What would our lifestyle be like in U.K.

[Isitsconeorscown]

On this wage-£37 grand a year-Dh
Me-possibly-£18/19 grand a year

We’d be in Cornwall and would have a mortgage of around a grand a month.

We have one primary aged dc

British, but living abroad and wishing to return.

Also, lifestyle on just Dh’s wage (I intend to work, but chronic illness and may not be immediately)

I don't think you'll be eligible for a mortgage straight away if you've lived abroad for a significant amount of time. Rentals are expensive and in short supply in Cornwall, some with restrictions about needing to have lived in Cornwall etc. £38k will be a bit close for comfort to live off.

It’s about the percentage of your income that’s being spent on the mortgage, not about the size of the deposit. £1k on a single £37k salary is 40% of income, no bank is going to let you do that.

If you go on the MSE ‘how much can I borrow’ calculator it estimates you’d be able to get monthly payments of £790 with just your DH’s salary and £929 with you earning £19k as well. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/how-much-mortgage-borrowing/

I don’t know what price range you are looking at but if you have a rough price in mind then most banks have calculators on their websites for you to check how much you could borrow and what it would cost per month.

I earn near 37k a year and we struggle, We make ends meet but have zero luxury and i dont even have to pay for my car!!!

Monthly costs:
Fuel is about 180 a month just for school runs
Groceries for our family is 150-200 a week for a decent shop
Electric 170
Gas 120
Council tax 160
Water 80
Phone 40
internet 35 ( no tv )
and thats already 1585 - now add 1000 for rent = 2585 :(
If i had to pay car tax and insurance that would be an extra 280 minimum a month for me
but based on my rent and bills, i have to be earning 31k a year JUST to pay for those which leaves me roughly 500 a month for anything else or 220 a month if i had to pay car insurance.

I earn near 37k a year and we struggle, We make ends meet but have zero luxury and i dont even have to pay for my car!!!

Monthly costs:
Fuel is about 180 a month just for school runs
Groceries for our family is 150-200 a week for a decent shop
Electric 170
Gas 120
Council tax 160
Water 80
Phone 40
internet 35 ( no tv )
and thats already 1585 - now add 1000 for rent = 2585 :(
If i had to pay car tax and insurance that would be an extra 280 minimum a month for me
but based on my rent and bills, i have to be earning 31k a year JUST to pay for those which leaves me roughly 500 a month for anything else or 220 a month if i had to pay car insurance.

Our charge £20 for blazers, £10 jumpers, £10 for pe tops x 2 - add shirts, trousers, football boots & socks plus school shoes £20 on Vinted once a year and you're talking £150 second hand for a growing teenager. There's so many costs that aren't included in people's budgets but you can't not buy this stuff!

@boyohboys ah my kids are still primary and nursery age so not experienced high school uniform prices yet!

Depends where in Cornwall, whether you need a car.
Cost of living is higher here; water rates, food, petrol...all higher than average. House prices too, since lockdowns.

I live in Cornwall and our joint income is 60k and I can tell you we are not well off by any means!! You need a car each as public transport awful. GP surgeries stretched so appts at least 2 weeks away! Treliske is overstretched too and has one of the worst waiting lists in England !! Water rates most expensive in country. Because we don’t have the competition here costs are raised in retail. My brother lives in Exeter and can’t believe what we pay for tyres for example as much cheaper there. Eating out expensive as catering for holiday makers. I think there are cheaper places to live in the UK they are just as nice ! Before people ask why I don’t move all family here and despite all the above I still love it here except in
the summer …it’s hell in
the summer as our population increases five fold!!!! All locals stay in as it’s so stressful to go anywhere even the supermarket! Forget days on the beach in the summer!
so be prepared for not living comfortably, paying over odds, poor healthcare no dentists and stressful summers. Oh and I haven’t touched on school availability please check that before you move that is a real problem especially for primary.

This thread has put me right off 😫
Guess I’m not returning to family anytime soon

It really depends on what style of living you want to have I suppose. We live in Cornwall and used to be on a similar joint income to you (about £55k). That was before the cost of living rise though, now we’re on £ 75k and are just maintaining the same lifestyle with maybe slightly more put into savings, but only slightly. Houses are pricey down here and interest rates in the UK are high at the moment - we have a monthly payment of £1200 ish on a £250k mortgage (property is worth £1m roughly - we could only afford it due to inheritance and making a lot of money on a previous renovation project), and it’s fine but I’m not looking forward to when our low fixed rate ends in 18 months time. We spend a lot on diesel and sports clubs (for us and the kids) but very little on holidays as we have the beach very close by. Both work from home, which is pretty common around here. We are comfortably off but not rolling in it, and have to save up for a long time for any large purchases like cars or small house renovations. I wouldn’t live anywhere else in the UK despite the issues with tourists and the poor road network.

I have lived out of the U.K. for 15 years now (first France and then the Netherlands) and I think you would be INSANE to return to Britain now. Whether you can afford it is one thing; whether you would have a decent quality of life (as in, having the privilege of driving over roads that don’t feel/sound like they’re made of sandpapered Ryvita, being able to cycle with your child without worrying about getting run over, being able to access a doctor/dentist, not having to put your kid through what is the tyranny of U.K. education currently etc etc) is quite another. I was already of the mindset of ‘never moving back’ and a necessary 4-month stint back in the U.K. for work a few years ago was enough to confirm that no, we definitely won’t ever be doing it. I mean, where are you living currently? I almost guarantee that it’s better than whatever standard of living the U.K. can offer you at the moment.

