15k-18k in London. Is it good enough?

isaac12345

Hi all!

I am a recent graduate and just came across a job opportunity in London that I am quite eager about. Unfortunately it just costs 15 to 18k. I have never lived in London and would like to know if its decent enough?
Thanks!

isaac12345

Woops! Posted it in the wrong sub-forum by mistake. I've reposted it in the 'Employment, job seeking and training' sub forum.

Please close this one. Thanks

whitelabel

costs or pays ?

lucystardust

Hmm, depends on your costs. If you need to rent somewhere in London I would say on 15-18k you're going to need very good budgeting skills! I started on 17.5k in London in 2009 and built up credit card debt, because that amount was just not enough to cover all my spending. But everyone is different, I'd say do a lot of research about transport costs, bills and average rent before you make a decision.

brooke3

I started in London on 18,000 four years ago and lived on it just fine. I did house shares so rent was anywhere between 400-600 per month (some times inclusive of bills). You need to take into account travel costs too but I think it's entirely possible. It depends a lot on your lifestyle I guess. What area of London do you plan on living in?

System

isaac12345 wrote: »

Hi all!

I am a recent graduate and just came across a job opportunity in London that I am quite eager about. Unfortunately it just costs 15 to 18k. I have never lived in London and would like to know if its decent enough?
Thanks!

Assuming it's £15k you can expect to take home £1,061 pcm(£1,379 tax & £887.40 NIC pa - no SLC repayments at that level). I would say it is just about manageable but it entirely depends on what outgoings you have and if you have any existing financial commitments (credit cards etc). I have a student friend who lives in a shared house in Peckham (quite rough) for £450 a month but I have heard of people staying in cheaper. Bear in mind that travel costs A LOT in London. See tfl.gov.uk for prices.

Good luck!

isaac12345

I think I can be quite frugal with my spending. I know someone who lives in Islington for that salary. How is that area for living? As compared to lets say Peckham?

fluffpot

Bits of Islington are as rough (or rougher!) than Peckham ....

System

It's really a matter of opinion about what an area's like. There are rough parts in pretty much all London boroughs, however Islington is quite central and therefore more expensive than somewhere in zone 3 or 4. You're probably best looking round a few areas and seeing how you feel. Oh, and north of the river tends to be more expensive than south.

beccad

It can be done (have done it myself) but you'd need to budget carefully. London is strange in that an area can have multi-million pound properties on one street and the next street can be quite run down with social problems, so it's difficult to qualify which areas are good and which aren't!

Arfa__

I'd say to make that work, you'd need somewhere seriously cheap to live, but close enough in that you can use bike to get to work, thus avoiding travel costs. Would have to have to be a cheap !!!/crappy bike, else it'll get pinched. If you do need to use public transport, consider bus only passes, which are much, much cheaper.
Accommodation wise, it'd have to be a house share or squat! You'll be eating a lot of beans and will rarely be out in the West End on Friday nights.

That said, there is a lot of great free stuff to do in London, so with a little initiative, you could still have a great time. Plus, London seems to be where all the jobs are, so you stand a better chance of moving up to something better paid down here, than anywhere else.