5 for a meal with middle of the road restaurants (still nice) are £10-15/person
People complain about rents and they are high. A good size house in zone 2 of about 100sqm will be ~£2500 while similar in zone 4-5 might be ~£1600 however if you are young and want to reduce costs most young people share such a 4 bed house between four people which means it works out to 25% each.
Mobile phone contracts are cheap you can get a good deal with minutes data and calls for just £10/month.
The main point to consider is probably not the cost of London but your own potential and wages. The average wage in the whole of the UK for a full time male is ~£37,000 per year but it is a good deal higher in London. Probably ~£45,000 per year. Of course some industries in London offer a lot more than that. Its not uncommon to work in the city of London and be on a starting wage of £100,000
Income Tax rates are also quite good vs most EU countries. As a quick guide they are roughly. No tax on the first £11k of income. Then from £11k to £42k a tax rate of 20% and then 40% above £42k. So for example if you earn £22k a year your effective income tax rate is just 10%
Personally I would recommend London. Its a great city with opportunities not available in any other city in the UK. You can earn good money in the right industry or job. Likewise you can find a partner/wife/husband who earns well as most the well paying jobs in the UK are in London
Everybody from the villages of the other EU countries wanna go there because "is cool", a pop city where you can brag about living there, no matter that you're living in 2 sqm with 3 poles and 2 pakistanis and 50km far from Zone 1 and you survive on heating up Mocha Latte in a Starbucks while your friend made a career in your home country.
Is the sensationalism of the villager that move to the city, just an amplified version.
For me I would love to afford a lifestyle in England.. When I read reports it seems that London is really a playground for the very rich and super high end internationalists who have homes in places like Notting Hill, Belgravia, Mayfair, St John's Wood, Kensington etc..
Houses and transport are the key costs to everyone else.. food can be quite affordable if you prepare your own meals and avoid spending chunks of cash at cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs etc..
But my real dream would be to reside deep in England's leafy green countryside.. maybe West Sussex or similar..
Living and working (in zone 1) in London for 2 years now.
Single man, 40 years old, no pubs / disco friendly.
Graphic / Web designer, middle weight to senior experience.
No plans to live for long here.
With my profile, all in GBP currency.
~ 150 month travel card. Fuck yes, 40 year old noisy tube coaches.
~ 20 month cheapest gym.
~ 350 month food, take away mostly.
~ 25 month phone bill EE provider.
~ 100 month leisure, some cinema.
~ 100 month other (dry cleaners, grooming, utensils)
All ~ 750.
Living in shared house. Savings in mind. Salary should be:
~ 30,000 gross / year (1,950 net/month). Rent outside zone 1. 650 rent. You save 600 / month.
~ 40,000 gross / year (2,500 net/month). Rent outside zone 1. 650 rent. You save 1,000 / month.
Living solo. Savings in mind.
~ 40,000 gross / year (2,500 net/month). Rent outside zone 1. 1000 rent. You save 600 / month.
~ 50,000 gross / year (3,000 net/month). Rent outside zone 1. 1000 rent. You save 1,000 / month.
Living solo. No savings in mind.
~ 50,000 gross per year (3,050 net/month) to live in zone 1 border to 2. You save 200 / month.
~ 60,000 gross per year (3,500 net/month) to live in zone 1. You save 300 per month.
Living solo. Expending (as an employee, keep in that in mind), travelling, nights out.
~ 60,000 gross per year (3,500 net/month) to live in zone 1. You could save 200 per month.
~ 70,000 gross per year (4,000 net/month) to live in zone 1. You could save 700 per month.
So, as a mature person that knows how to manage the money, with my profile:
<35,000 is low for London, but you can do it.
40,000 is enough, but you live "just ok".
45,000 can be the starting sweet spot. No car. No luxury expenses. But you can live fine.
50,000 sweet spot. No car. Some luxury expenses. You live fine.
70,000 sweet spot. Car. Luxury expenses. You live nicely.
