To wander how is cost of living cheaper outside of London

[where2now]

So I get rent/Mortage and childcare will be cheaper out of London especially further north. But what else is cheaper?? Everyone keeps saying cost of living is much cheaper up north. AIBU not to understand this? I mean supermarkets surely have the same price food all over the country right? And even retails stores ie clothes shopping??
I'm really wondering as we are considering moving out of London due to this but I just can't get my head around it.
Can anyone help and give examples I'll be very grateful? Thanks all

Rent / mortgage, yes. Childcare, no. I pay a similar rate (in Cheshire) as my sister does in SW London. Lived in London for a long time and my daily tram fare is 3 times the cost of a longer journey on the tube.

Tbh if you can cover your housing costs, have no childcare and you enjoy London, then I'd stay put. It depends what you like doing of course, but I've found it more expensive to do the things I like doing. Oh, and public transport is largely woeful, expensive and a pain in the arse outside of London. I can't believe I used to moan about the Victoria line when sometimes I have to wait forty minutes for just one of the two buses I get to work, while paying £18 a week for it.

Council tax is more expensive outside of London

Again, not true. I pay more council tax where I currently live than I did when I lived in London in a house that was worth twice as much.

The thing I love outside of London, certainly where we live, is using the car. I know its not eco, but I prefer it to public transport.

Harolds we want to upsize and that's the main reason we were thinking of moving, but house prices don't seem that much better outside London for a place with excellent school catchment. Decisions decisions 👍🏼 if you don't mind me asking where do
You live now
And why did you move ? Any regrets?

Terfsup I don't understand your comment? You are saying you pay more council tax outside of London, which is exactly what I said?

Oh and me and she both drive so transport isn't too much of a problem

There are good school catchment areas where house prices are much cheaper than London. But it depends where you are happy to live.

Crunchymint that's another story 😂has to be a city couldn't go rural, maybe Birmingham side?

My apologies, crunchymint. I mis-read your post! I agree with you on council tax.

Petrol is definitely cheaper, but I'm not sure if that's a welsh/English thing. Tradesman are also much much cheaper - a friend in London actually found it cheaper to get a guy from up north down than it was to get local tradesman.

It would depend on your jobs surely - my salary is nationally set so apart from a tiny uplift for being in London (which wouldn't cover rent increase) I'm far and away better up North than in London.

Whilst there is definitely less variety I find better options in terms of groceries. There's a ton of farm shops, local butchers, grocers etc that are incredibly cheap. As an odd aside, I think because there are less exciting restaurants/shows/nights out I spend less because there's not much opportunity, but will do free stuff instead as am surrounded by the most beautiful countryside.

More well my husbands salary would reduce
by £300 annually which is around £300 per month.

If you discounted housing costs, many things are cheaper in London and there’s loads of free things to do. The effect is compounded because London salaries are higher. If you didn’t have to pay London rents or mortgage, you’d be quids in in London.

Whatthefoxsgoingon really? Things like what are free in
London and not elsewhere? Just asking genuinely

What I’m trying to say is that, unfortunately, once you add in rent or mortgage, the other cheaper costs of London are completely eclipsed and you end up with less than elsewhere.

Lots of free museums/galleries/parks. There’s just more in number than anywhere else

Whatthefoxsgoingon ahah got you sorry makes sense

Gardengeek really ? Definitely about the parking though. I live by the shopping centre and parking is ridiculous £4.50 up to 2 hours 😮

The housing costs totally kill any savings you make elsewhere sadly!

Whatthefoxsgoingon agreed

Depending on your house requirements, that would more than likely be recouped. Out of interest I looked where I used to live, for over double my current mortgage I could buy a tiny 3 bed terraced in a less than salubrious area, working out over £1k per month more expensive. Instead I have acres of space (literally) and a great sized house.

As you're interested in city living, a five bed townhouse in Leeds would by comparison only cost me around £70k extra, with more square footage in the house.

Council tax isn’t high in London compared to many other areas. It’s easier to find a cheap meal, due to the huge amount of competition. You’ll be able to see the latest play/exhibition/show much more easily. Public transport is great. It’s very multicultural. It’s one of the true world cities. If you go anywhere in the world, they will recognise your hometown.

But yeah, it all boils down to the astronomical house prices putting a spanner in the works....

It's true that public transport tends to be more expensive outside London, but in those areas it is also so bad you can't use it for getting to work so you end up driving. A car is a car, but outside London petrol is cheaper, there's no congestion charge, and you're more likely to be able to afford to live somewhere with your own parking.

It is mainly the housing costs though. I'm currently renting a semi detached house in a nice area with a big garden and beautiful views and am still paying less per month than I was for a shitty damp flat in south London 10 years ago. This also has an effect on services you pay for (like childcare and the window cleaner) because the people providing them aren't paying London housing prices either.

When I first moved out of London I was delighted to order 2 pints in my new local and get change from a fiver, so there's that too.