Q&A | What's the Cost of Living in England?
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- This week I go over my monthly costs living in England and give you an idea of how much money you should bring with you when you move over here!
My monthly solo costs:
Bus pass: £70
Mobile: £10 (really cheap pay-as-you-go plan with no data)
My monthly split costs:
Food: £250
Netflix: £7.50
Council tax: £136
Electricity: £29
Water: £28
Internet: £35
TV License paid yearly is £147 so each month works out to: £12.25
Total for 2 people: £497.75
My total monthly costs: £329
THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE RENT BUT GIVES YOU AN IDEA! It's great to find a room to rent that includes bills, anywhere from £350 - 500 in my local Kent area. Then all you need to add is your extras (food, transportation, mobile, etc) Please remember central London will be much more expensive!!
Just like if you decide to rent an entire flat, your rent/bills combo will be much more expensive. Duh.
www.spareroom.... is a great resource!
Other costs (vary across country):
Pint in a pub: £3.50
Cinema ticket: £11.70
Large popcorn & drink at cinema: £8
Pub meal: £10
Restaurant meal: £15
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Hey! I'm Alanna - a twenty-something documenting my life as a Canadian living in England.
I share the ups and downs of an expat living abroad and what it's really like living in the UK. It's not always easy, but there's been so many wonderful experiences, too. I post a RUclips video every Tuesday and an additional video every Saturday on my Patreon account. I also livestream every Wednesday and Sunday at 6:30pm GMT on Twitch.
Alanna x
I have found that people that move here from an other country don't know this but it you live by yourself you can get a 25% discount on your council tax. Hope that helps someone
Actually that is useful information to know thanks.
I knew that already
everyone knows that.
I never knew that, so thanks, man.
That is definitely useful info.
One of the only countries in the world where you can go to jail for not having a TV license but if you go to jail you can watch TV without one!
Same in Germany. Called GEZ. A woman (who is famous now for what she does) goes to jail every year for not paying it. She is not using TV or radio and she says, she'd rather sit in jail for some days with food & warm water for nothing than pay her GEZ. 😂😂😂😂😂
@Brandon Bridge Channel 4 has nothing to do with it. Same as ITV they have adverts BBC don't. That's partly what you pay for (or don't).
@@jamesmcaleese7383 channel four is a publicly owned, commercially funded, public service broadcaster that is a self-sufficient business that reinvests all profits back into programmes. They do not have anything to do with the license fee but they arent the same kind of company as ITV
@@nobodycaresanyway3465 that is the best case of stubbornness I've ever heard hahahaha.
Wait wtf 🤣🤣
I came here with 150 pounds. Learned to eat tea cakes from Tesco for 28p per pack (4 tea cakes) per day and survive. On a good day I would buy 2 packs. Because why not.
Do you still eat them? 😀😀
The cost of living goes wayyyyyy up down south, further north the cheaper
Further north, the better
Who would choose to go to the North though? (I'm joking)
not really, it's expensive if you want to live in manchester.
same here in the outskirts of leeds. nice place but a hell of a lot cheaper than down south
If you go to a city apart from Leeds and york (in yorkshire) you'll probably be fine
Shop at Aldi. I'm in a family of 3, and we spend about £40 per week on food, that includes fruit and vegetables
lol pasta as the vegetable and tomato sauce as the fruit.
I don't have an aldi and I live on my own but Lidl is a fantastic shop for me.
jasmine Tapp amazing Mamma xxxx
Iceland is cheaper
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 £240 on food is INSANE
Move to the North. Seriously, if you're living in South East England, it probably will cost you about £900 per month. Move up to Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Lancashire, Yorkshire etc. and you're looking at about £600 per month...
Seriously, if you live in a moderately sized town instead of a city. Somewhere like Warrington or Runcorn, which are both commuting distance to both Liverpool and Manchester; you can live on less than £500 per month. It won't be glamorous, but it's something to consider.
Cool! I'm in Kent because my English boyfriend is settled here but good points for others looking to move to England!
But the wages will be less up north
Not necessarily. Yopu get way more for your money up here. I wouldn't swap.
You forgot Cumbria which includes the Lake District
TornadoCreator
Warrington?
Runcorn?
Seriously?
They're two dumps sandwiched between two of the best cities - Liverpool and Manchester
North of England:
*Rent:* £450 - £550 per month (reasonable 2 bedroom flat, or small 2 bed terrace - less if you're prepared to live in a slum or a less than desirable area)
*Council tax:* £70 to £100 per month (varies from district to district, and based on above property type)
*Water:* £30 to £40 per month
*Gas & Electric:* ₤140 per month (for above sized property)
Everything else is pretty much as you described in your video, as phone, bradband etc are the same nationally. Transport costs can be higher in the north (especially outside big cities) as public transport infrastructure is less developed than in the South East... A car is pretty much a necessity... A word of warning: compulsory motor insurance costs for young drivers in the UK are astronomical (17 to 25 year olds especially bear the brunt)... A cheaper alternative that many youngstets are opting for is a moped (50cc) which can be driven for two years on a provisional licence after a short course known as a CBT (Google this for more information).