I would like to address few question below on regards costs of living in London and if it's worthwhile to come over and live in London. The simple answer is depends on your circumstances and what you are looking for but generally speaking if you are on this site (so I am assuming you are not a multimillionaire and have not received a crazy salary offer) the most likely answer is no, it s not worthwhile to come and settle in London but let me explain you why:
First and I am not saying anything new here , London is extremely expensive for everything from housing to transport and it's going to kill you off every time you decide to have a nice night out ( restaurants-pubs-clubs have insane prices compared to any other major cities in Europe - for my work I travel extensively around EU and whenever I am back in London which is my home I am literally shocked for few days). Obviously there are some cheaper alternatives but you need to be prepared to sacrifice yourself a lot, for instance living in a shared flat with other people and prepared to commute to your job for over 1 hour or more on each leg and trust me it is not going to be an easy ride every day as the trains are packed and tube is even worse ( I personally know many colleagues commuting for roughly 2 hours ). A decent 1 bed flat will costs you 1.5K included bills - council tax and utilities.
Second: you working hours regardless of what the contract is stating are going to be much longer and your employers are very demanding ( you are in london and you need to be a world class employee fully focused on your career and achieving result for your company. Again there are exceptions but this is true for the majority of my friends. Additionally and here there are no exceptions in UK social security is almost no existent which means that if you got fired/redundant you will be able to claim only 75 Pounds a week for 3 months ( essentially you are not able to pay even your foods with the money) but only in case you have worked at least 2 years ( your employer can fire/make redundant without any obligation within the first 2 years). If this is not enough your salary does not include any pension, what you get assuming you have worked at least 35 years is the statal pension of 125 pounds a week,a misery! ( in other EU countries your salary will accrue for a pension but in UK you have to make a private contribution with most employers matching your salary sacrifice).
So to answer few question about how much money and when it's worthwhile to come over here you go:
If you got a crazy offer which means 150K above then would make sense.
If you are young and looking to have some experience on your CV and do not care about sharing flat -commuting hours - pension -quality of living - weather etc.
If you are multi-millionaire and want to enjoy the London life ( if you belong to this category I think London is the best place where to spend few years or your life as you will have unlimited options to entertain yourself)
If you are desperate or coming from a very poor country and the only place where you received a job offer or can work is here.
I am afraid for the rest of the people who do not belong to the above categories I think there are much better options and I would advice to not make decision just based on a better salary offer because when you take everything into account, the money offered will look very little
I will have at my disposal around 75k GBP for everything, for the full year (rent, assurances, transportation,..all). .
I will come with my partner and a 6-month old baby.
Any idea if this kind of money will be reasonable ? Shall we be able to live in the city center, or else we should try and search somewhere outside ?
Why I hear you ask...?
Because then it will be great for inbound tourists from wealthy countries like
New Zealand, Canada, Australia, America to buy from your shops, go out to restaurants and cafes,
pay for taxi trips, rent stays at Hotels, B&B's, Air BnB's etc.., rent hire cars,
buy stuff in shops, go to the movies, theater, concerts, pubs, clubs etc....
Foreign currency into the UK will help with so many small and medium size businesses..
especially the small businesses that need it the most..
Today the value of Sterling Pound fell more than 10% to the extent of reaching 1 Sterling Pound for 1.3236 US dollar.
So consequently sold all of my Sterling Pound asset not leaving a cent with great loss today as the situation of the Sterling Pound is expected to be getting worse tomorrow onwards as well expecting the day of the value of the Sterling Pound being the same to the value of the US dollar or worse soon.
Learned a great lesson from the dishonest practice of the financial market of UK so would never touch the dishonest financial market of UK again. And would also advise business people I care about to withdraw all of their businesses altogether from UK to prevent from much more unrecoverable damage expecting to going to happen very soon in UK due to uncertainties of politic, division, no direction, no money. Yes, no more money I think the consequence of today's UK dishonesty has already stripped UK out of many trillions of the Sterling Pound which were being converted to the US dollar and transfered outside UK to the extent of UK becoming an empty shell with secret mounting debt with which UK would be crippled very soon consequently so the near future of UK might look not better than today's Greece.
The financial market of UK was long established on Trust and Honesty by many generations which were not easily earned, took many years to achieve the current status of the financial market of UK today. Not to forget the root of the financial market which is the very Pound Sterling currency.
