Cost of Living in London | Minimum Salary to Live Comfortably in London
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- My thoughts on the min salary you need to live comfortably in London. If you live in London, do you guys think this is realistic? I missed a few things like clothing expenses and maybe more misc spending in the end calculations but it’s a rough min estimate. 😅
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00:00 intro
01:19 housing
03:31 paysend
05:22 tax + utilities
08:53 wifi + data
10:59 transportation
16:40 coffee + drinks
18:52 eating out
21:29 gym
22:05 entertainment
24:23 groceries
27:55 travel
29:31 minimum salary - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
37,000 pounds annually is more than many nurses and other healthcare professionals make in London until they are experienced. The NHS is so underpaid.
37k is around the average salary of people in their 30s/40s in London
@Gareth Mathew My friend you are assuming that governments exist to protect their citizens which is quite a naive understanding of politics if I must say....governments really exist to protect their TAX REVENUE. When you look at it through that lens then all of their policies will make sense
NHS staff are bone idle wasters
@@FA9082 is that before or after tax? thx
@@nn.roberts This is misleading bc Norway has highe tax rates than most countries.
If u make £40k pa in UK ur take home will be £31k, but in Norway it will be about £28k...then when you factor in Norway is about 50% more expensive than the UK your effective earnings in Norway are only £19k!!!
So Norway is a much worse place to live
for single people living in London a comfortable salary now is £45-50K and that doesn't include if you want to get on property ladder so to save for deposit you would need £55-60.
Probably the best estimate I've seen. People often forget to factor in pension payments when calculating take home pay. Contributing 6% of your monthly salary would typically amount to an extra £200+ a month off your take home. Granted, one might be able to opt out of this, but not particularly advisable.
I make 72k and drive a Jag F-Type... But I can easily spend my entire salary which works out to around 3900 a month, if I just buy a few things. My Jag costs £366 a month. Like 200 for petrol. Gonna be doing some consulting on the side and my salary will go up to around 180k. I'm a 35 year old single guy in Zone 3, living in a self contained place that feels more like a 1 bed.
@@fgcpeak9591why on earth would you want to drive in London lol
Do you include pension part in that salary or is it just base salary ?
Loved this! Super super helpful. The detail you’ve into is amazing and will definitely help when I move over there from Australia next year 🥰
Thank you Monica, I really enjoy your videos and am planning to come over to stay in London from Cape Town in Jan 2023. Keep on updating us and thank you for your honesty and openness in sharing all the details with us, regards Mark
I just love the way you explain everything in details. I am planning to move in 3/4 months. I found this video helpful so much. Thank you😘❤️
I think the most unrealistic budget was for groceries of £150. It makes it £5 per day for three courses which is impossible especially if trying to eat healthy. When I was a student in London I spent around £300 per month on groceries, but I was buying meat, fish and was eating healthy for most of the time (and that’s excluding takeaways that I had once a week).
I believe it also includes eating out for about 180 pounds which reduces the amount towards grocery. 180 pounds can get atleast 15-18 meals(assuming 10-12 pounds a meal)
I spend £30 per week on food! You also gotta remember that she’s a petite female that probably doesn’t eat more than 2000 calories each day which is like me.
My son and I spend £50 a week on food.... 2 of us, we eat healthily and plenty of meat. Often it depends where you shop, M&S is quite different to Lidl in terms of price and perception of quality.
300? A MONTH YOU RICH RICH IM JEALOUS😭😭😂😂
@@georgia-leahsimpson2359 if you are trying to eat healthy (i.e. 3 nutritious meals plus snacks in between every day), 3 bills is about right if you shop at aldi. You are a girl, so your caloric count is much lower and women in general burn less calories throughout the day compared to men, so you can survive on less
For cinemas, if you’re going often, you can get limitless/unlimited passes for something like £15-£20 a month
The details were just astonishing . Subscribed.😅
So much good points in 1 Video! Thank you!
That video is just what I needed! Thank you so much❤
Monica, thank you very much for the detailed explanation! Very useful video
Forcing the future tenant to pay 6 months rent upfront is so awful imo😬 I am an expat with no credit history too but fortunately, I did not have to pay that much. However, I had some troubles proving my "right to rent".
hey buddy i was born in london and i have to do that too as a self employed person. london sucks ass. its pushing its own citizens out
this was extremely helpful and insightful! thank youuuuu 💃💃💃
Great video!! Thanks so much for this!! 💕💕💕💕
Moving to London for school this September from Toronto and just wanna say your videos had been really helpful.
