Living in London?

[LongLensPhotography]

What would be a realistic minimum wage to make ends meet comfortably in London (working centrally)? I am looking for some jobs and have to consider the option of moving. I would be living alone for a start... I know rents are way more expensive, but perhaps there are places with good connections that are more affordable?

I know there are cheaper cities like Birmingham but you also get paid less, unless it works out much better in the end. Bristol is rapidly becoming a no go zone thanks to the mayor, unless I move to the dreaded city centre (or walk 1hr every day in the rain)

 

[Yv]

That is probably about the most open ended question I have ever seen posted on TP to be honest - I would almost go as far as to say unanswerable.

For a start, it would depend on where you plan to live - anywhere inside the M25 will more expensive than most of Bristol [though I imagine some cross over between outer london/inner bristol], however the difference in housing costs between say, for example, somewhere at near the end of tube line in outer london, even a nice area can be very significantly lower than somewhere very central or for example, Canary Wharf [I have no idea what kind of work you would be looking for so just picking a popular business district that also has residential] - this will apply to everything from rent/house prices to council tax.
You then need to factor in other things like the costs of [and knowing you, this is just an example that springs immediately to mind] - car repair costs are more expensive, as overheads for any business cost more.... so you have to add that factor to many things - from window cleaners to buying groceries at the local 27/7 mini market.

I would suggest looking at the jobs, see what they are paying, they start looking at what that would leave able to afford in terms of a roof over your head, then look at properties. Plenty of people round here can offer advice on what different areas are like socially, transport, conveniences, etc, but I honestly think you are looking/asking this from the wrong end of the equation.

Oh, and if you think any city, including London, will be somehow better than bristol....then you might be disappointed - different maybe, all cities are, but they all also have problems, whether financial, social, political or usually a mix of all three.

Edit: to add... one final thing btw, define 'comfortable' - that can vary person to person, one personans 'comfortable' is another persons rich, is another persons 'skint'

 

[Willid1]

Living in Central London is VERY EXPENSIVE full stop, especially so if you are not sharing.

Living a bit further out can help but then you have to figure in commuting both in terms of cost and time.

As Yv said above, start looking at properties first then decide what you will need as a salary.

Best option would be a relative or friend you could crash with for a few months until you get settled into a new job then you could start looking for places to live.

Good luck

David

 

[archangel]

I lived in London and I needed a minimum wage of 32k......but then again I lived in Kensington but I did share the basement apartment.....also lived in Shoreditch, my own space......needed the same minimum 32k....... my daughter lived in harrow and her shared accommodation(thankfully she has moved on and has a nice house) 400 per month and it was a total sh#t hole....needed condemned......

I now live an hour west of London in Berkshire...... rent here starts at around 800 pcm for an apartment and 1500 for a house and the local train station gets me into London in approx 1 hour

 

[boyfalldown]

Why do you feel Bristol is becoming a no go zone?

 

[Spuff]

Why do you feel Bristol is becoming a no go zone?

There was a documentary on the other night partly about how the new Mayor is going to war on cars and parking in Bristol - maybe this is something to do with it? (unless of course the documentary was a repeat from 5 years ago in which case ignore me!)

 

[LongLensPhotography]

I lived in London and I needed a minimum wage of 32k......but then again I lived in Kensington but I did share the basement apartment.....also lived in Shoreditch, my own space......needed the same minimum 32k....... my daughter lived in harrow and her shared accommodation(thankfully she has moved on and has a nice house) 400 per month and it was a total sh#t hole....needed condemned......

I now live an hour west of London in Berkshire...... rent here starts at around 800 pcm for an apartment and 1500 for a house and the local train station gets me into London in approx 1 hour

May be worth looking into it. I take it that around £30k before tax is pretty much the bare minimum to get by. I don't think I can suffer * holes any longer. It's a shame the big firms do not have their offices in the suburbs

Why do you feel Bristol is becoming a no go zone?

Very soon you will only be able to drive past Bristol at 20mph. They might even let you stop to eat a sandwich for a few minutes. They want everybody to use buses and trains that only exist on some white papers. So this means living in the centre, long distance walking or cycling in the rain... In London you at least have a public transit system that kind of works

 

[boyfalldown]

May be worth looking into it. I take it that around £30k before tax is pretty much the bare minimum to get by. I don't think I can suffer * holes any longer. It's a shame the big firms do not have their offices in the suburbs

It depends very much who you work for, or who you want to work for? Many firms have major offices in the suburbs

Very soon you will only be able to drive past Bristol at 20mph. They might even let you stop to eat a sandwich for a few minutes. They want everybody to use buses and trains that only exist on some white papers. So this means living in the centre, long distance walking or cycling in the rain... In London you at least have a public transit system that kind of works

it does work pretty well. But I would be careful you're not just thinking 'the grass is greener'