Though the financial market is not the only bloodline of US unlike UK, US shall still do whatever it takes to protect the integrity of Dollar because US understand the contribution of Dollar in return. The Cameron's government has a lot to learn from US on how to protect the integrity of currency.
However, the Cameron's government has been victimizing and weakening the Pound Sterling thinking UK have been reaping a lot of advantages through beating of the Pound Sterling to the weakest point of value in UK history Not realizing the ability of the integrity of the Pound Sterling being able to help UK out of million of difficulties just as Dollar helped US many time before. As a result of this dishonesty, UK have been losing much more that gaining as never seen in UK history.
Not sure whether or not the Cameron's government realizes that UK have been losing her edge of the financial market as a whole to US as more and more people of the whole world are trashing the Pound Sterling and start buying US Dollar for reserve.
So it is time to act right immediately reviving and restoring the benchmark value of the Pound Sterling before it is too late of losing of the remaining hope of the trust of the whole world Or Else it is very hard to restore a healthy financial market of UK which currently inclines towards financial market collapsion with which might resulting the fate of UK no difference to Greece today which is absolutely not what the Cameron's government and UK citizen would like to see in the near future.
Londoner that was a very good post and knowledge you distributed about getting better deals and how to live more cheaply by being smart and active in finding where the better value is.
Please post more as it is very helpful and encouraging.
The cost range is getting wider as the difference between social classes since on one side are flocking to London millionaires from undeveloped countries that whoknowshowtheymadethosemoney and UK is more than happy to welcome them and let em launder the money in the british market; on the other side an army of economic migrants (mostly uneducated but even in some educated jobs like IT) coming from countries with some level of turmoil in wages like Pakistan and Poland, and they contribute to push down the salaries since they're fine with low wages, they come with no family and are ok living in 7 in one flat, sipping a cheap beer in the corner of the street and send what they can save back to the homecountry.
People have died whilst cycling in London but usually at busy this usually involves trucks and interesections. I dont feel unsafe but am vary aware of the traffic around me. You can try out cyclingbon the santander bikes available around the city. Theft can be an issue if you have to leave a bike outside overnight.
Buses are cheaper than the tube. Its a lot cheaper if you dont have to travel through zone 1 so try to live and work in the same side of London.
There are lots of genuinely free offers. For example, Waitrose supermarket give you a free hot drink each day, no purchase needed. Google 'free stuff london'. Get an 02 sim card (free online), install the 02 priority app and get free hot drinks, food and other items.
Get a card that gives you half price or 2for1 restaurant meals. Www.tastecard.co.uk or join the mailing list for special discounts at your favourite place.
Over the years I have managed to live near work and walk in 15-20 minutes to mayfair, soho, aldgate, fulham for £500pm for a room in a shared house including bills. Prices are going up but many landlords who have rented out properties for years havent increased prices if they have good tenants. The problem is there is huge competition for people wanting to rent cheap rooms. Try finding rooms on gumtree.com but make sure you know who you hand your deposit to. Scam artists often pretend to be the owner of a property when in fact its a airbnb etc flat they have rented for a few days.
Supermarkets mark down food around 7pm so you can pick up meat/veges for as little as 10p if you are lucky. Supermarkets are very competitive and have lots of specials so shop around. Organic food is more expensive so try ine of the many local markets.
Join quidco and get cashback for signing up to phone/electricity contacts that you need anyway. You can get £100 per contract depending on the offers at the time. Its also good for online shopping. I have received over £800 in cash back so far.
Check http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ for tips on how to save money. There are lots of UK websites that help you save money, compare supermarket prices etc.
The cost of living in London really depends on how much effort you want to put into saving money.
is not only about counting the pennies because is an expensive city.
If even your colleagues are expats, many of them are economic migrants (even the educated people in IT, I experienced this even in Dubai) that have no plans to stay to live in a city like London, but just to save as much as they can and then go back home and buy their house.
Just to give an example, most poles in London used to do this since 2003.
that was a really good post and makes a very worthwhile point that you can live very cheaply so long as you are flexible, tolerant and willing to co-dwell with others and share in the rent costs.
Housing is the huge expense in every major attractive city whether it's London, San Francisco, Beverley Hills, New York, Melbourne, Sydney.