Chinese Canadian girl from Toronto here! I'm moving to the UK on the youth mobility visa in January and this was super helpful. I'd heard utilities are pretty expensive here but damn. I was in London for about a week in June and I'll be back there for a whole month in September before my move. Definitely more scared about finding a place to live than anything else, back in Toronto I rented a place in 2018 without seeing it first and paid 6 months up front, so I've definitely been there with the grim rental market before, but man I'm not looking forward to doing it again!
Aw ya the markets really hot right now! Hopefully a bit better in January when it’s usually a bit slower.
You can live in london on basic salary £18k including rent, bills, food, transport. To live comfortabally i would say £40-50k+ salary (office managers / senior job roles) would do it.
Excluding tax ?
18k is not living, it's existing and how do you pay rent?
Hello from Shenzhen. 😊 Well structured video. Subscribed 👌
Thanks for this video Monica! this is really informative 😇
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With 27k salary you will not pass the rent affordability check. Normally it’s monthly rent times 30. That’s the minimum salary you should earn to rent 1k property.
True! Forgot to consider that.
I think 37,000 is about right, but I would say most people would spend more on drinks, food and entertainment, leaving a lot less money for monthly savings.
Really great video, I watched the whole thing even though I've been in London the last 7 years haha. Very informative for people 👏 Average rent has gone up though by a few hundred pounds and for anyone with student loans being paid with tax etc you probably want to be earning £40k now
40k Before tax or after tax ?
Great video!!
It's spennnny out heree but it really depends on where you live and who you know. If you hang out with other expats, you're gonna spend a shit ton more than if you befriend locals. I also totally agree on your budget stance, if you wanna stick to a number - STICK TO IT cause you will eventually find something.
Yesss for sure, just gotta know your limits 💸
Thanks for sharing ❤
Hi :) Thank you so much for the amazing video! Helps a lot to have some notion on the living costs and salary you need there! Is living in other English cities cheaper and compensatory compared to the income values? Would you recommend other cities or is London worth it (at least for an expat to start living)?
Hmmm so apparently London salary is higher than the rest of London from what I hear but rent is significantly higher in London so I kinda wonder if you would still earn more just not living in London. 😂 Manchester is another city a lot of people recommend! Still a big city but still developing, a lot of HQs for companies there as well and salary might be more competitive.
I always look forward to your videos. I'm planning a move to London from the US this summer and this video came right on time. I was a little worried because I'll be taking a pay cut, but this video was very reassuring. What are the best websites to use when researching potential rentals? Thanks for the great content!
Hi there! I am also trying to move to UK from US - may I ask how you were able to? It seems like no company wants to sponsor and I'm finding it so difficult!
@@candaceroo Hi! I'm a licensed health care worker (I work in rehabilitation) and my particular field is listed under the shortage occupation list on the UK gov website. I found a recruiter to make job search a little easier. But from my knowledge, if your career is listed as a shortage it's easier to obtain a visa or find a job to sponsor you if you're based in the US. Hope that helps!
I usually just use right move but if you know the area you want to live in you can search for agencies located in the area and give them your requirements and they might be able to help you find things that are not yet on the market :)
Same here. Moving to uk from usa with a salary cut.😢
thanks for the information There are plans to live in London for a while.
Thank you for this video. I’m calculating the living costs and what range of salary I should need to relocate here from HK. Both are expensive places!
Ou ya both very expensive options 😅
£37k seems to be realistic of you want to leave alone. You need to remember that you need money to buy some clothes for time to time or go for holidays. So the £500 of savings may be useful. If you can cut on rent and leave in a houseshare it would allow for some savings. But I wouldn't recommend going below £30k, this will be really very budget lifestyle. And as you haven't calculated in money for clothes, shoes, cosmetics etc. it doesn't really allow you to live alone. I was on similar money for a long time and I would even try living alone then.
Yes for sure!
I'm a single person on 1300 a month minimum wage after tax and able to save 4-500 a month.And not eating dry bread.37.000 a year here i would have a Lamborghini-Ferrari to go to work and would able to eat every day 3 times a top quality restaurant.Luckily i just going to London 2-3 times a year.Total different world.Dont understand why anyone living there to be honest.
@@zoltantakacs993 Where do u live Zoltan, Hungary?
I agree with your sentiments, but even with what @Soph said as her realistic, I dont think I could live in London earning only $37k a year (after tax). Gosh, the lifestyle I want to live-- and I dont consider it opulent, will require much more. I dont want a lot of "stuff", but I do want to be unapolagitically comfortable: Dine out/take out most days, 2 bedrooms at minimum, 3 bedrooms ideally (visiting family and friends is a major thing in my life), a car, possibly also a motorcycle, 2 bicycles.