 

[gramps]

The mayor is certainly trying to tighten up on parking in Bristol, many 'central' areas are plagued by 'all-day parking' of workers, making it impossible for residents to park - his plans seem to be appreciated by the residents. However for years the 'city fathers' have been trying to force the car off of the streets of Bristol by making it more and more difficult to move through the city, with the end result that it has become one of the most air polluted cities in the UK.
Interestingly, today many central areas came under a blanket speed limit of 20 mph - but unenforceable!
TBH I can't see London being a lot better

 

[LongLensPhotography]

The mayor is certainly trying to tighten up on parking in Bristol, many 'central' areas are plagued by 'all-day parking' of workers, making it impossible for residents to park - his plans seem to be appreciated by the residents. However for years the 'city fathers' have been trying to force the car off of the streets of Bristol by making it more and more difficult to move through the city, with the end result that it has become one of the most air polluted cities in the UK.
Interestingly, today many central areas came under a blanket speed limit of 20 mph - but unenforceable!
TBH I can't see London being a lot better

Couple days ago I read that they will bring in the police camera vans onto the streets specifically to deal with the "issue".

The mayor has certainly started his reforms from the very wrong end. He should have done something about public transport and some free/v. cheap major cars parks around the central area. They also need a decent city by pass road on the west side between Bath and M5 since all this traffic is clogging up the streets (Bristol to Bath driving is 1hr / 30mi). He expects everyone everyone to fly on a magic carpet in to work or what? They can't accommodate everyone centrally and they can't make everyone walk or pay £35/day for parking.

 

[menthel]

If you live in the suburbs and commute in you would be comfy on £30k. The beauty of London is that if you work centrally you can live pretty much anywhere within the M25 and commute in quickly. The only problem is that the public transport system is heaving and commuting on it is not nice. This is one of the reasons I now cycle. That and the £1800 my travel card would cost!

 

[Yv]

May be worth looking into it. I take it that around £30k before tax is pretty much the bare minimum to get by. I don't think I can suffer * holes any longer. It's a shame the big firms do not have their offices in the suburbs

Very soon you will only be able to drive past Bristol at 20mph. They might even let you stop to eat a sandwich for a few minutes. They want everybody to use buses and trains that only exist on some white papers. So this means living in the centre, long distance walking or cycling in the rain... In London you at least have a public transit system that kind of works

Sorry, forgive me, you think London will be better? London TAUGHT your mayor how to do this!!! This is the city where the only road users that get ANY kind of privileges are cyclists [and there are hundreds of them, including the dreaded Boris bikes], where the car is the anti-christ and anything bigger Satan himself, where centrally you can not stop anywhere, so much so that many many small business have gone out of business and then when that wasn't enough, they introduced congestion charging to really finish them off. Where even in the suburbs, live within an avergae 1/2 a mile of a high street, or even just a row of shops, and you have to buy an annual parking permit from your local council just to be allowed to park outside your own home. Where if you do want to pay the CC during the week, or even just take your car into the city on a weekend, you will pay exhorbitant fees to park up and god forbid you park slightly incorrectly, because the swarms of traffic wardens will be on you. Yes, the public transport system is good, but it isn't perfect, its expensive and very, very busy so you would need to shop around carefully before deciding where to hang your hat.... and expect car ownership to be both expensive and at times incredibly frustrating!!

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Sorry, forgive me, you think London will be better? London TAUGHT your mayor how to do this!!! This is the city where the only road users that get ANY kind of privileges are cyclists [and there are hundreds of them, including the dreaded Boris bikes], where the car is the anti-christ and anything bigger Satan himself, where centrally you can not stop anywhere, so much so that many many small business have gone out of business and then when that wasn't enough, they introduced congestion charging to really finish them off. Where even in the suburbs, live within an avergae 1/2 a mile of a high street, or even just a row of shops, and you have to buy an annual parking permit from your local council just to be allowed to park outside your own home. Where if you do want to pay the CC during the week, or even just take your car into the city on a weekend, you will pay exhorbitant fees to park up and god forbid you park slightly incorrectly, because the swarms of traffic wardens will be on you. Yes, the public transport system is good, but it isn't perfect, its expensive and very, very busy so you would need to shop around carefully before deciding where to hang your hat.... and expect car ownership to be both expensive and at times incredibly frustrating!!

That's fair enough, but like you say there IS at least a working public transport system across London and unlike in Bristol. It looks like I will have to do a bit of investigation what it is actually like. Cost-wise it makes even Geneva look dirt cheap.