So by swallowing your pride and being more adaptable by sharing your lodgings with others you can now take the pressure off and live a lot more cheaply and put some money away for a rainy day or a future in the sunshine...
Travel & Transport:
Firstly live without a car and that will save a ton of dough.
Public Transport .. From what I have read you can save a lot if you buy half yearly, full yearly or some other type ticket/pass. Use the internet to work out the best deals on saving money with public transport..
Bicycle, Moped, Walk..
Eat in and cook your own slop, if you eat out choose the cheap and cheerful curry huts and chinese takeaways..
Learn to be cheap.. find the coffee shops that offer the best deals.. always look for a bargain and a great deal.. Most important of all .. smile and enjoy life :)
However lately the rent prices are going mad. If one day I have a family I think I will really struggle, any decent 3 bed apartment in zone 2-3 starts from 2500 pounds a month, then add transportation, food and other expenses for the kids as somebody else mentioned, a good private school and maybe one car. You easily need 5000-6000 to sustain a family and provide a good education, the same standard of living you can easily achieve, let's said in Spain, with a third of income.
There is something really wrong when you are in the high street of a borough and decent houses starts from 1 million and the shops you found are cheap takeways, lidl, poundlands and the street is full of beggars. If you can afford a 1 million house, you would expect really nice and expensive shops. Another example is many of my colleagues in IT go for the cheapest option at lunch time, when you get 3K or 4K a month net and you are counting every penny, something must be really wrong.
And thank you numbeo for give us this informations.
i have a question !
I planning to go to London in september 2016, (some oportunities is waiting for me ),
but i need to finish my last year of university.
And i found a rent for 700 pcm.
maybe my sallary will be 1555 ~ 2500 per month.
it will be enought to live in London ?
Markets
Is organic food affordable for regular folks?
Transportation
Would it be practical to opt for a bike instead of using public transportation? I've once read it can be pretty unsafe.
Rent
I guess renting in the City Centre is out of the question but what if there's no alternative for me as a female on her own? I've got relatives in 3rd zone (Walthamstowe) whom I once visited and I know how unsafe those neighbourhoods can be. Plus, I've also read Zadie Smith's N-W and I highly doubt it's all fiction!
Sports
I could probably save from using the parks instead of the gym but again how safe is that going to be? The weather is another disadvantage, very unsuitable for outdoor activities.
Real Estate has become the vehicle where people lay their hopes on getting rich and so it's become
a speculative trading asset and the prices just keep going up while the deep pocketed new arrivals (and many not even arriving) buy up all the stock pushing up the prices sky high and the ordinary wage/salary earning people living locally are left renting space in bedsits and backrooms..
And if i go london to study how much money i will need ??
You'll always feel poor.
The real estate's price is crazy thanks to all the super rich people from third world country ( because they can speak english here, laundry their money & it's way easier to have a Visa than for the US)
My husband is a banker - we moved from Paris and with a six figure salary we can't buy a 3 bed flat in North London.
A 3 bed flat costs between 1 to 2 millions pounds in zone 2
It's 2x more expensive than Paris
The free school is generally really bad even in the the best neighborhoods - because there are council flats everywhere in London - you have to pay for a decent international/independent school,
It's 1500 pounds per month per kid.
In Paris, if you live in a good neighborhood, the free schools are great.
The medical system is a shame - it's impossible to see a specialist doctor - my kids never went to free doctor once here - because it's oversubscribed - if you are not in danger of dying or whatever they don't care - so we have to pay for private doctors
It's 100-200 pounds each time.
In Paris it's free.... and the quality of the medical system is great...
London is great, but if you have a family, it's not that good.
However, though the value of China currency has been falling but is still overvalued over 17% from 8(benchmark) to 5.9 against a US dollar.
It is best to always stick to the fair benchmark value to gain the utmost trust on currency value from all international holders
u can make it but living really like a student and with no whatsoever opportunity to both enjoy ur leisure time and save money.
Wherever u come from Igor think 2 times before making the move to a city like London that, despite the incredible cultural offer it has, it's every year more and more difficult to live a quality life.