Thanks so much for your input!! I definitely felt the burn with car insurance - specially as a foreigner under 25, it's basically unaffordable for me right now :( Didn't realize that public transport would be more expensive in the North but it does make sense now that you've mentioned it. Thanks for watching!! :)
@Adventures and Naps
No problem, it was no bother. 😁
BTW, I didn't mean to imply that public transport is cheaper in the north (It's probably about the same, maybe a bit cheaper) it's just that there's a lot less of it, so you have to make allowance for the extra cost of running your own transport more, rather than cheap public services. In Greater London, for example, even owning a car is not necessary because of the Tube etc... In North Yorkshire, as a counter example, owning your own transport is absolutely essential for almost everyone.
Some of the big cities in the north have buses and trams that work the cityscape well enough (Newcastle has quite a good metro rail network) but not on the scale of the south-east... Regional inter-urban transport tends to be less than satisfactory, though... For example, it's quicker to get a train from Leeds to London, than it is from Leeds to Manchester... This is despite the fact that Leeds and Manchester basically share the same conurbation strip... And don't even get me started on the fact that the main road from Newcastle to Edinburgh isn't even a twin lane road, let alone a motorway. Lol.
Anyway, good luck on your videos, they're very good (but I don't know why I watch them, I'm a Brit - DOH!)
Adventures and Naps If your boyfriend has his own car insurance, he should be able to add you onto his policy for far less money than you having a separate policy.
Unfortunately not! Still really expensive, but that was my first thought, too. Thanks for watching!
£140 per month for gas and electric is high, I only pay £100 for both every 3 months, I am in a 1 bed flat. You must be having baths every night and the heating in full!!! No wonder we have global warming.
I was planning to move to UK through an internal transfer in my company. This video really helped me to understand some of the basic things on expenses. Thanks!!
As with other countries, the cost of living in England is as costly or as inexpensive and one cares to make it.
Remember that if you are renting (as opposed to sharing) you will need a deposit which is typically 1-1.5 times the monthly rent and agency fees which can be another £3-400--all in addition to the first month's rent. Therefore to actually rent a flat that costs £600 per month you would need maybe £2000 up front.
Paul Morris do you know if it’s the same for renting a single room? Like sharing a flat with some roomies
Same in a lot of America just the processes are maybe a little different.
@Paul Morris those fees were banned September 2019.
Rent
Council tax
Electric/Gas/Oil
Telephone
Internet
Water
T.V license
Transport
Food
Free money (pleasure spending)
Any contracts( Phones, DD or catalogued goods etc)
Gets pretty damn expensive on your own tbh
Ah yes, TV License is a good catch of an additional cost Alanna didn't mention. You can, of course, do without it (and I do mean legally, not dodging it).
The TV License is one of the biggest extortionate practices the British people has had to deal with for years, it's great that internet and streaming has become a thing.
It's actually 40ish pence a day, and well it is extortion, they will force you to go to court if you don't pay it and threaten to make you pay all the missed payments (had a friend who went to court because of it, judge let him off because some people realise how stupid it is). Back in the day is made sense because there was only a few channels and nothing like Sky, BT TV, Virgin TV, etc etc. But now in a world were we already pay a monthly fee just to get a lot of other channels, it's an archaic system that only 21 countries still use. Apart from a few countries in Africa and Asia, all the countries that do use the TV license fee are from Europe. And the UK is the only one that really classes it as a criminal offence since they class the fee as a tax meaning it's tax evasion.
Ergo extortion in the sense that even if you don't watch the BBC (which is the only thing they care about really) if you pay for sky or the other satellite/internet based TV you still have to pay the TV licence, even though non of that fee goes to any of the channels you're watching.
What on earth are you talking about? You pay a tv license fee that goes 100% to the BBC because they don't use advertisements for revenue. It has bugger all to do with how many channels you get, all other channels get revenue from advertising.
Never made that statement, if you reread it, you would realise I was saying that the TV licence is an archaic thing because we are paying for 100+ channels monthly already, they really should just switch to ads so that they can get rid of the fee.
The U.K. Is cheaper the more north you are. With Edinburgh being the exception as the capital of Scotland.
London is 4hrs away from me. It's £6 a pint. It's £2.50p a pint by me. And most cities it's £4 a pint. Best way to show the true cost of London.
Ross Minton
Lol, was it Kevin Bridges or Frankie Boyle who said the Scottish are the only people who descripe a place by how much it costs to buy a pint of beer?
Ross Minton generally yes but there are expensive parts of to the north, Cheshire, York and Lake windermere as an example.
Aberdeen aint cheap, ask donald trump ;)
Ross Minton i live in sunderland, in the north east which is only like 2 hours max from Scotland, a pint is £1.50
You are of course correct, but who wants to live outside of London and the Home Counties? That is the real England! The rest of the land mass is just support infrastructure to maintain London.
Cost of living all depends on where in the country you live when it comes to things like rent and council tax, but food costs are roughly the same where ever you are if that’s any help to anyone.
