How do people on low incomes manage to live in London?

[YourPithyLemonUser]

How do ppl on low income survive in London?

I know some ppl with low incomes i.e. cleaners, creative types, freelance artists etc.

Yet I see them eat out, go on holiday, have a good time etc.

How is this possible? Only with financial support from their parents does this happen

It explains why some lower earners can "afford" to live in London when higher earners leave saying they can't afford to stay.

Some peope have different expectations and are content live in smaller.places or make compromises with accomodation in return for living in London.

I find everything apart from the flat (£1800 a month) cheaper. I get the bus or walk everywhere £1.75, foods no more expensive. Utilities cheaper in winter as London is a lot warmer than the rest of the country.
A huge amount of free stuff to do obviously.

Well their cost of commuting is automatically out and from this may also have no car so those costs are out too! if they’re a creative they may be flexible wfh so no childcare etc, then being thrifty, a property they got through inheritance or living with parents or just renting a room etc

They rent a bedroom not a house.

We do have a four bed house with garden in London but our mortgage is only about 500 a month as we bought ages ago.

We could never afford our house today and definitely couldn't afford to rent it.

Loads of people are in this position

Why would the cost of commuting be out? It costs me £200 a month just to commute 3 days a week.

Some hospitality worlera will have accomodation included - pub managers and hotel staff can get a small flat or room included.

Others will be doing as one of many jobs or as a PIN money job as they have income from other sources or a partner who earns well.

Social housing and Universal Credit top ups.

Or in the case of delivery workers often sharing a room let alone a flat.

I’m in London and earn 34k gross in a creative wfh industry, but I’m staff, not freelance. DH earns about 20k. We don’t get any benefits. We have a four bed terraced house in z2. It’s very affordable for us. The mortgage is paid off and we don’t run a car. No nursery, school or university fees. Our DC are young adults. Public transport is free, though DH cycles everywhere. My gym and pool membership costs about 20 a month (council). There are discounted tickets everywhere for galleries, theatre, cinemas. So much is free generally. We don’t tend to eat out, though.

I pay zero and never spent anything on commuting in 16 years in London as I cycle everywhere

My 20-something DD has a flat of her own in z2/3 border and earns 34k a year, no partner. No benefits. She has to pay back her student loans (undergraduate and masters) and all other normal living expenses. She commutes to z1 every day, but cycles if the weather is ok. She seems to manage fine.

Social housing in a lot of cases I think. My in laws all live in London and mostly in social housing, including SIL who is qualified nurse and works for the NHS but is a single mum so couldn't afford to live in London without social housing

That's what I was thinking. All those NMW 'key workers' without whom the country would have completely fallen apart a few years ago, and who now appear to have been entirely forgotten by the hard of thinking. Well, until the hard of thinking start complaining about people on benefits, of course.

I pay "commuting costs" but as I don't own a car and regularly need to take buses and trains out and about oitsid eof gettig to work, I see it as my general transport costs.

Yes not needing to go in to the office three times a week would save me a few pounds, but in the scheme of things it is not massive unike the thousands of pounds people outside of London pay for a season ticket. And living in inner London I do have the option to use the much cheaper bus to get in rather than the train.

u r an outlier

Yes, doesn't make sense. In smaller towns and cities, people can walk to work. Not many people in London can afford to live close enough to their workplaces and public transport there is expensive.
The example given above of the bike makes sense, although it's still more than walking (wear and tear on shoes only).

I am a single parent on a low income, living in a flat 5 mins from a zone 1 tube station. I pay £140pw for a 2 bed flat, it's a secure council tenancy. I have a pt min wage job, topped up with UC and I also get PIP for myself and my DS gets DLA. We don't have any childcare costs as my DS can't cope in childcare. I don't pay any travel costs within tfl zones as I have a disabled Freedom Pass and my DS travels for free as a child. We don't have a car as I'm unable to drive, but it's more convenient not to drive so I'm not sure I would have got one even if I could drive.
We manage OK financially, I get carer tickets for free which helps with trips out and I don't eat out much (cheaper but also better for DS's dietary preferences). He gets a budget from the council towards extracurriculars. We can cover living costs from our income and can afford to do the things we want to do, including an overseas holiday every year. We don't get any help from family.

There is a lot of social housing in London in boroughs like Islington and Hackney, and most people I know live in a council/HA flat (parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, most of DS's school friends). Most of us get some kind of benefit top up (UC or pension credit for the older ones) but not all.

Well that’s not possible for everyone. I takes me 80 minutes to get to work on PT. Cycling would take me like 3 hours

I don’t know what you mean? DS industry is notoriously poorly paid.

Or do you mean I am an outlier subsidising my young adult DC?

i mean the person getting 100k a year as a freelance artist is an outlier

Is there a reason why u r in london? u dont need to stay here for your career

Why would she move when she has a home with cheap rent and subsidised travel? Supermarket food costs the same here as anywhere else as do gas and electricity and cultural fun is often cheaper than elsewhere. Only really rent and alcohol and dining out is more expensive.

bc its not fair to other ldners who have careers here and arent eligible for social housing

shes as entitled to be there as anyone else. Her family are there too.