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first of all, thanks so much everybody for your input! I really appreciate getting real info from people who have actually done what i'm planning on doing
I am currently living in the UK (midlands area), but the last place where I lived and paid rent was New York City, which is why I was concerned about the 20k figure. I can categorically say that it is impossible to live in NYC if your earning $20k, unless you are willing to live in a very dangerous neighborhood. Since I heard London was just as expensive, I was a bit concerned. But I was asking a friend who lives there and he said that I should be able to find a good room for approx £600 a month. Does that sound reasonable?
based on my research, it seems like £20,000 becomes £16,000 (£1,330 p/m) after taxes. So, my figures suggest these at the price breakdowns:
Room = £600
Utilities + council tax = approx £150
food = approx £200
zone card = £112
gym = £40 approx
phone = £30 approx
other things (haircut, unplanned expenses etc.) = approx £100
Total = £1,230
Leaves only £100 p/m for fun things...not that much IMO, but manageable I suppose. You can call me entitled all you want, I don't think that's accurate, but you are more than welcome to your opinion. If this lifestyle is that of an entitled person, I would like to know what isn't entitled...living in poverty and being afraid to walk around your neighborhood?
first of all, thanks so much everybody for your input! I really appreciate getting real info from people who have actually done what i'm planning on doing
I am currently living in the UK (midlands area), but the last place where I lived and paid rent was New York City, which is why I was concerned about the 20k figure. I can categorically say that it is impossible to live in NYC if your earning $20k, unless you are willing to live in a very dangerous neighborhood. Since I heard London was just as expensive, I was a bit concerned. But I was asking a friend who lives there and he said that I should be able to find a good room for approx £600 a month. Does that sound reasonable?
based on my research, it seems like £20,000 becomes £16,000 (£1,330 p/m) after taxes. So, my figures suggest these at the price breakdowns:
Room = £600
Utilities + council tax = approx £150
food = approx £200
zone card = £112
gym = £40 approx
phone = £30 approx
other things (haircut, unplanned expenses etc.) = approx £100
Total = £1,230
Leaves only £100 p/m for fun things...not that much IMO, but manageable I suppose. You can call me entitled all you want, I don't think that's accurate, but you are more than welcome to your opinion. If this lifestyle is that of an entitled person, I would like to know what isn't entitled...living in poverty and being afraid to walk around your neighborhood?
If you can get a comparable salary elsewhere, you say you live in the midlands, so in Birmingham for example you'll be more comfortable. £100 a month for unexpected expenditure savings and leisure isn't a lot and not worth it just to live in London in my view. You got your heart set on London?
London is cheaper than New York. You can live on 20k - there are tins of people living in London on that or less. Plus, it's an entry level salary isn't it?
first of all, thanks so much everybody for your input! I really appreciate getting real info from people who have actually done what i'm planning on doing
I am currently living in the UK (midlands area), but the last place where I lived and paid rent was New York City, which is why I was concerned about the 20k figure. I can categorically say that it is impossible to live in NYC if your earning $20k, unless you are willing to live in a very dangerous neighborhood. Since I heard London was just as expensive, I was a bit concerned. But I was asking a friend who lives there and he said that I should be able to find a good room for approx £600 a month. Does that sound reasonable?
based on my research, it seems like £20,000 becomes £16,000 (£1,330 p/m) after taxes. So, my figures suggest these at the price breakdowns:
Room = £600
Utilities + council tax = approx £150
food = approx £200
zone card = £112
gym = £40 approx
phone = £30 approx
other things (haircut, unplanned expenses etc.) = approx £100
Total = £1,230
Leaves only £100 p/m for fun things...not that much IMO, but manageable I suppose. You can call me entitled all you want, I don't think that's accurate, but you are more than welcome to your opinion. If this lifestyle is that of an entitled person, I would like to know what isn't entitled...living in poverty and being afraid to walk around your neighborhood?
What you have discovered is that life involves compromise. If you want to move to one of the world's most expensive cities, live in a pretty area, join a gym, and eat out at lunchtimes, you will indeed find that you don't have much money left for fun stuff. You could move to a tatty-but-safe area, eat a big bowl of leftovers for lunch, cycle to work (cutting out both the travel card and the gym) - and you'd probably have enough left each month to go out partying every weekend.
