London
I’ve been offered a job. Yah for me. However, before I accept it (or not) I’m concerned about the whole relocation thing.

The job, should I accept it, is due to start in the middle of January and is based in London. Being a dweller of the West and having never lived in London before, I’m concerned about the amount of money it’s likely to cost me in rent, travel and living expenses.

Realistically, how much do you need to earn to live comfortably in the capital? I’m on my own so it’s a single wage income, ideally, I’d like to rent somewhere on my own but I’m not completely adverse to the idea of a house/flat share (as I don’t know many people in the capital).

The job offer is in Finance and based just over Southwark bridge (again, I’m naïve as to the equation of ‘location v travel v cost of travel v cost of rent) I’ve negotiated salary, annual leave and some relocation assistance (although they won’t rent me a place, they have offered me two-grand towards to my costs) and I don’t think I’ll be able to get any more out of them.

Obviously, I’m not going to say what salary is on offer (for fear of mockery, one way or the other), but a rough guide for ‘cost of living’ in the capital would be appreciated from anyone living in the hell-hole.
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:36, 38 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I moved from Bristol to London.
Then I moved back to Bristol. Reasons: I loved London but it was too expensive and not the best environment for an easily overstimulated bipolar person. Also, I grew up in the arsehole of nowhere and found that I missed fields and being able to get into the countryside quickly. I loved London but it didn't love me back, the swine.

When I was there (2006-08) my ex and I were paying about a grand a month for a lovely two-bed place just outside Zone 1. Relocation from Bristol cost me about £2K (I moved to a fourth floor flat with no lift, which might be why the removal costs were high). I spent about £20 a week on travel but rarely ventured outside of Zones 1&2. Also, I was close enough that I could walk into Central London in half an hour.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:41, Reply)

If two people are working and it’s still too expensive, then that does set alarm bells off in my head. Whilst getting a one bed place might lower the cost of rent a bit, I think there is only a 25% reduction on single-occupancy for council tax.

I haven’t got to make a decision until the end of the first week in December, and obviously, I’ll do a stack of research before then, but I am worried that I’ll spend the majority of my income renting a damp room and on topping up an Oyster card before paying Boris for the privilege of sitting in one of his traffic jams.
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:48, Reply)

without knowing your salary it's hard to calculate
but if I wasn't addicted to drugs and drink and didn't have a child I could live comfortably on what I earn.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:52, Reply)

I'm not going to say what it is...
In case it is significantly higher than a lot of other people get by on and I’m worrying unduly and people think I’m trying to be ‘Billy Big-Bollocks’ with the fancy job* and big salary.

*The job isn’t fancy, it’s in Financial Services

Maybe I ought to generalise a bit more.

Is it possible to live fairly comfortably on a salary within the following ranges?

20-30k
30-40k
40-50k
( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:57, Reply)

20-30 yes if you're careful
30-40 yes and to a reasonably high standard
40 and above: piece of piss
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:01, Reply)

If it's the higher ranges then I doubt you'll get by on suits from George at Asda.

( girlinthehole, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:07, Reply)

You'd get some *looks* at work, fo' sho'

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:10, Reply)

I'm definietly glad I lived there for a while.
I just found I prefer the pace of life back in the West Country.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:56, Reply)

Excellent news
If the job's is in SE1 you could probably find somewhere within walking or a short distance for not too much (relatively). You could rent a 1-bed in an ex-council red brick (not too unpleasant block) for maybe £850 (check this: I may be lying, it's not my area)? It's a 'patchy' postcode, some of the Shad Thames developments are fucking gorgeous old warehouse conversions with river views, but with prices to match. Some of it's a bit grim.

The idea that food etc is really expensive is a complete lie. Where I hail from (Winchester) is much, much more expensive than where I am in Shoreditch, you just have to be canny. Some of the Asian supermarkets/butchers and fruit/veg markets are ridiculously cheap as are some of the best restaurants.

If you're a cock who eats out and drinks in the West End, and buys their shopping in Harrods, then you could bankrupt yourself in seconds. But then you'd be living like a tourist and deserve to be knocked.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:47, Reply)

I’m George at Asda rather than Giorgio Armani with a fondness for nice, home-cooked food.

( JeffTheDogFucker Can you dig it?, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:51, Reply)

to add my meagre contribution
4 of us ate at a fantastic thai place in covent garden for the same price as 2 at one of Exeter's thai restaurants.

london is much cheaper in some respects.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:54, Reply)

You could eat in the Tayyabs every night
and only spend about a tenner a time
(Bazongaloid, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:59, Reply)

awesome
it will happen. my Mrs actually said this weekend that she wants to come and meet you lot. Not entirely sure if she knows what she is letting herself in for...
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:06, Reply)

If she was actually keen to meet us
she has no idea.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:10, Reply)

I was explaining you to her. it didn't put her off.

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:12, Reply)

Nice.
How did you explain me? I'm curious as to how others see me ONLINE, since Micheal S obviously thinks i'm such a whining cunt and Blaireau69 thinks I'm a bully and a cocksucker.
(Bazongaloid, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:17, Reply)

But you are.
Aren't you?
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:21, Reply)

Well, I don't like to blow my own trumpet

(Bazongaloid, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:23, Reply)

I know that you aren't as much of these things as you seem
plus we share a lot of views on IMPORTANT THINGS

I basically said you claim to be a geordie, but are in fact very middle-class and you look like the laughing cavalier. That sums you up nicely.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:28, Reply)

Not true,
I just want your butt for my own.
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:38, Reply)

Get to the back of the queue.

