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

Manchester is your friend. Good tram system, vibrant nightlife, affordable solo housing. In my view it's the best bits of London but way cheaper. I used to live near there but am now happy in our rural pile.

Why not go and spend a couple of days in all the cities on your shortlist? Get a feel for the places and whether any of them feel like 'home'.

@TedMullins - I am going to look up Tooting Broadway.

There's honestly no way I have 10 years of dating in me haha....I'll be giving up long before then.

I can't believe I started this thread at Xmas and yet here I still am no further on. I always hear of people moving to London yet for me it seems to be a big issue haha.

@WickedUsername - but if the job is remote but being advertised as 'London' location do they still not need to pay a London premium.

@Ginmonkeyagain -that is good to know. I feel like meeting guys in bars is a distant memory and I am just about to turn 31. It's been a long time since I met someone that way.

@Brownbearsinthewoods - I have only been to Manchester once and really enjoyed. I would worry though that it's not dissimilar to NI. Lots of people already coupled up/people in the same groups since uni/school etc

Manchester isn’t like that at all OP. No small town vibes there. It’s very cosmopolitan, young with several universities and compact city centre. Worth a look.
London transport times from home to central are always going to be a shock if you’re not used to it but you just plan around it. Go out straight after work, Londoners never go home to change first, etc. That kind of planning you could probably do without in Manchester on your budget. It depends whether you love the idea of the basically endless opportunities and possibilities of being in London or of you might like a more compacted version of that experience in Manchester or Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff etc. which are all also great cities to live in

I moved from N Ireland to London about 20 years ago. I have never regretted it. I have met many others who have done the same thing. Some go back, most don't. My salary is similar to yours. I got a studio flat at first in SE London (Bromley Borough). I kept selling every couple of years and now own a large house. I found N Ireland a bit boring but my siblings love it there! 😳

Yeah but Manchester is so wet and very cold compared to London. And has a meh city centre.

@Cakeonthefloor - yea a lot of people move from N.I over to London and I agree most don't come back. But most moved like after uni, so I have deffo missed that boat lol

I feel like I'm very old to be starting off on the path that people in their early 20's are on. Flatmate etc.

You are lucky you were able to buy, I never could do that now, not even something small in London, I couldn't afford it!

But yea it is honestly a real dilemma as N.I is just so boring 🙃

But I would also be lying if I said I have made 100% Effort in N.I to meet new people also.

Had a friend who lived here and loved it https://mason-fifth.com/ I’m not sure about the cost though. 30 is definitely not too old to do co-living. Half my friends who live in zone 1/2 only got their own place at around 40 or moved into a partner’s place.

You need to stop dithering! Just make a decision and do it! It will either work out or not, you can always change your mind. Its always better to make a decision than over think and talk yourself out of it. FWIW I left NI for London in 1991, then left London for Cork after ten years (had baby needed more space). Then decided to emigrate to Oz even though I'd never set foot in the place! Every move made my life better in some way and now I'm getting on a bit I feel like I've lived a very full life. I know a lot of my friends in NI regret not leaving, don't let that be you. I only go back now to see my mum and honestly if it wasn't for her I would never go back.

well i'm far too old, so what do i know, but spending £2,400 to live with 27 other people, sharing one large sitting room and dining area wouldn't seem the best use of money, despite the nice studios. and how do you make a bed that is up a ladder, what if you're ill.

hello OP, what area do you stay in when you come to London.
do you have to change your job, i mean if it's WFH, does it matter if you are across the water, it's still UK.
(i know it would be different if living in a different jurisdiction, for all sorts of regulatory matters).
would you be able to ask people, while you are over from friday, about the experience of living in London. and maybe explore, look around a bit, before you have to go back.
i'd like to encourage you to try to do it.
you are not too old at all.
all the best.

i was referring to M&F living above, £2,300-£2,400 per month, all in.
guess it suits some people.

A lot of salaries have got worse since remote working as people can just move away and don't have to account for train fares. Would you consider Brighton? Or Edinburgh? Or Leeds?

@alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 - I know I need to stop dithering. 😔

But there is the large obstacle of finding a job. I just got another rejection today! I can't seem to move forward despite having good experience which is frustrating.

I would also really love to live in Dublin, it's only two hours away from me, but again...it's money!

Did you emigrate to oz solo or with a partner etc?

A friend of mine moved to NZ last year but with her bf who is from there, so slightly different. She keeps trying to get me to move there!

@alexdgr8 - no I wouldn't be able to live somewhere like that. It sort of reminds me of halls of residence.

@Unexpectedlysinglemum- I am shocked at how low the salaries are! How can they justify it and expect people to live on really low salaries in London! Even if it's remote if someone has always lived in London, they still need that higher salary. I don't know about those places. I would say edinburgh would be fairly hard to meet people in?

I don't think I would recommend Dublin, its super expensive and nowhere near as fun as London. And pretty grotty IMHO. We moved to Cork instead, but we moved there with a baby so our priorities were different to yours, I don't think it would be what you are looking for , its a lovely city but small (its also very cliquey). I was in my 40s by the time I moved to Oz with my husband and son. We were happy to move to Perth for a more laid-back lifestyle now we are older, but we are really happy we had our crazy younger years in London!

@alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 - Dublin Is great for a night out though! I have heard others complaining that it is grotty during the day/run down looking! I haven't been in it walking around during the day for over a year so don't have experience of this recently.

Been doing some research on London rents this week and it is just depressing.

There are bidding wars going on and people are offering over the monthly rent, landlords are asking for 6-12 months of rent in advance. People also offering that they can sign a lease for 3 years etc!

It just seems nuts. I don't have the money to give a landlord 6-12 months rent in advance.

I know I seem like I'm dithering but how are normal people affording this?!