If you could find a job paying £20k in, say, the midlands, where living is cheaper, then obviously the compromises you'd make each day would be smaller. But you'd already have made a compromise in moving to the midlands, unless that is secretly what you've always dreamt of doing.
If you can get a comparable salary elsewhere, you say you live in the midlands, so in Birmingham for example you'll be more comfortable. £100 a month for unexpected expenditure savings and leisure isn't a lot and not worth it just to live in London in my view. You got your heart set on London?
hmmm, not necessarily in London, but close enough where if I want to go for a day trip or night out, that London would be the closest city. So I would consider somewhere like St. Albans as well, assuming that it has good public transport to London city centre.
London is cheaper than New York. You can live on 20k - there are tins of people living in London on that or less. Plus, it's an entry level salary isn't it?
Yup, for some reason I was under the impression that London is more expensive then NYC, perhaps that is the case for people on holiday who are doing to $-£ conversion, but based on the comments in this thread, it seems like London is either cheaper or comparable.
Yup, entry-level salary, I just want to make sure that i'm not spreading myself too thin with the expenses.
What you have discovered is that life involves compromise. If you want to move to one of the world's most expensive cities, live in a pretty area, join a gym, and eat out at lunchtimes, you will indeed find that you don't have much money left for fun stuff. You could move to a tatty-but-safe area, eat a big bowl of leftovers for lunch, cycle to work (cutting out both the travel card and the gym) - and you'd probably have enough left each month to go out partying every weekend.
If you could find a job paying £20k in, say, the midlands, where living is cheaper, then obviously the compromises you'd make each day would be smaller. But you'd already have made a compromise in moving to the midlands, unless that is secretly what you've always dreamt of doing.
I appreciate your help and input, I truly do, but you can take the condescending attitude somewhere else. I am well aware of the concept of compromise and all that it entails. As i've said before, i'm just looking to do the correct research and make sure i'm not overextending myself based on my income.
I know what type of lifestyle I need and enjoy. For example, I would cycle but I had an incident when I was younger with a car while i was on a bike so i've been put off the experience ever since. So, cycling is out for me, not because I want the cool life at the top, but because I don't feel comfortable doing it in a major city. Also, I never said I want to "live in a pretty area", I said that I wanted to be in a neighborhood where I feel safe walking around by myself. So their is another assumption that you made based on your opinion that I am acting entitled. Additionally, I never said I want to go partying every weekend, I merely said fun stuff, which can involve cinema, dates, concerts, museums etc. etc. Again, you assumed that I am the big-spending partier because you think i'm entitled. In actuality, I don't enjoy getting wasted, spending tons of money at nightclubs and going around trying to pick up women.
So, please, leave the attitude at the door. I'm glad that you want to help people make informed decisions, but their is no need to be rude.
Brighton goes right to London Victoria plus you got sea. I think Margate and Whitstable might too. Otherwise, are the very outskirts of London that great?
I think Brighton Victoria is pretty quick.
You could try Canada Water/Bermondsey/Greenwich, the former are cheaper. Canada water is one of the only safe, cheaper areas of London left I'm told.
I appreciate your help and input, I truly do, but you can take the condescending attitude somewhere else. I am well aware of the concept of compromise and all that it entails. As i've said before, i'm just looking to do the correct research and make sure i'm not overextending myself based on my income.
I know what type of lifestyle I need and enjoy. For example, I would cycle but I had an incident when I was younger with a car while i was on a bike so i've been put off the experience ever since. So, cycling is out for me, not because I want the cool life at the top, but because I don't feel comfortable doing it in a major city. Also, I never said I want to "live in a pretty area", I said that I wanted to be in a neighborhood where I feel safe walking around by myself. So their is another assumption that you made based on your opinion that I am acting entitled. Additionally, I never said I want to go partying every weekend, I merely said fun stuff, which can involve cinema, dates, concerts, museums etc. etc. Again, you assumed that I am the big-spending partier because you think i'm entitled. In actuality, I don't enjoy getting wasted, spending tons of money at nightclubs and going around trying to pick up women.
So, please, leave the attitude at the door. I'm glad that you want to help people make informed decisions, but their is no need to be rude.
As you wish. Personally, I would say, if you come from a position a little privilege, enjoy it, wear it lightly, take advantage. Don't be defensive. Don't allow yourself to be restricted as to the sphere of humanity that you inhabit...
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