Well, in my experience being from Liverpool in England it is a lot cheaper and you can get more for your money with friendly faces 😊
Is liverpool good
But less jobs.
Greninja Prime Yeah I’ve lived there my whole life and wouldn’t change it for the world 👌🏻☺️
Your room cost can get you a house per month up North, allow £500-750 per month for a 2 bedroom house in the North within 30 minutes of a city. Other than that pretty much spot on, bring £2000 for your first month if you are alone.
I live in Birmingham in the West Midlands with my partner, 2 year old son and 6 month old daughter, in a 2 bed apartment about 10 minutes drive from the city centre. Per month we pay £575 rent, £112 council tax, £25 water, around £80 for electricity (no gas), £20 broadband, £20 home insurance, around £40 each for our mobiles, hubby has a bus pass which is £56 and gym membership at £14 per month. We spend around £100-£120 per week on groceries, including baby things like nappies and wipes.
Thanks so much for your input Jess!!
I love these kinds of videos and hearing about how people find it here and circumstances around the country. Here in Sheffield in the north we have loads of brand new modern apartment buildings where a one bed studio apartment is maybe £350 pcm with bills and high speed internet included. Otherwise, you can get a one bedroom apartment for £450 at the bottom of a building and maybe £650 at the top with a view. You can go from those up to several bedroom luxury apartments which can go up to £1500 a month so it’s really up to you where on the scale you’d like.
Well I’m not an expat. I’ve lived here all my life. The cost of living is outrageous. It’s like living in a fantasy world.
Use lyca mobile sums are about £1 each
Get a national bundle
You get unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
3gb a month......
If you're a student or not working or if you're working less hours
You can ring you're council and get a discount on you're council tax...
If you're a student Thiers no council tax it's free....
And you can get money back from council tax if you've over paid last year etc...
If you're a student you can get discount o. You're bus pass or train.
Get a rail card for students...
Shopping in aldi and lidl are the cheapest supermarkets in uk
I am English and I live in Kent just below London, I rent my home from a housing association and my rented home is a two bedroom house with a 100 foot back garden and a 20 foot front garden and the rent for that is £557 a month, that includes free repairs of the house and the water use is unlimited and is part of the rent cost? I do get rent benefits though from the local council for about 3/4 of the rent because I am on a low wage. My Council tax went up again and costs me £100 a month now. As for other bills I do better than you it seems as I am single and only spend about £22 every two weeks on electric & gas, £18 on broadband internet & phone, I don't use sky tv now or cable so that's a big saving I use the national freeview tv system no cost there! As for travel I cycle and only use the bus once or twice a month. so that is cheaper. As for food since it is just me here I spend about £15 max a week and as for the other bills I spend about 15 in contents insurance for my items in my home a month? So I guess I got it sorted better than most people.
Colin Campbell how the hell do u only spend £15 a week on food? U must not eat hardly or just extremely limited diet,I don’t eat extravagantly but no way could I get by on £15
Do you have children? I don't understand why you get rent benefits for a two bedroom house if its just for yourself, surely you should be in a studio or 1 Bedroom flat?
Mn B maybe he has his kids at the weekend?
@@Sarah-ft8jr That's why I asked whether he has kids or not....because if he doesn't why am I working so hard to pay for an average property when I could work less and get a 2 Bedroom given to me with all maintenance/water included. How can that be possible...
Haha thats the socialism compromise that we live in. Anyone who doesn't make the "average" is a victim of the system and needs to be subsidised.
I've lived in Yorkshire, Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire. I'd highly recommend starting up north: even though the south pays more, the North will leave you with much more disposable income when taking rent/mortgage plus bills. I had a lower than average paid but good job in Yorkshire and I was genuinely better then than I am now, with a well paid job in Cambridgeshire (this area commutes well to London, therefore the rents are hiked up).
Thumbs up if you want her to do more 'Dumb moments as a foreigner'?!
I live in southampton and am 21 and my girlfriend is 20 and we got a mortgage on a 3 bedroom semi-detached house for o£200,000 with monthly payments of £590. Total bills are about £1000 for us both. When youre young, the bigger costs here are cars and the insurance that go with it. We got an Audi S1 (£18k) and insurance is £1500 a year
You get a 25% discount on council tax if you live alone.
Also water bills - if it’s just one person, switch to a water meter and you should save a lot, my water bill was between £5 and £10 a month a few years ago. It would be even less for smelly people who don’t shower or flush the toilet!
You can get a discount on gas and electricity if both are with the same supplier.
Hi,
I live in north west and trust me, and so much cheaper to live . I lived in Canada, your doing great job .
Really interesting video! To give some perspective from small-town middle America: A modest 1-bedroom flat here could cost $500-700 a month. We own our home, so that’s not an issue. But then we pay property tax, which is around $2,400 annually. Our cable/Internet package is $240/month, but that includes HBO and Showtime pay channels and 100Mb Internet. Two iPhones with Verizon come to $150/month. Gas/electric are $320/month. My wife and I spend roughly $200/week on groceries. Thankfully, our healthcare is through our work, or that could be an additional $1,500/month!