If you're very young is a great choice mostly to grow up in a multicultural environment or to kickstart your career in a qualified job, otherwise I would check for a smaller and nicer city.
a full flat 40-60 sqm you cannot find nothing for less than 1200-1500 GBP till zone 2-3.
The biggest problem is indeed real estate, and the transportation is quite expensive (130 GBP month), for the rest prices are ok, but it depends a lot on your salary ...
all the experienced IT specialists I know in London they all bank at least 3000 GBP a month net, and that's enough to live well
In my driveway would be a late model Range Rover and my recreation activities would included playing Bridge on Friday nights with the local well healed town folk and Fox Hunting on horseback on Sunday mornings..
(even though I have no idea how to play Bridge let alone ride a horse... but it seems to be such a "country life" thing to do...)
I guess the biggest change has been house/property ownership and cost ..
Same thing is happening all over the world where very wealthy foreigners buy up property as a way of stock piling wealth in a safe asset .. or as someone said.. bullions in the sky...
One way to avoid this issue of un-affordable housing is to step back and move to the provenances or the countryside.. This is generally better suited to the self employed as jobs away from the big cities are less available.
if people from everywhere could stop to flock there maybe it eill become a better city
Too expensive, overcrowded, shit weather, shit houses + overpriced, racist people ( even the migrants) and the salaries for sure you don't take that easy 1900£ after tax a month you have to be a very good specialist with a lot of years of experience in a job and not any job.
In a few words in this place you can't have a normal life you can't enjoy life that much is everything about business.
In my opinion I would rather be happy with less in a smaller city out or in UK than still poor and in London cause believe is not that easy to make money in this overpriced city that doesn't offer anything special
All the best to all expats
Now London is all about the top one per cent who have ruined the London I used to know ..
They greed and the money has pushed normal working people out of London and into the outskirts of civilization and often into the treadmill of keeping their heads above water..
Give me 1966 again .. swinging London was fun, cheap and we were all in it together..
A great time for music, pirate radio, movies, TV and the High Street Experience...
Economy:
The UK economy and more targeted the LONDON economy is doing fine .. the rich are getting richer than ever before ..
There is billions and billions of pounds/dollars floating around London, mega super mansions,
million dollar fancy sports cars and lifestyle of fun and fantasy.
Then there are the servants that make London tick over .. it's almost like the days of Dickens..
Wages:
Same situation as in Aus as well .. higher weekend penalty rates which make it very difficult for small business, particularly small service and hospitality business (cafes, shops, restaurants)
when the rate is around $30 to $40 per hour on Sundays and public holidays.
Countries can't just loosen wages and awards because the unions all gang up and hold the government to ransom and you end up with no change ..
The only way around it is with higher inflation and devaluation of the local currency.
EMPLOYMENT:
We're in the age of "create your own job" and "be your own service provider"
because all the old manufacturing jobs are shifted offshore and more and more retail
has shifted to the internet.
This isn't just a UK thing, this is the same in Aus and US/CA and all over..
You can have a cheap and fun life in London if you know how to hack the system and compromise on a few things ..
Number 1 way to save a fortune:
First key to living cheaply is to share your accommodation - get some roommates in and split the rent & bills 3 or 4 ways ...
Second is to find all the cheap places where you can eat well for Indian curries and Chinese food ..
Learn to cook for you and your roommates
Find the best prices and tickets for using public transport - or if you can, get a bicycle and ride around London town for free..
THINGS TO AVOID:
1. nightclubs, pubs & fancy restaurants .. (it's the fastest way to make your money disappear)
2. expensive and demanding girl/boy friends
3. smoking (bad for your health and expensive)
4. lottery tickets (really they are a waste of money except for the 0.0000000001% who actually win)
5. owning a car (unless you need a car or van for your work) (the cost of running and maintaining a car is very expensive)
Please post your "how to hack London and live well on a shoestring" posts here for us to read..
London is now more of a rich person's playground.. multi million pound mansions, bomb proof secure apartments and million dollar sports cars...
there's no space anymore in London
I'm Lulzim Hasani from Kosovo, also student, I'm very interested for seasonal job at London like international student. Can somebody to tell me for job. Thank you very much.
