Is this do-able for London?

[WitheringTights000]

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice regarding living in London!

I live in the UK (not mainland UK) in quite a small and boring city.

I'm 30, single and want to move somewhere fun and lively! Everyone here is married and having kids....nothing wrong with that of course but I'm not at that stage!

My salary in London would be 45k. I would not be able to share a flat/house as have a bladder condition so it would not work for me. I would need to live alone.

Is it do-able on that salary? I hear conflicting reports. I would probably be able to bring some savings of just under/around 10k.... but im guessing that won't last long in London.

If London isn't do-able does anyone know of any lively/fun cities in the UK I could live in, also where I could get about by foot and not need a car!

Thank you in advance

A studio flat, which would be the cheapest single accommodation available, in a lively area,I googled Shorditch , seems to come in between £1300,£1500 a month, I assume council tax and utilities on top.

Check out the property rental websites for London?

Doable but wouldn’t leave you with much disposable income which defeats the object of living somewhere fun.

Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds also sound like they would suit you (and much cheaper).

I lived alone in London on a lot less - so its doable but not in the nicest bits and not with the disposable income to make it fun. London can also be a lonely place.

Move to Bristol.

Agree with Manchester liverpool or Leeds or bristol. All easy to get round, very young and much cheaper. Are you in IOM?

Putting in a mention for Newcastle, which is incredibly easy to get around without a car (tiny city centre, good public transport).

I would pick a smaller and cheaper but lively city so that you have more disposable income. Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc. I’ve lived in London as a single person in my 20s and early 30s and it can be pretty lonely, and I found I had such a long commute from accommodation could afford into work that I was exhausted at the end of the day and didn’t have the energy or money to go out.

It depends a bit on your job & what it would earn (or if it exists) in other cities?

Yes absolutely.

You might not be able to afford more than a studio in Central London, but if you go further out, say Abbey Wood, Barking, West Ham, you'll be able to afford a 1 bed with money to live on.

Yes absolutely.

You might not be able to afford more than a studio in Central London, but if you go further out, say Abbey Wood, Barking, West Ham, you'll be able to afford a 1 bed with money to live on.

Would you consider a flat or house share, but with an en-suite bathroom, might make it a cheaper option.

I think that income is low to live comfortably in central London on your own. But if you didn't mind a half hour/40 minutes train or tube ride it might be more possible? I loved living in London, best time of my life! Will you be able to meet people through work? If not you will have to make a real effort - sign up to activities and clubs and things.

I think Manchester and Leeds also sound a lot of fun (some of my colleagues are based there) but I haven't lived there myself.

Bristol.

Transport in bristol is shit unless your in the center
a decent 1 bed flat will set you back at least 1k plus bills probably more if you want anything decent

and it’s incredibly competitive in the rental market if you aren’t in the city trying to find something to rent will be pretty hard

there is a place near temple meads where you can rent flexible fully furnished studios and 1 -2 beds with bills inc
can’t think of the name / market something
but it might be ideal while trying to get something more permanent

my family still live there and I visit often
traffic is an absolute bitch 😂

I think you should go for London. Smaller cities will have lower salaries and lower rents, but it’s just not comparable to London if you want that big city experience.

This is a development in Brixton. There's nothing to rent there at the moment, but it's a development with lots of studio flats and rentals come up relatively often.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/127359041

There's a lovely community.
I think with £45k pa you definitely can have a good life in London

Presume you are asking about renting? Yes it's doable, I rented comfortably on a lower salary. You wouldn't be in the centre but the tube in London makes everything closer so you can be further out with easy access in.
But also you could look into buying a shared ownership flat. With £10K savings and 45K salary that would suit you well. It's what I did and am very happy with it.

Thanks to all who have replied so far

@Dancingdragonhiddentiger
@Wotrewelookinat

In what ways is it lonely if you don't mind me asking. I would of thought it would of been super sociable etc as lots of people there from abroad who won't have families or old friends to fall back on so would be up for socialising a lot?

@PhotoDad - I went to Newcastle for a while for uni and I loved it...had to leave due to health problems! But everyone I know who has ever lived there has only gone for uni and then moved on. I would worry it would mainly all be locals, so people wouldn't be interested in making Friends etc.

@ToBeOrNotToBee - I will look at those places!

@Yabado - I actually have some family who live in Bristol. They don't rent they own and I know cost of living is pretty expensive? I will look up temple meads place though!

@BarrelOfOtters - I am actually from Northern Ireland. It's a village. Everyone knows each other and everyone is so settled. I am at such a loose end. The annoying thing is, is that Dublin is only two hours away, super lively, multicultural...but the costs are phenomenal...even worse than London. It's crazy . Plus a housing crisis for single folk.

@Snoken- yea exactly I am wanting a bigger city experience. I live in a small city and it's crap for me!

@viktoria - it looked like a big house to me is it actually lots of apartments?

@Adultchildofelderlyparents - I would need to look into shared ownership! I wouldn't have thought 10k would get me far at all in terms of that?

I rent in London and it's a financial squeeze. I moved last year and the expectation from the estate agent was that I earned 32 times my monthly rent or that I sufficient savings to cover it.

It would be a struggle and not leave you with much extra cash. Manchester is fab for an alternative.

@Everydaywheniwakeup - what?! That can't be right?! 32 times monthly rent?? How is that possible?

@Everydaywheniwakeup - my 10k would probably be gone in a flash 😂😂

"I would need to look into shared ownership! I wouldn't have thought 10k would get me far at all in terms of that?"

I bought a quarter share of my one-bedroom flat with a £6K deposit! Then my mortgage on the quarter, plus rent and service charge on the other three quarters comes to £1K. So, cheaper than renting a 1-bed with the advantage that I'm a home owner of a quarter of it. Definitely worth looking into.

@Adultchildofelderlyparents - who owns the other 3/4?

No advice but London is the most fun place I've ever lived. Yes rent is expensive but there are so many free things to do that it balances out in my experience. You sound fun OP! I'd be your friend if I was still in London x