I think the only “advantage” we might have over the UK is the cost of petrol, which is currently around $2/gallon...but we have to drive everywhere.
And this is in a town of 8,000 in the middle of Michigan.
My brother lives in Peterborough, England and he pays £500 a month for a 6 room, comfortable, spacious apartment already furnished with plenty of sofas, a double bed two bedsides, a wardrobe, a dining table, fridge, cooker, oven and a sink. his bedroom is like 4 metres (13 ft) by 5 metres (approx 16) and his living room is a bit smaller.
In some places in London it costs double that for one room!
The closer you are to London, usually the more expensive it is to live
How about the expenses for a international student? Can we cover it by part time job?
Rik: as a born londoner, traveled most all of europe and lived in five different countrys. Im loving you guys take on the uk. I thought and felf the same way everywhere I went. From food to travel, meals and customs. Its more than good to see a different take on my homesoil... Dont stop the comments peps, good job :)
A TV Licence is a £147 a year and you need one to 'legally' watch any tv, and recently any BBC controlled on-line content. I have not had a tv since 1985 but I still get threatening letters every 2 years!
To be clear that's any *live* broadcast TV, i.e. watching it as it airs. Indeed they started requiring it for any BBC "time shifted" content on-line as well. At least these days you can do the "no, I REALLY don't have a TV" declaration on-line, rather than having to post some form off (at your expense for the stamp).
Glyn Watkins apparently u need a tv license if u watch on any device including a phone,I don’t know if it’s true but that’s what I’ve been told by someone that’s very insistent ( doesn’t make them right I know lol)
Rent is most expensive in London and the south-east plus places like Cambridge. Other areas of the country will be cheaper. Worth mentioning Oyster cards for London Transport. "We eat a lot"....... we've noticed; pork pies, scotch eggs, Bakewell tart. Supermarkets also vary in price. Waitrose tends to be the most expensive. Asda (owned by Walmart) tends to be good value, as you well know! Aldi and Lidl are two German-owned supermarket chains that are good value although their range is limited when compared to Asda etc. Good video.
That’s very cheap rent in the south east a one bed flat in London is about 1.5 k a month
Apart from London you live in one of the most expensive parts of England. Bills are the same all over but rent varies massively! General rule is the further north you go the cheaper things get
I want a boat.
Buy around £2,000
Monthly bills are £200
But I walk so transport is free
To compare: 1 pound equals (today) $1.33 USD. Thus, (monthly)
Rent in the affluent west burbs of St. Louis, MO County averages for a 2-bedroom apt: $1000+ USD (roughly 900 square feet)
High speed internet (50-200Mbps): $60 USD
Cable TV (without premium movie channels): $80 USD (but three receivers including one DVR)
Phone: Inclusive of US and Canada: $50 USD
Netflix: $9.00 USD (HD, 2 simultaneous)
Amazon Prime: $99 USD annually
Average home price (Chesterfield, MO): $385,000 USD (certainly far higher on either coast)
Electric: $100 USD (budget billing average, and Energy Star Certified yet!)
Natural Gas: $40 USD
Water: budget billing (annually averaged): $60 USD
Sewer: $25 USD, cost depends on water usage and rain.
Personal property tax on vehicles (depends on age and value of car), easily can be over $125 bi-annually.
License Plates for vehicles ($55 two-years), and then throw in safety and emission inspection then as about the same cost.
Auto Insurance: Depends on age and type of car, as well as age of driver...typically $700-1200 bi-annually.
Subdivision Fee: $150 USD (sidewalks, streets, and tree trimming, annually)
Food: (two people), depends..$200 USD monthly, plus eating out once a week
Gasoline for autos, currently: $2.60 USD per gallon
Mortgage: $0...paid off. Current mortgage interest is about 4.60%.
Medical coverage: varies by plan and source. Not cheap. Even for retirees on Medicare, figure no less than $100/month USD. Actually also depends on pharmaceuticals where some opt to buy for less with a prescription from a pharmacy by mail in Canada. Throw in the copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs which insurance won't cover.
Trash Pickup: depends if including yard waste pickup or not, but they haul away large furniture items for free that is included, and free recyclable and trash containers...$30 USD. (homes, else inclusive in most rental properties)
Deer munching plants: Often, but it's nature's way of pruning at no charge!
And that is in the USA Midwest...yet, no complaints.
As most of the other examples on here are from up north I thought I’d give one based upon the south west (Bristol)
2 bedroom apartment =£800-£1000pm
Council tax = £130-170pm
Water = £30pm
Internet £25pm
Gas & electric = £35pm
Tv License = £10pm
So between £520-£635pp for basic bills.
Average beer £4.5
Hannah Wickens still cheaper than living Miami in the US.
How much does London differ from Man. ?? Like the cost of living & wages etc ? (:
The cost of rent changes quite a lot depending upon where you live, we're near the Welsh border and it's around £500-£600 pcm for a 3 bedroom semi detached house with double drive, garage, garden. Depends where you work though, you definitely need to drive out here.
