To wonder why people struggle to live in London.

[m1nniedriver]

Just honestly wondering what it is about London that makes people on, as I see it, huge salaries want to live in tiny flats just because it's london? The cost of living there seems riduculous. Some of the posts on here about the cost of housing just beggars belief! A tiny 1 bedroom flat for 300k?? If that's what you want then power to you but I do see posts with people say they are struggling and stressing every day to get by. Why would you not move to another part of the country that would enable a much better quality of life?

I'm not great at putting things across on posts so I hope this doesn't offend anyone its is meant as a genuine question, not having a go.

[Mintyy]

People want to live here because it is the best city in the world, that's why. House prices are high because so many people want to live here because it is the best city in the world. Housing costs are higher in any of the world's major cities. More people prefer city living to rural living.

[Ubik1]

I'm from London but moved 400 miles away and never looked back. I love to visit but living there is another thing.

In my big city I have world class art galleries, ballet, a thriving art school, three universities, wonderful architecture, fantastic parks.

The only drawback is there are not enough jobs. Work is the main draw to London.

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

What mintyy said. If there wasn't phenomenal demand for London, then prices would fall. There is not only local but huge international interest.

[jevoudrais]

London is like marmite seemingly.

You love the thought of living there, or you hate it. I grew up up in the countryside and London is definitely not for me. The noise, the smells etc. I'm not one for going to the theatre or out to different restaurants all the time, I like going out with my dogs and the horses and that kind of more sedate pace of life.

I know lots who grew up in London and no matter how much they mights struggle, could never bear the thought of leaving as it is all they know.

London also offers masses of opportunity regarding jobs, some of which you just don't get elsewhere in the UK, or at least, not on the same salaries or with the same scope. My sector is very countrywide and so I am lucky, but lots of people can be restricted geographically with their employers.

[MarshaBrady]

Job opportunities, great city, not wanting to commute

[cleaty]

I agree. I moved out of London for these reasons. I do miss the museums and galleries, but I have a much higher quality of living in the City I live in. We have a large house in a nice are. In London we would either be in a tiny flat, or living in a very rough area.

[MaxieMouse]

We moved to London because of our jobs. Not just the current jobs, but the fact that if I was made redundant tomorrow, I could be in a new job in a week. Apart from that, we love it here, there's always something new to do for kids and adults. I'm not sure we would stay if we struggled, but I think if we were to struggle in London we'd be struggling anywhere.

[m1nniedriver]

This isn't a criticism of London at all. Sounds like most of you guys PP have a great life in London it wouldn't be for me even if I could afford it but that's not a criticism at all. Obviously there are a lot of jobs that exist only in London and I suspect most of these are very well paid, therefore allowing a good quality of life there.

It Was aimed more at those that struggle to live there working jobs that are most probably readily available in other parts of the UK.

It's not my concern fratelli I'm just interested to hear what people think.

[ShelaghTurner]

Not London itself but the very expensive south east. Yes we could work elsewhere, uproot the girls from schools and nursery etc but I was born here, our families are here, our memories and everything we know are here and like people in the rest of the country we'd quite like to be near our families. It's unfortunate that it's so expensive but that's not my fault.

[bruffin]

My commute from outside London was less than my commute from south of the river. You do not have to live in London and pay London prices to have the best bits of London. This week I went shopping in Stratford, I went to see Walk Off the Earth at the Camden Roundhouse. I have been to see 3 musicals in the last month and get home for by 11.30

[stuckinahole]

Because London is a vibrant, fantastic city with immense opportunity (and fat salaries!)

[DiscoGoGo]

I still live in the area I grew up in NW London, so does my family, DH family as well apart from the ones who have been driven out due to prices. It is very expensive. However most people we grew up with still live here or want to live here. Someone said to me once that NW London is like a series of connected towns / villages even and that it what it's like - each area has a very strong personality of it's own and people feel very "local".

So, this is my home. We are quite far out, but still London and I have lived further in and enjoyed that too. I like it here. I grew up tramping around Camden and Islington and Old Street and all over the place really and it's, you know, my place.

Most people I know feel the same - hence they have done everything within their power to stay.

It's just one of those things isn't it. It's where my roots are. I like living here.

Plus of course on top of it being "home" is all the great stuff that people list about London and that's all just the icing on the cake really. The excellent transport, jobs, bustle, shops, theatres, museums, interesting places to explore with loads of character - all that's just the icing on the cake.

[DiscoGoGo]

Repeated myself a bit there never mind

I think the whole "roots" thing gets overlooked a bit these days. Family. That stuff. It's like the whole idea is of these discrete family units who can live anywhere and it's all the same. It's not, though. I think this has been pushed quite a lot by the govt with the changes that meant lots of families having to leave and they needed people to be able to overlook all the roots / jobs / family / home stuff.

Just my opinion.

[NuffSaidSam]

I don't think you really need to 'get it' beyond understanding that people are different. They have different priorities, different interests and get enjoyment from different things.

