Expat Salaries and Cost of Living in London

Hi 

This is a good salary, so you'll be quite well off in London. But remember that you will only be left with around GBP 70k after tax - see
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/tax-calculator/

Accommodation / rent can cost a lot, check rightmove.com for rental prices. And if you are paying for private education, this may cost another GBP 15-20k per year, per child...

Hi MitchellWood,

London is probably one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in and salaries need to be in line with that. However, without knowing what field of work you are in or anything about your qualifications it is hard to give you an exact figure on how much you can expect to earn.

Bear in mind that London was hit hard by the global economic downturn and the city has not yet fully recoved. As a result, a number of people are working in positions that they are over-qualified for any many people have experience pay-freezes for a couple of years.

From my experience of London, I would say rent is your single largest expense. The least you can expect to pay is around GBP 350 per month for a house-share. Then the next biggest cost would be transport. London's public transport system is great but travelling by tube doesn't come cheap. A weekly travel card can cost about GBP 45.

For a more comprehensive breakdown on the cost of living in London I would recommend you have a read of this page on the Cost of Living in the UK

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions do let me know.

Shantalie

Hi Mitchell, Living in London is very expensive in comparison to other cities in the World. The cost of living of course depends on individual tastes, but you still need to be prepared financially. Being in the real estate business in the city with Plazaestates.co.uk firm, I would like to provide some statistics for rental accommodation in the city. One Bedroom rental flat per month East London £650 - £750 West London £700 - £800 South London £600 - £700 North London £650 - £750

Hi all Regarding living in London, renting a flat for a couple including gas, phone etc, monthly super market & transportation costs which is the average amount that a couple need. My question is related to descent flat at Staines-upon-Thames, surrey or around these areas Thank you in advance

Hi Anonymous,

As the areas you mentioned are actually outside London - you'll find that certain things like accommodation and eating out in those areas are cheaper. However, you are likely pay more to travel into London for work  and travel times will be longer though.

Your utlitiy bills will be about the same as you would pay in London itself.

I suggest you use the Cost of Living in the United Kingdom page as a guidline as to the expenses you may incur.

Best of luck with the move to the UK.

Hello all: I have recently been offered a position with a company in London (around Hounslow) for GBP 115K / yr. I am expected to move there with my family of 4 (2 kids, 1 in GR 12 and 1 in GR 8). I have a moderate lifestyle. How does this compare to cost of living in London?

ok, I am a bit late answering this question, but will try....
salaries in London vary massively, so it depends on your age, experience, expectations. A low /starter salary is around £24k per year - for example this is what a newly qualified teacher or nurse would be on. Many of course work for less, but it must be a challenge living on less in London. 

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average annual wage before tax for people working in inner London is £34,473, while the average wage for the UK as a whole is £22,044. The average in outer London is £24,241 – so closer to the national average.