@@garolstipock Banbury,on minimum wage.500 a room and 350 maximum with food and everything else together.I got also around 100 income from Hungary,and from this im just fine.Obviously always more is better.
Currently on £22.5K while living in London (internship salary) and I’ve had to make sacrifices but managing to break even for now. Certainly not a sustainable salary for London prices but it’s fine for the short term
Hi mate - looking to do my industry placement this year in Hammersmith. Similar Salary. Would you mind if I pick your brain?
Sure thing! I have now moved on, finished my degree and work at the same company now but as a graduate so have a higher salary now. Happy to answer any questions I can
Vue does £6.99 cinema tickets or if you’re on fever or nhs discount gets you tickets for £4.99
I loved watching your video, very informative and helpful video especially to me as I'm moving to London from Seoul soon! Housing is definiyely a headache to me, considering not only the rent but also safe area to live as a single woman. Would you make a video of area in London (like vibes and safety) & where would you recommend to live too? I'd like to hear your thoughts on it too!
I feel like I don’t know everywhere we’ll enough yet but maybe I’ll try and do a general one 😅
@@paulcanrelate4398 thanks for the info!! That helps a lot👍
@@jh_eom Just to add, I'm not sure if Paul knows his stuff 100% since Milton Keynes isn't even in London... I've nearly always lived south of the river and it's totally fine. If anything, some quieter areas are more dangerous as there aren't people around to help you. I felt the safest living just off Brick Lane in east London as there were always people there 24/7 :)
Things I would recommend as a single woman are: live near a bus stop or within 8min walk of a station (tube or rail) for coming home late, live near at least one friend so you have a support network you can call on, and walk around the area you're looking in at night before you decide to move there. It really helps to get a feel of it not just in the daytime when viewings are.
For ref, I've lived in London my whole life: Whitechapel, south-west London suburbs, Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Kings Cross, South Norwood, and felt safe in all of them.
@@paulcanrelate4398 Milton Keynes???? It's about 50 miles outside of London!
Nice video! and as an expat in London from Italy, i can confirm your numbers are quite realistic. But hey, you forgot to mention M&S in the top tier grocery shops, haven’t tried that yet? :)
True! Forgot about M&S haha
Sounds pretty on point 👌
Awww it's really nice when the creator likes your comment 🥰 thank you i really appreciate it 🙏🏼 🩷
AWESOME !
Hey Monica, your videos have been very informative. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Which agency for the apartment did you engage? Can you recommend us any? ❣️
So I rented my first place using rentlondonflat.com (they’re also an agency, and I rented my current place from keatons. Had a positive experience there at both. :) the only agency I heard bad things about it John & Co, but that’s just through friends.
Hi Monica! I am planning to move to the UK from the US at the end of this fall and this is super useful! Thank you! What would the rent be for a bachelor's/ studio in Zone 2 or 3? Is your place a studio or a 1-bed? I would really prefer to stay in a place by myself too
I'm currently in a 1 bed (there's a tour video up in my channel) but right now prices are going up. I would say lowest price for a 1-bed now is at least £1400. Maybe a bit cheaper in zone 3 but not by much...
@@MonicaXGuan Thank you so much for replying! That's quite expensive but helps me streamline my search. I did see your flat tour video and the aesthetics are so great.
@@MonicaXGuan what a load of bullshit a one bedroom cost 2000 pounds min in a normal area in london
Your gas& electricity is good I pay a lot more up here in Scotland. If you don't watch TV do you spend a lot of time on your laptop & phone? I always enjoy my visits to London hope you enjoy living there for many years to come .
Haha ya I usually just watch everything online!
Not a realistic monthly breakdown. What about budget for clothes, grocery bill likely to be much higher. So for single person a salary of 40K/year is more realistic to survive....pre tax income. if you are earning £27k/year that is £1820 after tax. She is correct on a salary of £37/year take home would be £2377/month.
May i ask where your lights are from? I love them!
It's the FADO light from ikea and the colour changing bulb is from them as well. :)
@@MonicaXGuan thank you!!
Can we get the link to your mood light please :)
It’s actually the Fodo lamp from ikea with one of their colour changing light bulbs :)
Thank you for this informative video! I am also a Canadian moving to London, and also still have ties in Canada. How did you find an accountant for your situation? Did you need to find one in Canada and one in London?
I just googled and reached out to a few to compare rates. 😅
hello how would u compare london's and Toronto's living standards? I'm actually doing a two year program one year being in each city.
I would say because londons cost of living is so much higher you're definitely not enjoying the same luxuries as in Toronto. 😅 The only thing more affortable is groceries haha
Try Chicken and Chip shops - usually cheaper
I lived in London. It’s very expensive….public transport….food…rent….was it worth it? Not for me….