The main thing is that there are far more jobs in London than anywhere else. Finance, management, consultancies...

The car would be very handy for travelling out of London for work or other reasons. I would expect quite a lot of external customer work if I get what I applied for. Probably only Fridays in the office once I get going.

The alternative would be to look for work around B'ham. Driving there is not fun even if parking is relatively relaxed.

 

[archangel]

May be worth looking into it. I take it that around £30k before tax is pretty much the bare minimum to get by. I don't think I can suffer * holes any longer. It's a shame the big firms do not have their offices in the suburbs

If you are going to share.....30k is bare minimum.....

 

[Yv]

OK, seriously, assuming you can find an appropriate job - and as you say, more chance here than most places - I would start looking at housing around the ends of tube lines/outer over ground stations. Don't worry about being out near the M25, links in a are good with plenty of options [and at least you will get a seat, even if the travel costs are a little higher because its further], but the living costs will be as low as they are likely to be, relatively speaking. Obviously some areas are better than others, but if you are out that far, you are more likely to find something that will allow to leave the car parked at home during the week, either on a drive or in the street and the parking permits if needed are cheaper. It also means that come the weekend and you want to head out into the fresh air, you are much closer to it. If cost is an issue, probably avoid much of south west London/Surrey, that will be at the top end generally, although there will be some stuff even there.

 

[boyfalldown]

Sorry, forgive me, you think London will be better? London TAUGHT your mayor how to do this!!! This is the city where the only road users that get ANY kind of privileges are cyclists [and there are hundreds of them, including the dreaded Boris bikes], where the car is the anti-christ and anything bigger Satan himself, where centrally you can not stop anywhere, so much so that many many small business have gone out of business and then when that wasn't enough, they introduced congestion charging to really finish them off. Where even in the suburbs, live within an avergae 1/2 a mile of a high street, or even just a row of shops, and you have to buy an annual parking permit from your local council just to be allowed to park outside your own home. Where if you do want to pay the CC during the week, or even just take your car into the city on a weekend, you will pay exhorbitant fees to park up and god forbid you park slightly incorrectly, because the swarms of traffic wardens will be on you. Yes, the public transport system is good, but it isn't perfect, its expensive and very, very busy so you would need to shop around carefully before deciding where to hang your hat.... and expect car ownership to be both expensive and at times incredibly frustrating!!

Just to add to this, my residents permit (to park outside my house) costs more then double my VED. That's for parking on only a few streets. The rules are so complicated the laughably named CEOs ( parking wardens to you and me) don't get them, I've been fined twice in the last year- both times overturned on appeal

 

[akr]

Good luck and as others have said the trains (and don't forget the relatively new Overground - you can see it on tube maps) are often faster to get in than the tube.

 

[onomatopoeia]

Sorry, forgive me, you think London will be better? London TAUGHT your mayor how to do this!!! This is the city where the only road users that get ANY kind of privileges are cyclists [and there are hundreds of them, including the dreaded Boris bikes], where the car is the anti-christ and anything bigger Satan himself, where centrally you can not stop anywhere, so much so that many many small business have gone out of business and then when that wasn't enough, they introduced congestion charging to really finish them off. Where even in the suburbs, live within an avergae 1/2 a mile of a high street, or even just a row of shops, and you have to buy an annual parking permit from your local council just to be allowed to park outside your own home. Where if you do want to pay the CC during the week, or even just take your car into the city on a weekend, you will pay exhorbitant fees to park up and god forbid you park slightly incorrectly, because the swarms of traffic wardens will be on you. Yes, the public transport system is good, but it isn't perfect, its expensive and very, very busy so you would need to shop around carefully before deciding where to hang your hat.... and expect car ownership to be both expensive and at times incredibly frustrating!!

I grew up near Uxbridge (end of the Met and Piccadilly lines) and still visit London often, and have lived and worked in Bristol for over 20 years. London is SO far ahead on public transport words aren't adequate. Even ignoring the tube, which I really like (Bob Crow notwithstanding), the number of buses you see in London is incredible. My friend lives in a s...hole estate south of Brixton (£45/week for a room with mould on the walls in a shared house, and you wouldn't want to go any deeper into the estate without an armed escort - she calls it "gangland", with good reason. But apparently it's not as bad as Stockwell.) and has a bus stop outside where even after 10pm there's four different buses running into the centre of London and at least one comes every 5-10 minutes. Outside Brixton tube station thre are often half a dozen buses either stopped to collect passengers or queued up waiting to stop, the places is awash with them. Compare that to where I live where to get home from the centre of Bristol there's a bus at 8pm and another at 10pm and ... that's it.