From London:
Assuming that you are young and willing to share a flat in a "cool" area (east London/north East London) you are going to spend around £800 for a room (excl. expenses) in a 2 bed house or £650 in a 3 bed house (PCM). Expenses and bills are similar to the ones you explained, so including the bill it gets to £800/850 for a double bed in a 3 bed flat or £1000 in a 2 bed home/flat.
South-East London (Lewisham for example) can be cheaper, a good £150/200 per month cheaper, but there's a lot less nightlife and it's more family oriented.
Transportation in London is about £130 per month for a full zone 1/2 pass (tube, bus, trains inside zone 1 and 2) and £150 for a zone 1/2/3 pass.
How much money to "carry": landlords ask for the first month in advance plus (usually) 6 weeks rent as a deposit. So, including expenses, you'll need about £2000 to set foot in a flat. Temporary accommodation can be found on websites that specialise in short lets, but they are more expensive.
London is bloody expensive, but this is usually compensated by wages that are higher than average. Canadians (Americans, Aussies, Kiwis... people from outside Europe) that come here are also surprised by how cheap it can be to fly to Europe and make the most of whatever pocket money they have left at the end of the month.
Just to clarify Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property
Is this paid when you own property (have a mortgage) or also if you rent?
When it comes to renting a property or if you own a house, everybody has to pay council tax and it basically covers the cost for emergency services and extra income for the local council (they manage and look after public services and roads). When it comes to owning a car, aside from the normal running costs, you have to pay for road tax (tax to cover your right to use the roads) and MOT test which checks your car to make sure it’s safe to use on the roads. These are renewed every year and you need these to stay legal. If you watch regular TV (not internet tv) you need a TV license and it’s renewed every year.
I love how Canadians say bag.
I think your budget is pretty realistic. we spend Considerably more than you guys monthly, but we have a serious amount of medication and also pet care fees for daily walks when out. Infact the UK is terribly expensive for things like this. Shopping can vary in cost greatly and like many, now using amazon deliveries with ocado is very easy.. but expensive!
Hope you feel settled? I moved to the US some years ago and couldn't cope with the change in Houston from London. But now some time later, worked and lived in lots of places around the world.
I feel very settled now two years in. It's weird how it went from feeling very much an outsider to feeling very homey. Not even sure when it happened!
Sounds incredible to live and work in different places around the world. Did you ever have a favourite place?? Thanks for watching!
Its great you're comfortable being in the UK.. I am glad it has been welcoming to you :) There are so many differences it is hard to split them. I always wanted to return to Sydney Australia, but this has not happened since 2000. But I am living in West Africa at the moment which is culturally very interesting as well as a comfortable temperature all year around. Kazahkstan was also a great experience merging Russian and central asian cultures, but trying to learn russian was tough!.. But the best overseas home was Norway.. amazing winter skiing, climbing, relaxing lifestyle.. but sadly only lived there a year.
That sounds wonderful!! I can't imagine all the interesting things you've learned from such different countries. I think I would really struggle learning a new language, but if you're immersed into it, I would assume you'll pick it up easier :)
I’m British and I’m in the West Midlands I live in Birmingham the Prices are way cheaper than London or other cites in the South. We need to pay at least £400 - £500 a month I love the UK 🇬🇧 living here all my life and I never wanna leave. Btw big fan love ur vids. 👍🇬🇧💯💯🔥
Thats what i realised while doing my mini research online
I have always wanted to live in London but changed my mind, currently staying in Turkey but wanna relocate to UK and Birmingham hopefully will be my next stop 😊
I don't understand why you would need a new phone. Just bring your old phone, get it unlocked for the same sort of money a dumb phone costs, and then get a local PAYG sim.
That's true! I didn't have an old phone but thanks for watching!
duckwhistle why would she want to be on poor as u go? It’s a lot more to actually make phone calls/ text/ internet etc,u don’t have to get a top of the range phone but u can get contracts for less than £20 a month and u would easily spend that on payg if u make regular phone calls and she will have th3 cost of calling Canada to consider as well,just saying that although u pay for the cost of your phone itself in a monthly contract the actual cost per min etc is normally always cheaper and u don’t have to get the very latest most expensive phone cause let’s be honest they will have released several more before your contact runs out
You can also get Pay As You Go phone tariff for £1/week on EE (25 mins, 25 texts & 1 MB data)
That isn't true, it is to do with bandwidths. Canada and the US use band 4 and 5, where Europe uses 2 and 3. So whilst you can use the European phones for roaming in the American continent, you will most likely not be able to use an American continent phone with a UK sim card.
AT&T phones definitely don't work, I work for a phone company and I know fomr customers who have bought them that Samsung phones (specifically the S6) bought in the USA will not work in the UK with a local sim card, not sure about the Canadian ones though.
I lived in Manchester and the living cost was around 500 pounds and I lived quiet easily there. Currently living in Ontario Canada and it seems everything so much more expensive compare to England. I am wondering if you feel the same? . Btw I love your videos. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much! I think the cost of living in both countries REALLY depends on where you're living. Trying to live in Toronto (or nearby) is really tough, but the farther-out places are easier. Just like London (or nearby, like me) is so much more expensive than places like Manchester. Thanks so much for watching!
