Moving to London?

If you are single and a new arrival to London then house/flat sharing may actually be quite a good idea, at least for the first 6 months or so until you get your bearings. At least it would be a way to get to know people and limit your living costs. There are plenty of flat share website available.

I also wouldn't just limit your sights on London. There are other towns and cities in the South East which have excellent job markets but without some of the downsides of the capital.

Toucan_toucan has summed it up well.

I'd like to add a few odd points. Most of the outskirts have reasonable access to the centre, but not to other parts of the outskirts.
Your commute is very likely to be a couple of hours round trip, maybe more but very rarely much less.

Pubs charge iots. You can shop in cheaper supermarkets but they're not common and certainly not found centrally where land costs keep them out. Same for chains like B&M and HB. Lidl and Aldi are slowly gaining ground but not so much in inner London. Central London has its attractions but they're at tourist prices. Live music events are pricy and overbooked early.

Driving is slow and very unpredictable. If you imagine it as two or three Birminghams or five or six Manchesters or Glasgows joined together you'll get an idea of the scale of it, minus the open space.

I have family here now and won't move again. I do know many people who came for a while but who moved away when they wanted to start a family. There got the benefit of living here but escaped before the downsides fully kicked in.

I would not want to discourage you from coming to work here. But come here with open eyes, and don't put down the place you've worked before. The penny might drop in a few years time that you'd be better of back there than in London, so keep your options open.

You will to pay £1,000 per month to live in a one bed flat in a rubbish area that could only be kindly described as drab.

You will need to earn double what you are on now to have the same lifestyle....

I moved to London about fifteen years ago. Got a job in politics (and therefore had to be in London) which paid £20k. Lived in South Wimbledon (Zone 3/4) but had a cracking commute to work - the one tube line all the way into work. It was financially tough but I still went out - there are lots of things to do at a low budget - you get quite canny at that.

And then of course moving jobs / earning more things begin to get easier. Since then I've moved out of London to Berks and commute in when needed. I loved living in the city, met some brilliant people, soaked up culture (for me, opera, my friends tended to go to every gig possible East London).

There are lots of reasons to move here, to stay and also to move on. London is a wonderfully transient place at times, but also one where you can build lasting friendships.

John-K wrote: »

Or he could rent a place like mine for a lot more. It’s beautiful, central, on the water, and a great location for bars and restaurants.

It’s expensive here for a reason, people want to live here, and there are jobs that make it all worthwhile.

A graduate in an investment bank will start on £60,000+, for example.

Yes, people need to think carefully, but like I did, you can turn up here with just a couple of changes of clothes and make your fortune.

And the streets really are paved with gold too!