Further, the last few times I've needed the bus into or out of Bristol it's been late or not arrived at all. Still, it's good of the mayor to ensure more money goes to First Bus by making getting into Bristol near impossible without using them. The curious thing is I don't remember any of this in his manifesto. The result is I don't go into Bristol if I need something from the shops any more, which is good for South Gloucestershire as I'm supporting businesses there, but not so good for businesses in Bristol.

Basically we have an attitude to motoring that might work with more buses and an underground railway, but we don't have those things so it's a disaster. They even put in extra bus lanes which are so badly thought out that the queues of cars they generate delay the buses for 30 minutes trying to get to the bus lane. My enthusiasm for local government knows no beginning.

 

[srichards]

Reading is supposed to be a decent place for jobs. I wouldn't drive into brum. The number of other cars covered in massive dents is scary. Its awful to drive in and around. I did it once. Never again!

I'd assume you'd have to double or triple your current salary to achieve your same standard of living depending on where you chose if you went there.

A friend has moved to morden. It seems ok. Her flat was pretty cheap. Only £120k and a 3 bed place with a small back garden. It's not far from Richmond park and bushy park. There's also some national trust place close too so it is relatively green. She's not been mugged nor burgled yet so it isn't too rough either.

 

[archangel]

Reading is supposed to be a decent place for jobs. I wouldn't drive into brum. The number of other cars covered in massive dents is scary. Its awful to drive in and around. I did it once. Never again!

I'd assume you'd have to double or triple your current salary to achieve your same standard of living depending on where you chose if you went there.

A friend has moved to morden. It seems ok. Her flat was pretty cheap. Only £120k and a 3 bed place with a small back garden. It's not far from Richmond park and bushy park. There's also some national trust place close too so it is relatively green. She's not been mugged nor burgled yet so it isn't too rough either.

I live about 7 miles outside central Reading.....and only 3 miles from junction 12..... there seems to be quite a few jobs being advertised in this area......but I suppose it depends on what you do for a living.... I am self employed so I can go anywhere to work....... my home is just outside Pangbourne village and rental is a premium......but it is better than a gang ridden estate in London......

 

[boyfalldown]

Her flat was pretty cheap. Only £120k and a 3 bed place with a small back garden.

When did she buy that? You'll be doing very well to find anything for sale in SW London for that money, and certainly won't get a reasonable size garden flat for less then atleast double that

 

[srichards]

When did she buy that? You'll be doing very well to find anything for sale in SW London for that money, and certainly won't get a reasonable size garden flat for less then atleast double that

A year ago. It was a repossession. Needed lots doing to it too. Not ground floor either. It has half the rear space with another flat.

 

[MWHCVT]

A year ago. It was a repossession. Needed lots doing to it too. Not ground floor either. It has half the rear space with another flat.

And there's the reason...£120K was a bit of a red herring, how much did She spend on renovating it to a living standard and if on the market now what would be the value now it's in a normal condition I wonder

 

[wyx087]

If you live in the suburbs and commute in you would be comfy on £30k. The beauty of London is that if you work centrally you can live pretty much anywhere within the M25 and commute in quickly.

I looked at this the other day, quickly still means it requires an hour of commute from zone 4, including walking time on both ends.

I'm moving to north London due to wife's work is in London, zone 4 near Piccadilly line. The house prices are REALLY expensive! Can't say how much you need to survive, but without parent's help, we couldn't have been able to afford to buy that house. We couldn't even look at zone 2 and 1, first there's no affordable house, secondly for much more money, you'd only get a terrible flat.

 

[boyfalldown]

A year ago. It was a repossession. Needed lots doing to it too. Not ground floor either. It has half the rear space with another flat.

That explains it. I had a quick look on zoopla, the only property they list in morden under £120k ATM is 50% shared ownership. 3 beds average £350-£400k

 

[srichards]

That 90k shared ownership is a postage stamp of a place. There's a few nice flats but a lot are minority ownership so you'd never actually really own it just rent most of it.

Croyden is cheaper but it means living in Croyden.

 

[menthel]

I looked at this the other day, quickly still means it requires an hour of commute from zone 4, including walking time on both ends.

I'm moving to north London due to wife's work is in London, zone 4 near Piccadilly line. The house prices are REALLY expensive! Can't say how much you need to survive, but without parent's help, we couldn't have been able to afford to buy that house. We couldn't even look at zone 2 and 1, first there's no affordable house, secondly for much more money, you'd only get a terrible flat.

That is the price of living in London. On public transport you always bank on an hour's journey.

As for property prices, you have to look atound but there are places that are good value. They are just getting rarer! Where we are in Raynes Park used to be cheap in comparison to Wimbledon which is 2 minutes down the road. It has changed quite a bit since then, prices have really shot up.