Agree. I live in Manchester and living cost is great here
What's btw?
My single flat SW England - £449pm for rent, £87pm for tax, £55pm for grounds keeping = £641 per month.
Broardband (super fast fibre) £24 to £30pm - Lets not talk about Car payments - Food per week £25 max.
Water rates - £40 a month (as I have a installment plan set up) and Gas / Elec (meters via key and card) £35pm max for both...............Grand total of - £771 a month (with the £30 Broardband).
I get £1320 after tax per month from work per month, although I am paid every 14 days (2 weeks) which is rare I am told.
NOW, Broardband and Food are not set prices, so it may be less or higher that the grand total.
If you already have a phone you can just get a giffgaff sim for £10 a month with free calls and tons of data
I love telling people about my little flat in Derby!
I've been here for 12 years, & pay just £70 per week!
For that, I get a living room, bedroom, kitchen, & shower room/toilet!
I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon!! 🤣
Just a word on the council tax, they not only vary between areas but the proportion that you pay varies too. Don't just ask someone how much they pay because yours might not be the same. If you are young/middle aged, working full time and not living alone you will pay the full amount. 25% off if on own.
Forget public transport in any area. Pass a basic motorbike test (CBT) (£80-£100,valid for 2 years) and buy a decent scooter to get around. £20 tax, under £200 insurance for the year and around £5-7 to fill up with petrol. (My 125cc Honda PCX lasts approx 100 miles on a full tank).
If you already have an unlocked mobile phone, you can check if it is compatible with the uk network and just bring it with you. You only need to add a SIM card and maybe get a power adaptor plug. The benefit of a better phone is that you can use google maps if you get lost.
My water bill per annum is £480. My Gas & Electric combined is £140+ per MONTH. Council Tax is £2090 per Annum. My Wife & I live in a small 4 bedroom house. 2 cars = £250 per month on fuel. Annual Excise Licence £140 Wife’s Car (Volvo), £555 My Car (Jaguar). Insurance about £300 each per annum. The Jaguar costs around £3000 per year to run including servicing, MOT, Fuel & consumables. The Volvo about £500 a year on servicing etc. We don’t have any long term debts or mortgage. We are both retired and spend about £150 per month on food.
For an area down south in a not too expensive area which is not close to or in London (specific I know) I have a nice 2 bedroom flat (which I pay for alone unfortunately) which comes to £775 rent. A little expensive for the area I'll admit, but once sharing like a normal person it's roughly £390 each. Add the personal share of £50 Council Tax, £25 Electric, £10 Gas, £10 Water, £20 Fibre Internet, a reasonable £20 Phone Contract, £10 avg for the odd house supplies (Washing Liquids, Toothpaste, Soap, etc), £10 Various Home Insurances and Finally a minimum £100 on food per month (You may find cheaper) and you're looking at a good £600-650 to live somewhere down south, providing you are living with someone.
From my experience however, if you're looking for somewhere that doesn't at least look like a dump, it's very hard to find a single bedroom flat for any less than £500. If you look up north, things are much cheaper, but wages are also a lot lower, it's up to you whether it's worth it or not. and if you're closer to or in London prices get higher along with wages, however not at a proportional rate, meaning it's still very expensive.
I know the video is old now, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents (or 10p coins) to any new people finding this.
I say kudos to you for £900 a month. Yes, your in a partnership which is an immense help.
And not only the country region, but even the county region can vary the cost ridiculously. Living where I am, big education/university side of Kent, many Londoners who visit remark how their region of London is cheaper.
I say the majority covering a large swath of people will probably find to cover costs, bills, travel, and have the smallest amount of spare cash, we're looking at £1200+ per month.
If you already have a phone ask o2 about sim only. Way cheaper than a monthly 2 year contract. I pay £7 a month for 300 minutes, 1gig data and unlimited texts
S/E too, water is £61 a month , bloody violia water, £130 for gas/elec, £160 council tax, average phone bill is £35-50. Want a tv package with broadband? £40-100. Fuel is ridiculous too
My Canadian rule of thumb when visiting London is that if it's a dollar in Canada it's a Pound there -- in other words, just double (almost) everything compared to Canadian cost. Rents in London are astronomical -- live outside the city if you can. Take buses rather than the Tube to save on transportation if time isn't a big issue.
Minimum costs (mandatory) in Yorkshire area: rent 2 bed (£400) + £100 (council tax) + water (£25) + internet (£25) + Gas/electric £140 + mobile (£5) = £695. I did not add food, transportation, entertainment, clothing, furniture, appliances, home products, hygiene, work related costs. Yeah, pretty darn expensive, compared to the low income.
With our mobile phone plan here in Australia, we managed to have a plan that we only have to pay $30.00 every six months. It is a pre-paid plan and unless a huge number of calls are made, the money usually lasts. Keeping in mind, this is better after the money starts building up, as what is not used spreads over to the next six months and so on. I like the look of your mobile phone. It doesn't look too complicated. It is very difficult to find work quickly here as our unemployment is quite high at the moment. Thanks again for anther great video.