For people that live in London the benefits obviously outweigh the costs.

I don't 'get' why anyone wants to watch golf or why anyone would want to do a job that involves touching other people's feet or why anyone would want to eat super spicy food! People are different .

For me leaving London would mean leaving family and friends, leaving my job that I love (and future job opportunities, London-centric job), leaving the buzz of the city, leaving the doorstep access to theatre, museums, restaurants etc, leaving the wonderful multi-cultural vibe that London has, leaving the amazing public transport (don't have a car and don't need one). I'd have to be offered a really substantially bigger property to make that move worthwhile (I'm talking a swimming pool and games room). Unless you know of another city like London where housing is much cheaper?

Those of us that chose London, do so because it's best for us, even in our tiny flats. There are people who are stuck in the situation where London rent is crippling them so that they can't afford to move out even though they'd like to, but that's a different situation.

[m1nniedriver]

I lived in Edinburgh for 15 years, I loved it but I could afford it. I wouldn't want to live anywhere if it meant I struggled financially (if I had a choice). People seem to that to live in London though.

[OutsSelf]

DP's elderly mum is here, and all of our kids' friends and roots. We are cash pooot but we have access to some amazing green spaces - we go to Kew Gardens every week, the Princess Diana memotial playground, which is lush BTW, is out lovcal playground. A bus goes from outside our house to the Natutal History, Science and V&A museums. There's something free and brilliant to go with the kids every day of the week. Plus this is where my work is an it's going to be for the next two years - it's connected to a particular institution and I don't want to miss those hours with my kids commuting, cos the kids are tiny.

Mainly tho OP, it's roots and I think it's a real shame if we think of them as easily tradable, replaceable connection. That's not my experience at all, I love the people around us and want my kids to feel like they have a stake in a community, not to treat it like a transient thing.

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

I'm a NW London girl too. I won't lie, we live very comfortably in a large house and under no illusion that we wouldn't be able to afford it if we had to buy it now. I do understand the need to be near your roots but tbh if we had really struggled to get a good standard of living here, we would have moved. But others would sacrifice much more to be here, because London is their home. Horses for courses. As usual.

[m1nniedriver]

Yeah people are different, just as well isn't it your right disco roots and family are important.

[Artandco]

Jobs - ours both only really exist here ( or other world capitals ie New York), so even moving country would be expensive

Commute - we looked at moving out. Commute would be £4000-5000 a year for us both and 90 mins v 10 min walk now

Childcare - costs higher as need longer per day due to commute

Family and friends

Easy of travel - we travel a lot for work. Need to be near London airports as most fly from there, so even if near airport in say Manchester would need to fly to London

[TheCuriousOwl]

I live here because I'm from here but also because I like the history, culture, variety etc. I have lived elsewhere outside of London in cities with history and variety etc but it just wasn't the same.

This is my home and not a post-university pipe dream like a lot of my friends had of 'ooh let's move to London, our life will be so different'.

[Bellebella]

I live in a London borough and myself and my oh have often thought about moving out. We pay a lot in rent but London is what we know. It's where both of us were born, our grandparents were born in this borough. The whole family still lives here and when I had pnd with my son I relied on my family.

It's easy for someone to say oh it's expensive, move out. However when everything you have ever known is there it's not a decision to be taken lightly.

[m1nniedriver]

Sorry, I wasn't asking why people live in London. I was asking why people struggle to live there. Plenty manage absolutely fine but many don't (as witnessed on posts here) There are other diverse cities in the UK that are more affordable.

[OffMyAyersRocker]

Same as Londonista, dh and l both foreigners and if we leave London we're leaving the UK massively trying to push dh to leave.

But we were lucky in that we bought 5 years ago, have a decent size 2 bed house and had 2 dc of the same sex so we are fine to stay put.

We are 20 minutes from central London and same as pp, we are the last stop at peak hour where you can get a seat which l love. Especially as my zone 3 sw London area is slagged off on mn quite a bit, l feel like it's a little gem that thankfully the hipsters are overlooking!

[DiscoGoGo]

Even people who are getting by would potentially have a better standard of living elsewhere, assuming they could command the same salary - fancy holidays, flashy cars, expensive meals out and what have you.

It's a choice. Some people would rather strip back their lives to more basic and live in London, than live elsewhere and have more disposable income.

Then of course there is the fact mentioned upthread that a lot of people who are really struggling - well they can't afford to move. But you were talking about people who are not on low incomes I think.

[cleaty]

There are cities outside London that are bustley and have lovely restaurants, but are cheap to live in. Where I live is supposed to have more restaurants per person than anywhere else in the country, and that means that bad restaurants, soon go out of business. I have had far fewer poor meals here, than in London.

The elements of London that are like nowhere else are the museums, galleries, west end productions, and opera. I do miss some of those, but I love having a big house with a big garden more.