Would you consider 25k a year a low income for a single person?

[Geraldinefox]

Outside of London.
It's not even 25, it's 24.8k.

This is for a single person living alone.

Not particularly low, no. But your post needs context.

its relatively low yes. But depends on what the salary prospects are, how likely will that increase?

I wouldn’t say it’s really low but it is relatively low if that has to fund 100% of a house, bills etc it would be tight.

We are due an increase of up to £70 per month after tax, but it could be lower.

I think it's relatively low if you want to live in a flat or home, not a houseshare or bedsit.

Well, yes, it pretty much works out to the national minimum wage annualised doesn’t it? It was what I was on 25 years ago and I lived in a flat share - would have been tough living alone on that then, even more so now.

It depends completely on your outgoings, particularly housing costs. I lived alone and paid my mortgage, household bills and to run a car on £19k in 2021. However my mortgage was low and my house was small, so bills were lower. I didn’t have any other debt to service. That is also prior to the huge increases in bills and food over the past couple of years.

Whether a lower than average income is enough or not really does depend on your essential costs.

Yes, I would.

I would, yes. I earned this in my mid 20s and it wasn’t loads even living in a house share.

It is not high but context is everything. What age and stage of life are you ?

My friend has an income of about this and is close to retirement but she has paid off her mortgage.

Mid 30s, mortgage and bills comes to just under 900 a month.

It depends.

I live in an area where you could get a small house or flat on that wage.

it also depends what you do and hours. Part time entry level admin - it’s a good wage. Full time mid level management and it’s not.

As someone has said, minimum wage on a 40 hour week is £23,795 so you’re on £1k pa more than minimum wage.

If it was my 1st job after school/uni, it would be ok as a starter. Mid 30's, I was on nearly 3x that, so yes, I would say its low. BUT- your lifestyle, mortgage, expenses will be very different to mine when I was that age. I was also in central London.

Are you struggling financially on that wage? Could you take in a lodger? Any career options to earn more?

My mortgage and all bills, CT, service charge etc. Come to £900 ISH a month.

The remaining £825 is for savings, credit card repayments, food, transport, toiletries, phone bill, gym, medication, clothes and anything else.

So presumably you're managing then? And you're on the property ladder which is great. In which case it's ok.

Unless you're very highly qualified / skilled and working a 60 hour week (junior doctor, criminal barrister) in which case it's awful. But if you're only educated to GCSE level and it's an unskilled job (carer, retail) it's reasonable.

I think it’s crap.

I was earning 19k with a car at 25 in 1989.

That was fairly normal.

I manage by sticking to a very tight budget, buy everything cheaply and not a lot of holidays.

No option for overtime as it's been scrapped.

Can't take in a lodger as I have a very small 1-bed flat.

So I'm looking for higher paid roles.

I'm sure it's tight, but if you've got a mortgage rather than being at the mercy of the private rental sector then that's a start, especially with interest rates coming down.

Would you be able to pick up a weekend shift doing bar work or whatever?

Honestly I've worked 6 days a week before and I just don't feel like you should have to be taking on a second job to survive.
It's no fun having just 1 day off every week, not a long-term solution.

I have to examine people's bank statements as part of my job and there are people younger than me making 5 times my salary.

It's better to just look for a higher paid job and not have to count every single penny.

I would say that it is low.

I earn about £29K - £30K a year as I can only work part-time due to health issues.

Like you I live on my own. I am finding it really tight and have little left after I pay the bills/mortgage/council tax.

I manage but it is not ideal so I can see how difficult it would be on £25K.

Oh definitely look for a better paid job.

But casual weekend work might help in the short term. A lot of people do have a side hustle of some sort to make life a bit more comfortable: surveys, tutoring, babysitting, cat feeding.

That's what I earn, single. My main bills are

Mortgage 395
Service charges 190
C tax 130
Water 25
Gas and electric 100
Car insurance 42
Internet/netflix/now as a bundle 52

Then the stuff like food, car tax, petrol, cat food etc
My luxury is I pay a peloton which is £39pm and £16pm for netball

Do it then. Get a higher paid.

It would surely depend a great deal on housing costs locally - they can vary a lot.

You can get degree level apprenticeships on about that salary. Do you have A levels, is that an option? Obviously you put in the work, and study as well for 3/4 years but then there is a huge salary increase at the end when you pass.