Cost of living depends on how well, or not so well, you want to live. In general it is a big slice of one's income, possibly 80% or more which leaves very little room for saving in a meaningful way. Some folk forget the important things like insurance and travelling costs, especially if they are commuting to and from their employment and spend too much money on the non-essential things like food. But joking aside, you have it well planned out and your folks can be very proud of you. Have a good life.
The south east is generally 10-20% dearer than the rest of uk
I am willing to spend all my economics to live in this Heaven called england!
Good video for your fellow Canadians planning to move here. What you have forgotten to include is the advance rent deposit for a room. Most landlord will ask for 1 or 2 months advance deposit of the monthly rent.
Your council tax seems high for 2 people living in a house. I have a 2 bedroom house in London and my council tax is 70 pounds a month. Better check with your council if they have rated your house in the correct band or perhaps where you live the council tax is much higher than in London ??. But there again, my tax is based on one person living in the house
For your fellow Canadians coming to UK, I don't think they will need Netflix. Neither do you unless you watch a lot of movies. Get yourself a set top box and you have nothing more to pay. You will have most TV channels except the exclusive movie channels that Netflix offer.
You should look around for cheaper Internet. 35 pounds a month is a lot for an internet connection, unless you are playing games. There are other cheaper ones if you only want the basic internet for emails, messaging and webcam chat with your friends and family and watching some movies or RUclips videos online. Go to a Comparison site online to compare what is on offer. Some will offer a good discount.
Finally, depending on how much you use on your mobile. Have a look at 3Mobile Pay As You Go, where the cost of a out going call is only 3p per min, 2p per text msg and 1p per MB internet connection. You only need to top up when your credit is running low. Otherwise you have just under 6 months before you need t top up to keep your number. Visit their website and order their free SIM card by post.
If you are making overseas calls, check out Giffgaff mobile call rate. I think you will not regret it.
But overall good video and I understand it is better to over estimate how much is it need to ;live here and under estimate it. Good luck to anyone thinking of moving here and keep up your interesting videos..
It's soooo cheap over there compared to where I live here in America. Here we pay $100 to $300 for electricity, but water is cheaper here at less than $10. Internet here is $50 to $100. 70 pounds a month is a lot!
£900 sounds reasonable for the area that you live in 👍🏼 mine is cheaper but it’s all relative really with the wages paid in your area
Really love your videos. Been watching for months and only just subscribed, sorry! Your voice is so soothing to listen to.
If you can afford to put a deposit on a house, go for that, we pay under 200 a month for the mortgage, our house is valued for rent at over 400 a month
Leicestershire: Rent (1 bedroom flat) £425 pm, Council Tax £1090 pa, Elec £20 pm, Gas £10 pm, Groceries £40-50 pw, Water - The Soul of my Firstborn. Net £42 pm.
when i worked in recruitment we used spare room a lot for re-homing people both uk and other, but the benefit is, if you are respectful they will often negotiate on price and will include bills in the monthly cost :) move more north and can get a full bills room in a fair area for like 65-90 per week.
It might interest you to know that an old age pensioner gets about £850 a month from the government. Most people have another pension but that is what a lot of old people have to live on....
You will be lucky to get £850.!!!!
Hi, it depends on which part of England you live a two bedroom flat in Lancashire is about £350 rent per month.
And....... that same flat in a cheap, (cheap?), area of London will cost you £300+ a week
you couldn't rent a cardboard box for £300 in London
Wow that's so cheap, blows my mind.
I bought a 4 bed semi in yorkshire 5 years ago and pay £365 a month
I pay £1050 a month for a two bed flat in south east London
Train fares into London is expensive. If you live in the south east where rent is cheaper than London. You pay around £6000/year for the train to commute into London. I live about 25 miles north of London. To live in a 2 bed house by yourself can cost you approximately £2500/month.
I hit like before watch :DD Thank you for the video, explain a lot of things... some videos about living costs doesn't talk about Council Tax, and something around 100pounds is a lot in the beginning :)
Glad it helped! I believe council tax is depended on how much your property is worth, so that will change based on your home :)
Adventures and Naps and how manny ppl live on the house, theres some discounts for houses with 1 person only
That's true! My boyfriend and I live here, so there's 2 people. We don't get the 1-person discount unfortunately.
moisés Gaules: 25% discount for single occupancy. Other discounts or exemptions may apply, depending on circumstances (low income, unemployment, age-related, certain disabilities, etc....). Those in one of Her Majesty's hotels are not liable for the payment of council tax - unless they have been incarcerated for refusing to pay council tax - and then that's an even cheaper way to live because not only are they not liable for council tax they also are fed free of charge thrice-daily, and not running-up utility bills whilst away from home.
wow, thats a lot of info. xD thanks
I lived in S.E.Asia for almost a decade and I was often asked how much it would cost to live in the U.K. As many Brits will openly acknowledge, we often call our country 'Rip-Off Britain' because of the unnecessarily high overheads and bills, but then again, that's what you get when you have to fund flippant, out-of-control councils while paying foreign companies for supplying many of our utilities, companies that quite naturally see the British people as a proverbial cash cow that is to be milked for all it is worth.
