Budget for someone living in London for a year?

Question

Taking out housing (since it'll be provided), would people who have lived in London currently (or recently) be willing to share a budget breakdown in GBP or USD (please be specific on which currency) on a monthly basis?

Food, transportation, laundry, other necessities, etc.? Thanks!

Answer 1

your looking at tens of thousands, seriously. bit of a random question

Answer 2

there's a lot of variables here but I'll have a go

food - if you don't eat out and eat at home all the time you'd spend somewhere around £40-£80 a week depending on what sort of food you like and whether you buy fresh ingredients and cook, or whether you buy ready-prepared - if you eat out maybe £4-£7 for lunch or £5-£15 (a lot more if it's a posh restaurant with wine) for dinner - the odd coffees and snacks can really add up as a decent coffee is coming up to £2 a time, sandwiches £1.50-£2.50 from a supermarket but £2.50-£4.00 in a cafe - if you go out for a drink in the evening beer is maybe £2+ a pint

transportation - depends a lot on the journeys you're making - have a look at the weekly travelcard costs at

http://www.jackdaw.u-net.com/ukfaq/trcar...

usually weekly (or longer term, e.g. monthly) travelcards are the most cost-efficient way of travelling, a lot of people have them put onto their Oyster card where they also have some credit for odd journeys not covered by their travelcard, see

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/oysteronli...

laundry - many places have washing machines and tumble driers in the accommodation, sometimes (e.g. in student accommodation) with a minimal charge of maybe £1-£2 per wash and maybe 50p for the driers - if you had to use a commercial launderette it would be £3-£5 a wash and you'd probably need £1-£2 to get it dry - some launderettes (you might call them laundromats, I don't know) do what they call "service washes" where the staff put it through the washing/drying machines for you and they would charge £1-£3 extra for this

other necessities - lol this depends a lot on what you call a necessity - maybe you'd spend £3-£10 a week on shampoos, razors, etc etc - clothes, wow, you could spend anything from £5 to £100 a week on this depending on how many you want to buy, whether they have to be brand labels

does the housing include the cost of things like electricity, telephone (a landline telephone), internet, TV (if you have your own TV you will also need a TV licence) ?

many people have mobile phones (cell phones) - if you're going to be here for a whole year you might want to check out a one year contract which would include handset, minutes and texts - have a look at websites for O2, Orange, 3, Vodaphone - mine costs me about £30 a month but there's cheaper and more expensive - otherwise you can buy a basic handset and get a pay-as-you-go SIM card

going out in the evening for entertainment can be expensive - cinema up to £10, admission to clubs I haven't a clue about, sorry

I'm basing all these prices on the sort of amounts I pay but then I'm a "mature", i.e. approaching elderly, woman with fairly modest tastes living in the outer suburbs of London (nearer to the middle of London is more expensive)

hope this helps

Answer 3

Hello

          Will you be working ?, any idea where in London you will be staying, as obv some places more expensive etc. Also  will you need a Tube pass or a Bus pass (which is cheaper.)

         I would say you need a min £1000 ($2000) a month, if your accomodation is paid for. There was a item on the news today that you need a min £13000 ($26000)  a year to surrive in London, if you are single.

Food (eating out not included) £100 ($200) Month.

Bus Pass - £13 ($26) - Tube Pass Zones 1&2 £21 ($42) a Month I think. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Laundry - No Idea, as I have a machine at home.

Cinema - I go early (day time) and normally pay £7 ( $14)

                 I have joined a Cinema "Prince Charles"

                 and Membership is £10 ($20) for a year and the

                 matinee for me is only £1.50 ($3.00) but they only

                 have one screen.

http://www.princecharlescinema.com/

Eating out - Cheapest for one person for 3 courses is £7

                     ($14) namely Stockpot & the Westend Kitchen,  

                     both in Panton Street, SW1.

              

My fav Resturant is Soho Thai - If I have two courses and a beer it is £17 ( $34) http://www.thaisquare.net/

Drinking out - Varies, the beer I like is £3.50 ($7) Pint.

Regards Fatman