Why do people live in London?

[Waahaawoowoo]

This thread is inspired by a thread where people where explaining how a £100k salary doesn't go far in London. Examples were given of mortgages costing £25k pa. (This is my salary). Childcare bills for 2 kids costing £40k. Our joint salary is £55k pa.

I live in NE Wales. Our house costs us £12k pa for a 3 bedroom semi. Wraparound Childcare used to cost a maximum of £12k pa. But we no longer pay due to age of kids and me WFH. I cannot get my head around DH and I being significantly better off than a couple who earn double what we do.

The logical answer to me would be to move from London. So why do people stay? Is it family? The type of work you do? I'm curious more than anything about what keeps people there when they could possibly have a better standard of living elsewhere.

London is my favourite place in the world. If I could afford to live there I would.
I’d pay to not live in Wales.

Because it's home now. If I had my time again I might have tried harder to move somewhere else after university, because the jobs brought me in. But moving would be hard now and so I'm kind of tied in, emotionally and practically.

@Xenia actually prices on the tube are broadly comparable with the Paris Metro.

I understand your question because sometimes I ask myself why. Combined we have a household income of around £200k and we still think it’s so expensive. Especially with a child. However, 1) my salary is so much higher because I live here 2)my career growth and potential and opportunities are amazing 3) the multi-cultural side of the city (we are expats so it we don’t feel like we stand out) 4) my child will be exposed to so much more diversity, and culture 5) I love it and think it’s the greatest city in the world

There is already a thread about this thread 😀 People seem to get very annoyed if you mention going to museums or galleries every week on MN. " Well, it's all right for the rich who live in Kensington" they mutter darkly. Museums and galleries are free. Walking ( or skipping!) by the Thames is free. Walking by St Paul's is free. Going to the V and A is free. I live in SE London so am hardly posh. Transport is now more expensive but I usually walk at least one way and that way I dont have to go the gym. DH and DS cycle.

I have got theatre, comedy and music tickets for £5 on seatfiller sites like Central Tickets or Lastminute booth. Not the West End but pretty good fringe. People are ok to spend on stuff but not on experiences. I prefer doing the opposite and I spend very little on clothes or makeup. We don't drink alcohol. I cook everything from scratch. All this money saved goes in the experience kitty.

I understand that people with young DC may not have time but when mine were tiny, I left them with DH and went for a couple of hours at least to feed my soul. And when they grew up, they came with me. I don't have to drive them around so they move about London and their own.

I don't understand why I must spend all my spare time in Lidl or IKEA to be 'real'. I have no interest in that. Luckily neither does DH.

Comparable to Stockholms metro as well

I think that is a very good point about Londoners always seeming stressed and obsessed about house prices and schools.

tbf that's reflective of particular "bubbles" rather then a lot of families.
I agree that it's very transitory though particularly approaching secondary school age.

I planned where my daughter would be going to school when she was a fetus. And I brought our main family home near the school I want her to go to when she was 1. It's always good to be prepared so she doesn't end up going somewhere awful with kids who are a bad influence.

it's often the most practical option & very normal.

@bibbybox I agree to both things and wouldn't ban cars. People who want them have to pay for the inconvenience they cause to others though.

You cant live in Singapore on £100k as an expat (non Singaporean Citizen) You couldn't even afford the rent alone on that.

That is because zone 5 can be a long journey. To travel that far in the North might be £30 a day if you cross regions. £10 a day is a bargain.

Yes, Singapore is incredibly expensive and rather dull compared to London.

I have lived in the Gulf and that kind of expat in a bubble lifestyle is not my thing. Depends on how you define standard of living, I suppose.

I agree. In all the time I've lived and/or worked here I have never once had a conversation about a school (although I'll admit to occasional window shopping on Rightmove just for fun 😀).

@Emotionalstorm I think that's quite risky tbh. It's 11 yrs from fetus to secondary & schools can change quite a lot in that time. Particularly in this climate where London primaries are suffering from falling rolls. You may find she ends up somewhere awful!

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@limitedperiodonly who claimed otherwise?

I think people have different reasons for living in London such as more job opportunities, family & friends live there, lived for years feels like home, more clubs and bars for young people, better transport links, multiculturalism etc. Also it can be daunting to move to a new area if you don't know anyone that lives there and don't know what it's like. Going from a city life to a small town can be a difficult adjustment.

How can you guarantee there will be no children that will be a bad influence no matter where you choose to send your child to school? Are you saying you only get bad influences in poorer/rougher areas and everybody is perfectly behaved in more affluent areas?

Poor @Emotionalstorm is in for a bit of a land, bless her 😂

Beats me - my son lived there in a one bedroom flat with his wife and baby - both earning good money and lived like paupers -my daughter lives in Lancashire with her family - similar income - 4 bedroom detached house -ample disposable income - no contest really - my son has now relocated to Finland and finding life much cheaper and more enjoyable

My personal experience is that I never wanted to move to London but struggled to get the job I wanted after uni in regional offices. They offered 2 or 3 graduate places Vs 20+ in London.
20 years later and I could now move but I've built a life here and so it's hard to give that up.
I think I will one day move though as know I could have a better standard of living outside of London

I don't live in London but could live somewhere other than my own location for cheaper. But I don't want to move from 'home' to a random place just because of cheap real estate. For me location matters and I can't really see myself moving hundreds and hundreds of miles away from home just to gr a cheaper mortgage.

Try the Barbican for cheap cinema tickets. Pay what you can afford nights. Recommended £3 min😀

London is crowded, noisy, busy, ancient, difficult to get into, difficult to get out of, huge and sprawling, mostly unplanned, expensive, dangerous, unpredictable, aggressive, dirty and as diverse as Babel.

Having said that, I feel I ought to balance the list by giving some sort of downside - but there isn't one.

Born and bred in London as is DH. We rent. I couldn't live anywhere else. I live in Islington which is now the place to be. Unaffordable for most. Growing up and being schooled here I have seen so many changes, not all good. Upper street was a no go area after 11pm but myself and friends still walked home through Highbury Fields after a pub night out in the late 70s/80s. Always something to do. The Barbican is a favourite place. You can even attend films for as little as £3. Pay what you can nights. Big downside, our three adult children are still at home, ridiculous rents and house prices. Next door 2bed flat, private road sold for 2million! So many of my friends have moved out, once out you will never be able to afford to get back, without an inheritance or lottery win. I know how lucky I am.

@bibbybox some people claim that what they want is what they need, Apart from special circumstances no one who lives in zone 1-4 London needs a car. That doesn't mean you can't have one, if just means you have to pay. Just be honest.