How much does it realistically cost to support a 15-year-old girl in London each month?

[MaestroEMargherita]

I'm trying to get a realistic idea of the monthly cost of supporting a 15-year-old girl (year 10) living in London, and would be interested to hear from anyone with teenagers of a similar age.

At the moment, around £1,200 a month is being paid between her and her mother to cover her costs, but there's now an additional expense of £500 a month, bringing the total to £1,700.

I appreciate that teenagers can be expensive, particularly in London, and that costs will vary considerably depending on circumstances. I'm not suggesting that a child's needs should be reduced to a figure, or that there is necessarily a right or wrong amount to spend. I'm simply trying to understand what is typical and what other families find they need to budget for.

For those with teenage daughters, roughly how much do you spend each month on things such as food, clothes, school-related expenses, transport, activities, phones, personal care and socialising? And are there any significant costs that people might not immediately think of?

I'm conscious that everyone's circumstances are different, so I'm not looking for anyone to justify their spending. I'd just find it helpful to get a sense of the reality of raising a teenager in London these days.

Thanks.

The amount other people spend is irrelevant. The amount it might cost will vary according the the affluence of their parents and your daughter has the right to the level of affluence that can be supported by her parents income. If your income was £400,000 then the amount you contribute should be way more than the amount contributed by someone whose income is £40,000 even though some families with teenage daughters manage to scrape by with a lot less.

She's your daughter. If you aren't a shit dad, you want what's best for her. If you'd not split up from her mum would you be agreeing that this new £500 cost is in her best interests? Is it something that will benefit her wellbeing and give her qualifications/experience that will help her adult career or is it just fripperies and fun? Does your family move in social circles where a £500 monthly budget for this kind of thing is normal?

Rather paying mum more money than £500 I would set money aside for university.

You are totally disregarding the cost of housing, which is arguably the biggest cost of having a child. £1000 could easily be the cost of an extra bedroom in London, before any additional costs are added.

We have 3 children. Only 1 left at home as 2 are iff to university.

If I was divorced I wouldn't count on my ex to pay for living posh London.

As an Ex I would cetainly not pay more child support for my Ex to have expensive London housing. Ex's choice.

£500 a month isn't bad in child support from dad. Most pay much less.

It depends on the circumstances. If the family had always been London based then it’s not unreasonable that the children aren’t forced to relocate. For all we know, OP could be earning £150K a year, in which case a £6K contribution towards their child would be pretty pathetic.

And the CMS calculations are bullshit. Why is it acceptable that fathers can contribute 15% of their take home pay towards their DC’s upkeep, whilst mothers have to pay the vast majority of theirs?

I wouldn't. Your choice what you would fork out.

We would never spend £1000 a month on a teenager living at home or spend half time in USA. Kiddo also go skiing. This kid doesn't seem to lack anything.

Then it is unreasonable to expect them to tell you the truth when you ask them for their income. You have to know you’re going to get the same answer as they provided for the 500 calculation

I agree that you need to take housing costs into account. I'm having to pay far more in mortgage, bills and council tax etc because of my children.

Otherwise it's probably the same as anywhere else in the south - tube fare, phone, food, beauty, dinner money, uniform/clothing, clubs, a social life, holidays, etc. How long is a piece of string basically! £1000 seems very reasonable to me.

well maybe both of you agree that it's best for the children to stay at their current school with their friends. Maybe your job is also in posh London so moving isn't feasible because you need to earn money.