Wow.. everyone here sounds rich..I earn roughly 32k a year before tax and that is more than sufficient. I live on the border on london and takes me only 45 minutes to get to the center my rent is roughly 500 per month.
I know people who earn 24k per year and live comfortably... what on earth do you guys spend your money on?!
anyone who earns 25k or more and cant survive in london is either:-
A. A idiot
B. Needs to ditch the gold digging girlfriend
C. Is a drug addict.
Dear Mike,
Would you be so kind to enlighten us as to where I could find myself a place to live, only 45 minutes from London, for only 500 GBP per month? I am currently paying GBP 1095 outside London, plus around GBP 400 in train fares... Not much left for a comfortable lifestile obviously..
I know people who earn 24k per year and live comfortably... what on earth do you guys spend your money on?!
anyone who earns 25k or more and cant survive in london is either:-
A. A idiot
B. Needs to ditch the gold digging girlfriend
C. Is a drug addict.
Please anyone can guide me that how much GBP will be need approximately for two weeks tourism in London.
Many thanks.
Add the rent + utilities + phone + food + whatever-you-personally-buy data = monthly cost for you in that city. Consider using the ranges to the right in lieu of the point estimates to the left & you will have a very good statistical range...
How can you people be clever enough to make it to this website & then so stupid as to not be able to USE the data you're staring at?!?
my question is... how much money do i require for my studies and for my living?
https://sketchlifeinlondon.wordpress.com/
I need your help to know that is it possible to have an average life in London for 2 person with $5000/month?
I am working in Software Development field & need your advise on my job offer 43K pound before tax at Heathrow airport. Is it enough for living descent life with family of 3 (me+wife+kid_4years)? I am the only bread earner of my family. Can you also help to guide on tax part as well? Detailed expense info will be really helpful.
Thanks & Regards,
Sam
and predictions are that it will drop even lower to around USD$0.70
Anyway, be glad you haven't got Russian rubbles !!!
Thought the failure of Scotland independence would strengthen the pound value, my mistake.
the problem seem to be due to the current incapable prime minister of Britain who seems to fail to guard the welfare of the British people as well as currency.
much cheaper..
London was the best in the 60s 70s 80s but now the super rich and largely foreign origin people
have made it so expensive for ordinary people to enjoy.
Even in Melbourne house prices have risen 800 - 900 per cent in the past 20 years I have been there.
Some places as much as 1200 per cent increases.
London is not only for the wealthy but it sure helps to have money if you want a proper place to live. Young people are paying in the order of 600 pounds per month for a room. Other cities like Manchester and Liverpool have a lot to offer, including decent universities, at a much lower cost. At if you look beyond the bigger cities, there are plenty of universities in the UK.
@Andy, "2. Do you require a car to live in London or is public transport sufficient? I ask this especially because in Mumbai u cannot survive without car - is it the same in London?"
Absolutely not. Public transport is faster in most cases. Driving in the city is really not an option.
Yes there are slums and crooks and shady types .. but that's also the case world over..
Is London expensive ... Yes it is because so many of the worlds elite and wealthy want to live there..
If you don't have your own house and you're only making basic money then you'll find life in London is tough..
But if you get lucky and make a packet .. then London can be amazing...
A gothic mansion in Hampstead Heath or Belgravia 8 - 20 million pounds
A fleet of exotic and expensive cars and four wheel drives 2-3 million pounds
A country estate in Sussex 10 - 50 million pounds
A rock and roll lifestyle of parties, travel and nonchalant idle enjoyment of life 5 - 10 million pounds a year
If this deed were implemented, UK would be targeted as the enemy of the whole world consumers because this would help the greedy airlines to extort money for the carry-on luggage from customers who would otherwise no need to spend a cent on the carry-on luggage.
UK must stop harming and burdening the consumers or else the consequence UK would reap would be unrepairable as travelers and entrepreneurs would stop visiting and doing business with UK.
Instead, UK should target uprooting the source of fund for terrorists at all cost that comes from oil by stopping nations from buying oil from countries that fund terrorists.
1. For miscellaneous illness like fever, cough-cold, minor cuts, digestion problems etc. - do you have to pay doctor fees and medicine expenses? Or they are covered by National Insurance. Does National Insurance only cover hospitalization expenses, doctor expenses, miscellaneous medical expenses as well?
