Catch 22 situation with new job

PeachPickle

I lived in Manchester for 2 years and Clapham for 6 months. Although if I was choosing which one to live in now I'd go for Manchester, that's just personal choice rather than expense. London really isn't all that expensive I know someone in a gorgeous flat, he joined a flatshare he found online and pays £550 pcm in Clapham. On going out - you can find expensive or reasonable prices wherever you are! There's plenty of ludicrous overpricing in Manchester too

bargainbetty

Guys, play nicely!

London does have a hell of a lot going for it, and it doesn't have to be stupidly expensive. I live out in Kent and travel in every day by train. My 'horrendously long' commute is a 20-25 min train journey and a seven minute walk..... ooooh, how terrible. Just enough time to do my make up and read the free paper.

You can find decent houseshares in my area for £450 per month, travel is £75 for trains only (depending on which end of Regent Street it is, you may be able to walk from Charing Cross). Everything else is about smart shopping, and you can live very comfortably for £30k...

Ask for £35 anyway though!

debtfreelondon

See what package your new employer is likely to offer. They may offer interest free travel loans which means you can get an annual travel pass and save on paying more each month.

We moved down to London early in 2005 after living on the Wirral for 18 years (plus commuting to Mancs for the last 2 years).

Apart from housing costs I'd say that everything else is about the same price. You pay the same for a loaf of bread in a supermarket (not a city centre local or express store) here as you do anywhere and there is so much competition for your business you can eat out (toptable.co.uk is good for decent restaurants) or socialise as cheaply as the rest of the UK.

Personally we live near the centre (Shadwell/Wapping) and it takes me between 20 mins and half hour to get to work at Angel. Don't think I'd give that up to move further out. Yes, it's more expensive to live nearer the centre and you may have to compromise on area to get what you want (and you'd be like 95% of Londoners by compromising) but, for us, preferable than a long commute.

If you get the chance and can change your mind and move back to Mancs at a later date I'd go for it.

[Deleted User]

As far as commuting goes.. I use to spend an hour on the bus in rush hour traffic trying to get from Bury to central manchester. I'm just in the process of moving to 'just outside london' (still zone 6) and my train/tube ride will take me an hour. An hour in the morning doesn't bother me, i usually read/watch a DVD/sudoku/wake up.

The Tube is ok as long as you obey the rules.

Sorry if I offended Mirtos, I was just querying the maths, you didn't include your 2nd job in your salary

I did get upset returning to manchester last weekend to find the type of house i'm buying in london is 70k cheaper 'tup north. Oh well, at least it rains less here

mrslawrence2003

goodness some ppl have had some bad experiences of london!

well i love living here - and i'm a farm girl at heart!!!!! london is a vibrant city with so much to do, see and experience. it can be extremely expensive (think gordon ramsay on hospital road) or it can be free. as for where to live - i would think about looking for somewhere in zone 3 that's close to an underground or mainline train station. tube will be more expensive than mainline tho. i live in a 2 bed, 2 reception room flat with garden, decking and huge cellar for £900 / month and it takes me 10 mins to get into london bridge, or 15 across to Cannon street (which is in the city)

Mirtos

ringo_24601 wrote:

Sorry if I offended Mirtos, I was just querying the maths, you didn't include your 2nd job in your salary

No worries - I should have explained that I 'live' on the 15k, and use the other job for debt repayment. I'm just a bit touchy as people seem to keep jumping on my posts of late! I apologise!

I did get upset returning to manchester last weekend to find the type of house i'm buying in london is 70k cheaper 'tup north. Oh well, at least it rains less here

Tell me about it! My partner and I could afford a stately home in the north! Here? A shoebox with use of the bathroom only on alternate Wednesdays! :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

I'm moving up to Borehamwood... 2 bedroom terrace's are sub 200k there. You can pick up very nice flats near the station for ~180k. 3 bed semi's are 250k.

Side bonus: big brother is filmed there and there's a massive tesco's. You also don't need to speak Polish to be in the majority.

However much I like the rush of London, it's going to be nice to live in a quiet area

Mirtos

Oh! Also meant to say, we found our current flat with about 2 hrs looking with a reputable estate agent - they charged a fee, but it was totally worth it as we had such time pressure. We've been here 3 years now and our landlord is lovely.xxx

tanith

How can anyone say that London is not a wonderful city.. for all its faults its still a wonderful place to live...... but then I am a Londoner through and through so I guess I am biased...:rotfl: