London (lawyer, house, transfer)

[dullnboring]

I know that I'm going against what all the studies have shown and what all the Londoners have said, but I honestly did not find London to be that expensive when I was over there. I stayed in a hotel in Hampstead in a decent room, a seven minute walk to Finchley Road Tube station that zapped me into Central London in maybe 20 minutes max, and I paid $70/night. I didn't eat in a restaurant once but rather shopped in grocery stores and the prices seemed akin to what I pay in the U.S. (I'm from the DC area). In fact, I went to a little market in Southwark, which I know is considered a bad part of London but that I honestly didn't find that bad, and considered it downright cheap. However, I was only there for a few days and those who live there full-time are obviously much more knowledgable about the price of day-to-day things than I am, so I think I just happened to get really lucky.

Originally Posted by Need Affordable Home

Affordable in London? Please show me. I have a friend that lives on the edge of London(or was it outside London?) and spent 112k pounds for a terrence(townhouse) building and it was 2 bedrooms and tiny, not even 1000 square feet. And thats a 40 minute commute to central London by underground. I dont even know if his home is leasehold(basically long term rent) or freehold(own shares of)

See, that actually sounds incredibly cheap to me. That's approximately 225K (U.S. dollars) if I'm not mistaken within a 40 minute commute to central London. I couldn't even find such a thing within 40 minutes of DC; not a townhouse in a decent area at least.

[Need_affordable_home]

Originally Posted by bmurphy

People pay for location, NAH. Apparently London isn't that awful or it wouldn't have any people.

If nobody cared about location, they'd all live in some empty rural town with cheap housing. London is a nice city for what it is. Leave it be.

Also, you just said the food made you drool, now you say you ate at Mcdonald's most of the time. Either McDonald's makes you drool, you're exaggerating and DID eat some good food, or you lied in the first post.

I could not afford to buy at Harrods, only look around. Some of the foods was more than $100 a pound accroding to my math! Also there was nothing to cook it with in the hotel.

I will have to check London prices again, im sure they have gone up significently since last time. I do know central London is the most expensive place in the world

[BlueWillowPlate]

dullnboring
My lodging was not that expensive either, especially two London visits ago, we did quite well on airfare (BA sale, hotel, and food).
I think good cheap food is plentiful in London, you just have to walk a bit.
But when I talk about living in London being expensive, I mean having to pay a mortgage. Unless you live in the suburbs, it would be a rather pricey proposition.
I think transportation is fairly expensive, too.

[ssg II]

We stayed in Richmond-upon-Thames for about 2 months while my husband was going to a culinary school there. Found a reasonable little basement flat and enjoyed the pubs around the square. I took the tube to London almost every day to go to museums and the theater (I went to the discount ticket places in Leicester Square.) I love Indian food and we made friends with the owner of the best Indian restaurant in Richmond. I even found a jacket at Harrod's on sale! Grocery shopping was a shock at first. I didn't realize everyone brought their own bags - something we should think about here.
I thoroughly loved it. Just like anywhere else, it's not the US. Be willing to experience their culture or you will be miserable. What's the point of traveling if you're going to stay at Holiday Inns and eat at McDonald's?

[mels]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

I could not afford to buy at Harrods, only look around. Some of the foods was more than $100 a pound accroding to my math! Also there was nothing to cook it with in the hotel.

You do realize that this is like walking into Saks, looking at prices of clothing, then declaring the entire City of New York is too pricey to clothe yourself. If you go to a store that is known for being expensive why would you expect to find cheap food?

Here is a tip: some of your best decent priced meals in London will be from the neighborhood pub. There are also Indian restaurants in abundance, many of which are affordable. Let's not forget the neighborhood fish and chip shop. It should also be noted that people in England do not live like we do in the US. It isn't the norm for the average family to eat out multiple times a week. It just isn't done because it is expensive. Naturally you as an American tourist would go over there and eat out every night and think that it is terribly expensive, particularly if you come from somewhere with a lower cost of living.

Originally Posted by sunshinegirl

What's the point of traveling if you're going to stay at Holiday Inns and eat at McDonald's?

Very good point.

[Dedalus]

The best eats I had there was some Chinese "take away" curry. Not cheap (what in London is?) but delicious.

I also went into a supermarket. I was astounded by the shelf space devoted to candy!

[Southside Shrek]

actually I loved London when I was living there and had the time of my life. when I traveled to the Continent to tour around, I could hardly wait to get back to London. it's one great city!

of course London was very cosmopolitan at that time compared to other places in Britain and that helped me---a Yank--blend in a little better.

[FistFightingHairdresser]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

The best eats I had there was some Chinese "take away" curry. Not cheap (what in London is?) but delicious.

I also went into a supermarket. I was astounded by the shelf space devoted to candy!

Did you perchance go one aisle over to the beer & crisps section? That's two of three food groups covered.

[Southside Shrek]

has anyone been to The Albany on Great Portland Street in London? I understand they serve some wild Psycho Cider.

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by FistFightingHairdresser

Did you perchance go one aisle over to the beer & crisps section? That's two of three food groups covered.

Unfortunately, I missed out on the whole pub scene in London, because I wasn't drinking at the time. I wasn't sure how that would be received. American drinking establishments sometimes make non-drinkers feel unwelcome.

Another thing I noticed was the vegetables. They looked pretty...well, not what I'm used to. They were all brought in from Spain or Africa.