Does anyone live alone on 25k or less?

I'm currently living on a max of 12k income - but I have substantial savings (built up when I was earning around 55k for a couple of years) and my mortgage is very small. I do take from the savings most months, but only a couple of hundred. Also use the savings for unexpected bills (car probs, cat illness etc). So that makes all the difference. But I've never had a lavish lifestyle and I always knew my previouos job was precarious, hence all the savings.

I lived on less than that between 2016-2020. I took home just £1050 each month.

I lived in a room in a shared house, £400 went on rent with utilities included. A further £200 on council tax and other bills and direct debits. I spent £150 on food, £100 petrol and had £150 left for other things.

It was tight, but I did it. I couldn’t live on that little now though, since cost of living shot up.

To give you an idea of how CoL has changed things, in 2021 I was on about £8k less than I am now, and comfortable. Now I'm stretched. Same house, similar commuting costs, same number of cats. On food alone, a typical supermarket shop has gone up from about £40 to around £70.

I live alone on about 12k. I had to give up my car as I couldn't afford to keep it. I have a cat who (like a pp's cat) has the best of everything and who I love dearly. I rent a small terraced house in a village. Everything has to be very carefully budgeted but I manage.

Take the job. And extra £5.5k will be about £250
a month I think? It’ll make a huge difference.

@Imsotiredandcantsleep I would say that's absolutely fine! It's roughly £1600 take home pay?? If you have rent / mortgage of around £600-£700 plus bills, travel and food you should be able to manage (even if it is a bit tight some months).

The one thing I didn't account for living alone on a small salary (many years ago!) was anything going wrong in the house and having to find extra money to pay for repairs. I had to borrow off my parents or use a credit card (would not recommend - I was still paying them off years later!).

Do you have savings (or parents who can help you out in an emergency)?

I lived alone on about £15k, but that was in 2010. My rent was also just £350 for a city centre flat with garden. I coped just fine.
Rent would be about 4 times that now.

I now live alone on UC (about £800pm), but have no housing costs.

Yes, when I career changed that was my salary (not many years ago either!). Nice little 3 bed up north and a good lifestyle.
About £1700 a month;
£500 mortgage
£200 petrol/ car insurance
£300 council tax / gas/ electric / water / internet
£200 food
£50 gym
£200 other bits
£100 savings
Very doable. Not sure how much CoL will have changed.
I earn a bit more now but not a lot more.

Jesus that's impressive!!!

As others have said, very dependant on your individual circumstances. I'm on around that, mortgage around £700 per month, heating & lighting etc £150 a month, have to run a car with around £200 a month in petrol plus insurance tax etc, council tax £150 a month (single occupancy). Then add in house insurance, water rates, cat food litter and insurance, and it's tight!

15 years ago I lived quite happily on less than 15k a year.
If I left my partner my wage would be £22,000 after tax and I reckon if I could make it work if I made some changes (1 child, north west).

Impossible to comment without knowing housing costs.

A one bed flat where I live (over 50 miles from London) is about £1000 a month. Which leaves about £700 for council tax, energy, water, insurance, groceries and everything else.

Very tough indeed.

As proven above, people do but it will depend on your circumstances for outgoings because round here you couldn't rent a room in a shared house for £725 a month, let alone live on that much, or buy even a studio flat for a £300 a month mortgage!

It really comes down to rent/mortgage amount. We spend (combined) around £1600 a month and live very well because we have paid off the mortgage, but that feeds 3 adults (mostly, dsd is out a fair bit and buys own lunch), bills on a larger house where one resident doesn't turn off lights and leaves things on , running costs of 2 cars both owned outright and obviously 2, possibly 3 when we eat out etc (her wallet stays at home )

I used to on a lot less than that.

My mortgage was about. £400 though so probably about 8 years ago.

I lived on £12k. Had very cheap rent but needed to run a car, which almost bankrupted me on many occasions. Was all right for food, had no heating (why the rent was cheap) apart from a coal fire which cost ££££ in the winter, so I was just generally cold. But I survived and even managed to bung the kids at Uni a few quid now and then.

My gross is about that. But less after tax and business expenses. I'm self employed. Live pretty much hand to mouth at the moment. Currently have about £12 in the bank till I next get paid.

No holiday in a decade. Want to start a new business but no way of raising the funds when I have no money to invest.

I live alone on a monthly income of £725. Plus a credit card which I only use in emergencies. I have a cat, rent my accommodation, and own an old car. Cat gets the best of everything, including premium insurance, ditto food and all necessary veterinary treatments. He's my best mate and keeps my mental health on a reasonably even keel. I get by, very occasionally using food banks for me.

Yes with a mortgage and it's tight

I did until pretty recently, it was fine. I had a very low mortgage (tiny house to match though!) and could afford to run a car, go abroad every year and go out most weekends.

I did, about six years ago. I was leaving an abusive relationship so if that's your reason, do it, nothing is worth staying in a bad situation. I was extremely frugal - the water provider actually sent someone out to check the meter was working as I was using so little water - but a couple of unexpected PPI pay outs meant I was a bit more comfortable and was able to go on holiday. I had an old car too which cost peanuts to run. I was scared and worried to start with but it ended up being a really positive experience. I like my own company and had lived alone before which helped.

I have a friend who does. His mortgage is £300. He got a low interest rate just after the pandemic and a 30k deposit for his 110k flat. He also manages to save money.

I do and have done all my life, it helps that I have very few major expenses.
Also I bought my house at the very start of the property boom 25 yrs ago (it was so close if I had waited just 6mths I wouldnt of been able to afford a mortgage!).

Not sure I could do it now if I had housing costs. Even a dodgy studio flat round here be pushing it for that wage!

25k for someone is a decent amount for someone on their own.

Yes. It is fine.