2. Do you require a car to live in London or is public transport sufficient? I ask this especially because in Mumbai u cannot survive without car - is it the same in London?
3. What are the child care costs in London - I saw that it is about 800-1000 pounds monthly. Is it okay as per you?
I have got an offer from a Pune Based company for 2500 per month.
Do you think this amount is good enough to survive in London.
Now it's about money and status...
It's the city for the money people .. big fancy houses ... exotic million dollar sports cars and super expensive
lifestyles of the mega rich.
Plus London has a million new arrivals from parts of Europe, North Africa, the Indian sub continent and elsewhere who
have no wealth, no homes and no prospects and are either living on the streets and begging or robbing to survive
or living in clandestine dorm accommodation run by shady types doing casual cash jobs that barely get them by.
If you're cash poor then London is not the paradise for you ...
If you're a super rich from the Middle East, Russia, China, Malaysia, Singapore and you have truck loads of cash then London
is gonna be amazing and HUGE FUN !!!
Buy a house in the leafy tree lined streets (Mayfair, Chelsea, Belgravia district, Hampstead etc..), of London,
get yourself a couple of Range Rovers, an exotic sports car, a holiday house in Spain and on the west coast
of the UK and a large manor house / estate set discreetly away from prying eyes and tucked away
deep in the Sussex countryside..
Fifty to One Hundred Million Pounds will get you the lifestyle you're after... but hey, it will be living the dream....
Answer: £3,978.44 (according to thesalarycalculator.co.uk). Be prepared to shell out about £1,250 - £1,750 pcm on a one-bedroom flat, as long as you plan to live in Zone 2 as well.
Ivona: "Is it possible to survive/live in London if your salary is just £190 per week???"
Answer: It is probably possible to survive for some time, but it is not going to be easy: I can barely think of any accommodation that would be cheaper than £100 per week (and even this will probably buy you a bed in a shared room), plus factor in about £30 on transport (weekly travelcard for zones 1-2). Given that UK minimum wage is £6.50 per hour (and a cleaner in London probably makes around £8.50), £190 per week does not sound too generous.
Is this amount sufficient to live in London with my wife? We are not regular drinkers or pub visitors.
Will I be able to save any amount monthly?
How much is tax in London?
Approximately how much amount will I be getting in hand if yearly package is £40000
Any other precautions that I need to take to negotiate with company.
Thanks in advance guys... please do reply.
Thanks for your help.
Kinan
I have been offerted a position in Basildon and am now wondering if it is a good offer.
I have been aiming at living around the area of Dagenham. The offer is 30.000 GPB per year.
Is this realistic to live a "mid class" life?
How high are usually the admin fees when renting an appartment? I have calculated for utilities for a studio appartment around 120 GBP.Is this too low?
Thanks!
Cheers
Question: Hi, I'm a student with scholarship of £1250 per month. I was assigned to a non catered student hall at £208 per week, including bills and wifi. Will I have enough money to survive?
Answer: It may be a bit of a struggle, see if you can get some casual work in a restaurant or cafe to supplement your livelihood.
I would aim for an extra 400 pounds a month on top of your 1250.
Question: I'm currently in Perth, Australia and I have been offered a position in Reading. 95,000 GBP year with a 6,500 GBP annual car allowance with 10,000 GBP relocation package. I was wondering what people think of this and if its a decent wage to be earning for the area. I'd be looking at renting a 3 bedroom place, happy within a 10 mile radius of Reading.
Answer: Well Nath your's in a completely different scenario, basically you're on the gravy train and can afford to live a comfortable life on 95K is tons of cash plus you've got the car and the re-location allowance. You should be able to look forward to a charmed lifestyle.
I'm currently in Perth, Australia and I have been offered a position in Reading. 95,000 GBP year with a 6,500 GBP annual car allowance with 10,000 GBP relocation package. I was wondering what people think of this and if its a decent wage to be earning for the area. I'd be looking at renting a 3 bedroom place, happy within a 10 mile radius of Reading.
Any feed back would be great.
Thanks
London is amazing but it sure as hell ain't cheap/....