( girlinthehole, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:42, Reply)

head bowed in shame
wanders off to the back of the queue with the rest of the losers.
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 16:06, Reply)

You could rotate
Tayyab's, then Vietnamese (Kingsland Rd), then Turkish (Dalston), each time get a meal that shits on their small-town regional equivalents from a great height and each night spend no more than £15.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:09, Reply)

bah
we have no vietnamese or turkish restaurants here (other than meze stuff). it upsets me.

london is too far from the surf though.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:11, Reply)

Do you recommend any specific vietnamese places?

(Bazongaloid, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:12, Reply)

Saigon

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:12, Reply)

Nice
I'll just fly over there next time I have a craving for dumpling soup
(Bazongaloid, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:14, Reply)

when I get that craving
I fly over to your mother
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:14, Reply)

*trigger fingers*
BOO-Yah!
(Bazongaloid, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:17, Reply)

Sure.
Viet Hoa Cafe just up from where Old St meets Shoreditch High Street (so v bottom of Kingsland Rd) is absolutely excellent, as is the Vietnamese Cultural Centre on Englefield Rd (slightly more annoying to get to but really, really great) - that one I've not done for a couple of years, mind, as Viet Hoa do such a great job.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:17, Reply)

You'd probably do fine then
I sometimes yearn for the countryside but London does have more green spaces than any other major city (I'm told) - there are shitloads of parks and so much to do that the mind truly boggles - and not all of it expensive. Even if you didn't come here for life it would be a great experience (provided you don't get murdered, obv.).

I've been here 17 years and fucking love it.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:00, Reply)

Surely you should've been knived by now?
Or am I breaching the boundaries of allowable /offtopic banter?

Anyway I come from the North Highlands and apparently at the weekend some tinker was chasing another tinker with a shotgun. Regarding some hoe. That is DANGER mannn...
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:42, Reply)

Moving
I also moved from Bristol to London and knowing hardly anyone, opted for a house share. Depending on location (probably aim for zone 2 for optimal time into work / cost) expect to pay between £300 and £600 p/m for a house share depending on the state of the place.

As long as you choose your potential house mates well, there is a lot to be gained from this approach.

As Monty mentioned living costs don't have to be expensive, an unlimited zones 1-2 travel card is ~£90, covers the major areas and is probably the only additional expense you'd have moving from Bristol to London.

Feel free to Gaz if I can give you any better details
(b3tamax Mate, you're fat and I'll throw you in the river, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 14:56, Reply)

1 million dollars, mwah ha ha ha ha
Seriously I have co-habited in London from the bottom of the first bracket to the top of the second and all the time I'm broke at the end of the month, I just spend whatever I have!

Rent budget £800 if you want to live alone.
Council tax varies massivley - Wandsworth one of the cheapest in the country, Richmond the most expensive in the country and they share a border.
Travel, biking is cheap otherwise you need to do lots of maths to balance distance from work vs rent and travel expense.
Booze/food/entertainment is expensive no gettiung around it.

Good luck

PS London rocks, hard work but worth it!
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:04, Reply)

I remember walking through Hyde park with 2 fair-haired Scottish mates one time, and a group of black lads were coming the other way. As they passed one laughed "look man dat's Westlife!!".

I refrained from shouting "look it's the Jackson five!!"
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 15:44, Reply)

the honourable nakedape
is quite right. i have lived in london for over 10 years, from a student on £50 a week to my current salary, and regardless of how much i earn, i have always (i) had an amazing time; and (ii) been completely skint and overdrawn by the end of every month!

do it, london's a great place to live, and if it's not for you, move on...
( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 16:22, Reply)

I am in the £20k to £30 bracket, and live very comfortably. Mind you, I live in a 3-bed flat sharing a room with my fiance, so our rent is stupidly cheap (a touch over £500 a month between us).

Renting a 1-bed flat or a studio will be very expensive, I'm afraid. Someone else has already mentioned a flat-share, and I would recommend this: rent will be cheaper, and you'll have a ready-made social life (hopefully, assuming you get decent flatmates) whilst you find your feet.

If you go for zone 2 in South London, rent isn't too bad, and you can easily walk/cycle to work: I live in Oval/Camberwell, and it would take me about 30 to 40 mins to walk to Southwark Bridge. If you could find somewhere around Borough/Great Dover Street, you're very close indeed (and close to Borough Market, omnomnom).

Travelcard: if you buy an annual one, it's just under £1100 for zones 1 and 2. You can probably get your company to buy it for you, and then you pay them back (I believe tax-free, but not sure about this).
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Tue 24 Nov 2009, 16:33, Reply)

I hail...
from the Midlands, yet lived in London for 4 years, North London with a great commute to the south everyday, then south (Wimbledon) to the center... even if it's just for a year you will have a brilliant time. But as the other have stated get a house share, as not only will your costs be reduced, but you will have the security of socialisation...

You can spend as much or as little as you like, the great thing about the city, is that you have so many options... Unlike places like Birmingham where I lived for 3 years, where everything is expensive yet shuts at 11pm on the dot including public transport.

Even if you end up sharing a place that's a bit shitty for a while it will allow you to get on your feet and then make educated decisions! We moved in north london 4 times, only within a 1 mile radius but the difference was amazing...
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Wed 25 Nov 2009, 0:51, Reply)