I´m interested in a job in London with this salary. Translated into canadian dollars this is much more money than I´ve ever made before (and could live here like a king), but still suspect it is not much to go on in the UK. What´s my lifestyle going to be like? I´m used to the semi-bum student life, will this continue? Thanks.
1
alanr
Depends on if you do a flatshare, rent a place or buy a place. In the former you'll have plenty of free cash, in the latter you'll be on bread and gruel. Renting by yourself will allow you to afford meat on alternate Sundays
2
technotrekker
If you want zone 1 then even in a flatshare you need to spend 140+GBP/week to find anything half decent (and that's bigger than a shoebox). If you're happy further out then rent will get more managable, but travel costs and hassles multiply.
To answer your question - I'm not sure I'd like to live in London with a salary under 30k, but if you don't mind continuing the semi-bum lifestyle it might work out.
Move-it!
tt
4
dick_dangerous
£30,000? That's pretty good, but because of rent and travel you'll find it goes quite fast. Plus of course the tax. Forget trying to buy unless you want to live in a one-bedroom flat in Croydon (Which you wouldn't) - house prices are ludicrous in the UK as a whole now. With that amount of money you could get a nice flatshare or a good rented flat in zone 2 or 3. And if you're used to the semi-bum student life then your only problem will be adjusting to doing some graft! You'll find plenty of money to spend on student essentials such as beer, cake and amusing t-shirts.
DD
5
vincehilaire
30k will allow you to lead a reasonable lifestyle assuming your a bit careful with your cash
6
donstefano
30.000 probably gives you around 1650-1700/month. If you are young, I would say, go for it. You will have a normal life, but nothing special. BUt forget about buying a place in london with that income, and even renting a flat on your own will be very difficult. With this income you can life comfortably everywhere, exept for the UK...
7
brodie_bruce
Can't really add much more to what everyone's said already - £30,000 is enough for a pretty decent sort of London lifestyle in a sharehouse with enough left to save or use for travel each month after paying rent, bills, food and entertainment (that's my big downfall each month).
Take a look at this online tax calculator to see what your take home pay should approximately be each month and also London cost of living.
£30,000 may sound impressive when converted to canuckistan (or aussie dollars) - my mum constantly asks how much I earn and then asks me to convert it to money she understands. It all sounds impressive right until I tell her how much rent and bills are...... You get used to it after a payday or two though.
8
angelfire1982
I earn considerably less than this in London. Having said that, I flatshare in zone 3 and struggle with money, but i do also run a car. I think you get used to what you have. If I had a miraculous pay rise to £30,000 I am sure that after a few months of living it up I would fall into a pattern and end up struggling again.
I would find it a lot easier to live in a place that was more expensive but all inclusive, so I wouldn't have to guess at bills each month (which i end up forgetting I have to budget for). This would be my advice. This also counts for council tax, which is £150 per month for my flat (2 sharing) which is a big big percentage of my monthly pay packet....
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