You are absolutely gorgeous
Welcome to London. Not sure if you are Korean but there is an area that has highest concentration of Koreans in London in an area called New Malden. Go visit.
Its very accurate. I make about 4k monthly net salary. And spend about 1800 on essentials. Rest is just discretionary things.
How much a experienced person make in London in the banking? And how much an entry level make?
I'm studying abroad from January to May, are there any websites you recommend for finding short term leases or should I just AirBNB it?
Hmmm I would say Airbnb is the safest. You could find sublets on Facebook Groups but not the safest
Interesting perspective. I think your going out expenses are very low - considering some places charge £20 per drink! £500 is probably more realistic. £50 for Uber is on the low side too - maybe £150. You probably need to set aside money for short breaks too - outside of monthly savings - maybe £200 per month. I know London is very convenient but many people own cars - so maintenance (petrol, Congestion Charge, road tax, insurance, servicing) could easily be £300 per month. You might want to set aside £100 for takeaways too - on top of groceries (my wife and I dine out but still end up spending £150 per week on groceries). What about gym membership and Netflix? On top of this, since National Insurance has gone up, you'll need to earn more to keep up with expenses. Overall, I think it's reasonable to assume you need at least £4,000-£5,000 per month to have a comfortable life in London. Of course, it's all subjective, but to have a good life in London lifestyle is key!
Haha ya def this is the bare minimum expenses but at the same time someone who’s really budgeting probably won’t spend money on a car/uber or go to bars that charge £20 per drink. 😂 but def different what people consider “comfortable”, I think maybe a few years ago I would have been happy to live on this kind of budget just to live by myself in a big city 😅
@@MonicaXGuan Yeah, you could be right! If you are really budgeting then you could be on the right track. You'd have to live like a nun/monk though!
Agree
very useful and accurate. i am a born and bred longer.
I moved recently (around a month ago) with my savings as a buffer but its been incredibly hard so far to find a job in my field(graphic design) :( Did you have any recommendations on job boards or advice for people applying to jobs? I think because the YMS visa is temporary for work and living, its quite difficult to find someone whos willing to take the risk on an expat.
Hey Jessica, I definitely had the same experience but honestly I would say you just have to keep applying. It's hard to tell what companies are happy with a person on a YM visa. Some companies don't expect people to stay longer than 2 years so they're happy to have someone for the short term or they're open to the idea for a talented person. Reach out to creative recruiters on Linkedin and see if they can help you out. Also are you looking for a job that can sponsor your Visa after? I think it's better to not have that as a strict requirement. You can get some experience working in london for a year with a job that might not be able to sponsor you and then it'll be easier to get a job that will sponsor you after that.
Have you found something eventually?;)
@@kamykcod4 I have actually! :) everything worked out and i got a job!!! I started about 2 months ago and have since travelled around with that first fat paycheck haha
@@Jessica-xt6xe hi from Indonesia! Could you please share tips & tricks for the job hunting? I'm trying to get myself to London next year and I heard job & house hunting are the most competitive ones
Crazy. We go out and spend $600 on food and drinks in new york city and as Registered Nurses we are not phased , i dont think nurses in England can do it on those salaries.
What is transportation cost for seniors? I am 62 and considering to move to London from New York which seems to be at least 20% more costly
For senior citizens living in London, public transport is free as you are entitled to what is called a Freedom Pass at that age. Outside of London, just buses are free for seniors. For outside London, you can also buy a Senior railcard if you travel a lot by train and then you get a third off tickets.
I have NEVER seen a studio in zone 1 under 1300/month (check Zoopla). 900 is impossible!!!
This was made over a year and a half ago 😅 the market has unfortunately changed dramatically
what about medical costs?
The trick to do WELL in London is to have DRIVE and AMBITION to make a ton of money (150k + a year). This city is for every tax bracket. But you have to live within your means. That's all.
Comfortable salary Single person over 25 years £45,000-£55,000; household with 1 child £55,000-£60,000; for additional child add £5,000 per annum so 2 children would be £60-65k and so on.
Are we talking about with car? Dude.. 70k is around £3600 a month. Let's assume 1600 rent for a 3 bedroom house which would be a miracle - it would work out to 2k total once you factor in bills and council tax... meaning you have £1600 when you have settled that expense... I don't really know where people are renting their multi-bed houses in London for anything under 1500
@@fgcpeak9591 without a car, 65k is approx 3830 per month tax home after taxes and pension contributions, plus a family with kids would qualify for child benefits,. £70k is approx £4,100+child bens, so a family with 2 kids would struggle on this salary in London, in non social or council housing.