@Angelil Tbh it’s like that in many places now

Remember OP, any other families can, and do, manage on less money than that.

Sorry, not read all the posts, but it is tough to get work in much of Cornwall. You really can't rely on a second income.
House prices are very high in many areas and, if you're limited by what you can afford to borrow you may have to travel quite a distance to school and work, so you might need two cars.

Not in the Netherlands and not in France 🤷‍♀️ in Belgium maybe for the roads 😂 but I suspect healthcare is better in Belgium (not that beating the U.K. on this front is a particularly high bar to clear…). The U.K. does not do well on many metrics and is it any wonder that no country has tried to copy the NHS model?

It depends where you are moving from and what the cost of living is there compared to here. We moved back from Grand Cayman to Cornwall in 2016. The cost of living there was astronomical so money seemed to go so much further when we came home. With the cost of living crisis and increased mortgage rates we are feeling the squeeze now. Same as you we choose Cornwall for family reasons and I don’t regret coming home. Yes I miss the weather but as our parents health has deteriorated I know it was the correct decision.

Life style - there are certainly things you can do to reduce costs. With so much on your doorstep beaches, woods and lots of outdoor space a day out doesn’t have to cost a lot. I will say winters can be a bit boring as so much is closed down here. Although there are lots of lovely period properties here my advice would be to get a more modern energy efficient property as that will keep costs down and try and get a fuel efficient car as public transport leaves a lot to be desired here. I have a SEAT Ibiza and it’s £20 a year to tax and about £30 a week for fuel. With regards to house prices you might need to look at areas you might not have considered before. We live just outside the Clay District and although lots of people look down on it we really like it here. You might need to do a few trips back and start the buying process before you move as family sized rental properties are like gold dust here.

Do you drive?
I only ask this, because if you don't drive, some parts of Cornwall, are remote and if you don't drive, getting around could be difficult.
Price's down south, can cost more, making your budget not stretch very far, I don't know about Cornwall, but I know London costs more. Plus house prices are mental.

I drive and will always have a car, would hate to not have one

With both of you working you should be ok. I’m a single income household and earn 63k so around 3.5k take home. I pay rent of £1350 and manage ok. I run a car too. Teenage kids so not that costly.

OP's HH income would be well > Cornwall average even with only her H. earning. https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/cornwalls-richest-poorest-neighbourhoods-revealed-8247028

It would be very tight on just your husband's salary but it's the most amazing place to bring up children. I say that from experience. North Cornwall is slightly cheaper. There's loads for kids and you to do, not just surfing. It's a very creative place. There are lots and lots of different beaches to visit, forests, the Eden Project. It\s definitely a much slower pace of life so if you like city living, Cornwall is not the place to be. There's one road in and one road out but the train takes you straight to Paddington from Bodmin in about 4 hours. I would move back there in a heartbeat. We only had to move because of my husband's job or we'd still be there now.

No they wouldn’t. The figures quoted in the article are net, including net of pension contributions and council tax. Assuming pension contributions of 8% (which I think is roughly average but below what you should contribute) and a council tax band C property their net household income would be circa £25,700. That’s broadly in line with what the article says is average in Cornwall's poorest areas, not well above average.

I’m in the midlands where property is considerably cheaper and we would struggle on those wages. We have no debts (car finance/ credit cards/ student loans). You have to watch every penny. We shop at Aldi and enjoy making home food as healthier and cheaper than dining out. Have you looked at interest rates? We put more down deposit down on our house than you have (£450k house) and our mortgage is over £1500 a month - moved last year. (In midlands) on our 3 bed detached council tax is £280 a month (12 months a year) electric £150 a month. Gas £70 a month. Internet £50 a month (need fast due to wfh). Water £45 a month We are really savvy and have sim only phone contracts, don’t have Netflix and other subscriptions. I sell all my children’s and our unwanted items on eBay / vinted. My car insurance on my small economical Japanese car was £500 for the year (pay annual rather than monthly as cheaper) this year- no accidents no points ect!!! Fuel has gone through the roof. Mechanics cost a fortune if god forbid your car fails its MOT. Everything has gone up. My friend said today that this time 2 years ago consultations at her vets was £35 - they are now £60. If you have pets they are a luxury and cost a fortune ( I could justify the cost of one sadly).

We watch the pennies like we do so we can have a few holidays (we use air miles too!!) and look for good deals on all inclusive and get our moneys worth.

IF I didn’t have longstanding health issues we would have emigrated. NHS is horrendous. on Waiting lists for years operations cancelled and then Cancelled again. It’s only as no one will insure me (incurable disease) that my family are stuck here with me.
My DH is foreign and I must say when we visit his home country I’m often scared. I’m never scared in England and where I live never witness crime ect (rural area).

do your research on bills. Get an AIP for mortgage. Do a virtual food shop, work out how much petrol you would be using- make a budget. I would be so surprised if your combined income would stretch to an abroad holiday.

@Chickitychick Where is he from?

I’m so shocked, how much are people earning? Looking at jobs I don’t see even £60 grand jobs being advertised, what am I missing?!