Is £35K rubbish for London?

[ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff]

Salary that is, council job. If you're a nearly 40 year old single person with minimal savings?

Go for it. Living in London can be great fun especially when single. Always plenty of jobs around, so you may be able to find a higher paying job quite quickly once you’re here.

I'd go for it! You won't get loads more for an EA/ admin role. Could be a lot worse, really.

You might be able to claim some housing benefit in London (check entitledto.co.uk)

I probably wouldn’t, and would look for something 30-35k in Manchester or Leeds.

I had a lovely one bed flat with a balcony two tram stops from Manchester City Centre that I paid 650 for a couple of years ago & was earning 26k.

If you fancy a change and the experience of living in London then it's doable, you'll not save much though. There will probably be better paid EA roles in the private sector once you get here.

I'd say £35k for an admin type job in a local authority is quite a good salary but it's probably not a good salary to meet London living costs.

@PutYourBackIntoit

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110040545#/

This place looks lovely for £1300pm.

I know exactly where this is... I live a minute from here. Downside is its opposite Mogden Sewage works, upside you walk through the sewage works (actually a nice walk) and you are at Twickenham Stadium. You are close to Isleworth train station there. Isleworth is a good location. Your close to Twickers, Richmond and Whitton is a nice little area too.

It's a nice walk, or it's a nice walk if you hold your nose?

There's lots of sewage works where I am in scenic locations, but I'd be concerned about living near one due to the smell - does it hang around and get on your clothes, hair, washing etc?

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/110031191#/

I'm jealous of your possible London life OP. Go for it! Here's another option, hopefully not near sewage works this time! 😬

The upside with a property like this one is that if things get really tight, you could create a bedroom/lounge for yourself out of the huge reception room, and sublet the bedroom (if allowable).

If I could manage to get a one bed with outdoor space to myself then that would be fab! Thanks for looking.

@BarbaraofSeville thanks for your sanctimonious post. I cannot move because I support my elderly parents and two children with SEN who would struggle if they moved away from what is familiar with them. I'd be much better off if I could move. I posted to acknowledge that with steep housing costs it isn't a brilliant salary. It would be a good salary elsewhere for sure. My budgeting is fine.

I think 35k is perfectly doable. Btw Ravenscourt Gardens would be more fun than Isleworth. It always helps to be close to the tube.

If I was moving to London at your age I would rent a room initially in central London rather than live in suburbs and also then you will get to know the areas and see where you would like to live and meet people. A lot of house shares are 20 somethings but you may find something in central London. I lived in London for 20 odd years, centre was great, suburbs I hated as nothing going on and still expensive though SW London is nice. I think with a £1300 rent plus bills, travel and costs you would be pushing it to break even, council tax alone can be a couple of hundred a month though go through all bills etc. London is great if you can get to central things and have spare money. If you really want to do it I would go for it (even though I hate the place now it was something I needed to do) and if renting its easy enough to move elsewhere if it doesn't work out.

Try it OP, I definitely would in your shoes. I'm mid 30's and have alway thought I would like to live in London for a few years - hopefully I will some day, maybe I'll get there by my forties .

I think it's a great place to be single as there's always something going on. I currently house share in a very naice area - safe, leafy suburb full of families. But I'm single and don't want children so it's a bit quiet and boring.

Although flat shares may not appeal I know that 4 bedroom flats in South Kensington are going for far lower prices than you’d expect - about £1000 a month for somewhere gorgeous as a lot of the families who would have rented them have moved back to France.

*for a room in a flat share.

You could look at one of the home sharer organisations - you pay a minimal fee each month and provide ten hours of companionship to an elderly person (or helping them with cooking / shopping). It's around 100 pounds per month - you get your own room.

But 35k is definitely enough to live in London.