@@italianstallion9170 i've factored in student loans too. on a salary of 65-70k you can expect to pay almost £300. even with child benefit, this is a paycheck to paycheck struggle-fest at best with 2 whole kids.
My little sister is actually having a job offer as a school teacher assistant in Enfield. The salary offered is 27000p but I am not sure if this is pre- or post-tax. Do you guys think it would be wise for her to move regarding we don't know anything about the city? We are from Greece, so all we can provide for her leaving is probably a maximum of 1.000 euro and her savings are less than that. Hearing this about the transportation today do you think it would be sustainable to live near the centre and work everyday in Enfield? And would it be possible to find a place of her own or would it be necessary to have roomates? Thank you in advance for your help guys, all inputs are useful now ♥️
Enfield is quite far north London. It's a lot more cheaper to live there than in central London. The pay is almost certainly before before tax. Using public transportation to get from central London is quite the trip, but it's doable. Likely at least an hour each way. She would likely want to have roommates, especially if she was in central London.
It would be best for her to live local, she'll save on transport. Enfield has a Greek community so she'll feel at home.
would say 70k is needed for london
I think my gas and utilises are ripping me off lol…I’m leaving London soon bc I’m sick of paying so much in rent. It’s just not worth it anymore as I want to save for a deposit on my own home.
Aw ya it's true tho, I don't think london is a sustainable place to live for the long term
She also left out buying clothes like suits and shoes for work, paying for haircuts, paying student loan ‘9% of all income above a threshold’, you are never going on holiday, you dont do any sports with expenses. London is stupidly expensive.
May I ask why you decided to move from Canada to London? thanks in advance for your answer
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This is soooo much cheaper than the US! I pay 180 for internet 😩
What’s a good site to find an apartment in London?
Rightmove is one of the biggest property sites for rental and buying.
Chicken breast cost 8 euros for 800g in Berlin 😢
Bus should be 1.65 not 1.3
You can still watch cable and not pay your licence 🤫. I don't know anyone who does pay
haha really! I believed those letters 😅
You’re lucky they haven’t found you yet
I don’t think somebody spends only 150 on groceries but spends 50 on Uber and other luxuries…
So do you have a TV? Or you don't own a TV at all?
WO AI NI
Girl you ignored taxes you need to pay on salary which raises the annual that one needs a looot
i was thinking the same thing but she used the take home salary which means after taxes.
In the UK, you don’t need to file for taxes because they are already deducted from your salary - unless you’re self employed, have a business or earned 100k+.
I can't believe your employer provides breakfast and lunch. Is that a British thing, or specifically your company/sector? That is a huge perk.
It'd def not the norm here 😅 I work for a startup so that's probably why. Although the free lunch thing is quite common with startups here.
No way did you say LEON and Itsu are fast-food :O, thats way fancier than usual, fast food in the UK is more like chicken & chips, kebab, fish & chips if you're comparing to McDonalds, otherwise cool vid
They are fast food.
If it’s food that you get fast, it’s fast food 😂
I live in a 1 bed flat in Bow, East London ( Zone 2 ) and my rent is £126 a week.
Sounds like your accommodation is subsidised.
@@icilmaa Nope. Privately rented.
@@michael-james1970how??? Help me. Please. I want what you have.
Lifehack: don't live in zone 1. Not sure why you'd want to anyway.
Ahh I’m so blessed to not pay rent or mortgage I basically save and invest 70% of my income
I think that’s about right… I make 37k here
Where is she getting a kg of chicken for £2.20 its like £5 on average
You can get around 1kg of low quality chicken thighs from most supermarkets
Zone 1 for 900? Are you kidding me? For this money all you can get is a parking spot
Why live like a bachelor, paycheck to paycheck, paying 1/3rd of your salary on taxes? Instead, move to Dubai where salaries are higher, and cost of living is lower, taxes are non-existent.
The main question you need to as yourself is….Why stay in London if you can’t live comfortably? Fine if you are on good money/jobs but if you are not, what’s the point slogging there in depressingly expensive tiny rooms in unsafe neighbourhoods? You don’t have money to live so all the restaurant, bars and stuff to do in London you cant afford to experience anyway. GET REAL PEOPLE, GET A REAL LIFE AND MOVE
You need around 45k at least😢
you need to eat very little to get groceries of 150 pounds
The UK will fall year after year in terms of living standards. The country is badly governed. Thank God that I live in a rich country with a policy that ensures a significantly higher standard of living than in the UK. My country Norway is crowned year after year on the UN's list of best countries to live in (together with Switzerland, Canada and Denmark).
yeah I hear salaries are great there..
Also bus is actually £1.65 🥹
Welp
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