To live in the Home Counties of the south i.e. Essex, Sussex, Herts or Kent I would estimate that you would need between £1,000 & £1,500 to live comfortably (this includes rent). However, as many have stated below, the further north you go, the cheaper things tend to get. Mind you, one thing I will say is that decent cars are extremely cheap (you can get a 10 year old Mondeo for around £1,500) and even with third party insurance, road tax and petrol costs, it often works out cheaper to buy a used car than pay for public transport which is horrendously expensive compared to much of the rest of Europe.
You even said ' my mum' 😊😊 im loving all this btw as a brit, its hilarious...
Hi ya...found you on RUclips Queens just and I gotta say I enjoyed this video. You provided a lot of great info. 🙌🏼
Thanks so much girl, really appreciate the support!! :)
Your monthly bills are HUGE compared to mine. Gas, electricity, water, internet, and mobile combined for me is just under £56 for the lot. Rent and house prices vary so wildly round the country it's insane. In some places you wont find anything under £500k in others you won't find anything over £25k. EG compare Marlowe and Easington. I was paying more for a grotty bed-sit in one of the grotty parts of London 20 years ago than I do now for my actually very nice flat in Derby, and i'm in one of the better parts of Derby.
Bills are pretty much the same wherever you go in the country. Southeast of England is outrageous. An apartments can cost upwards of 300k - whereas a decent house in the Northwest, is anywhere from 75k.
Hello
Where is the best place to move ?
I am from greece, we are 4 family, how much money we need to travel over there and start a new life? Also monthly payments whats the average cost? Please answer me and have a good Day!
Basic household bills in England/Wales are:-
Rent/Mortgage
Council Tax
Water
Gas
Electricity.
That lot costs me under £500 per month.
Kent is a mixed bag, pricewise, but it isn't London. London is exponentially more expensive than surrounding areas, like x4 to x 40. To live in London requires multiple sharing, or a job in banking, or very low standards. Last time London was an affordable place to live for people on an ordinary wage who expected a Normal Life, was early 1990s.
The exodus of such people out of London has been massive. This has meant Manchester prices rocketing (but cheap compared to London), or to places on the south coast or further afield. To own your own place in London you're rich or over 50. Commuter belt housing is largely valued on how close to a train station you live, and how good the service from it is.
The first time I was in London was in 1991. I'm Canadian and was on a holiday. I met a guy in a pub who'd just committed to buying a flat for 50,000 pounds. I couldn't believe how much that was for a flat. But he said if he didn't do it then, he would never be able to do it later. Turns out he was right.
My Grandmother bought a house in Thames Ditton, Surrey new in 1921 for £550, it is now worth in excess of £1.5 million. Back then £550 was a lot of money when the average wage was less than £3 per week. It is still a nice area.
I currently live in the US, but have been really thinking of moving over there in the past few months. my dad was born in northern England, so I think I would like to stay up there where I still have family. But i'm SUPER nervous! little videos like this will help immensely so THANK YOU
DUDE! They're *called 'drugs man' phones and I have that exact phone model, it is by no means 'throw away'. That phone is so bad ass it can survive a thirty degree wash cycle. These days those phones are so expensive because everyone is tired of the fancy trash. Take my advice and hang on to that phone.
Wow. I just learned that a Drug Dealer is called a “Drugs Man” in the UK. *The more you know!
Frankly, it can't be ignored that London and Greater London are super-expensive places to live. Things tend to be cheaper outside these hot spots (although, beware, there are other towns and cities equally pricey). Of course all of this still relates to what you earn per month. I'd say that you need to bring as much money as you can, and then determine what you actually need on a monthly basis if you're planning a long-term stay. (P.S. England is not the whole country; Britain includes everything). Robert.
Hi there. Just discovered your channel and now having a binge viewing over the weekend! I live just over an hour by train from central London and my rent for my modern, one-bedroom flat (bedroom/kitchen/living room & bathroom) is 325 per month, with council tax at 64, electricity at 60 (no central heating and fixed-rate direct debit) with broadband at 20 (fast-fibre plus free telephone calls on same network) and 15 for water. So there is quite a gap between London and pretty much the rest of the UK, but that could possibly be true about the other larger cities like Birmingham and Manchester. Keep them coming :)
I live right on the south coast next to the sea in a very nice area and my mortgage is £870 a month, with bills ontop its £1400 a month :(
it would be interesting to have an UPDATED version of this video, in comparison the UK and Canada seeing as you have just been back to canada.
Prices are usually higher in London..Beers and Meals more expensive. Like you say, other costs vary
Good work! I don't think there is much else I can add to it. I live and rent myself a flat. And I spend about £850 on monthly bills which includes my motorcycle insurance. I live in the Midlands so it's fairly average here. Hope it helps. I could only get my bills down by living with someone else and splitting bills!
Thanks so much for commenting! It's nice to know I wasn't too far off, but renting a whole flat for that price is great! I think the proximity to London raises some of the prices here, too. Thanks for watching :)
Adventures and Naps hi
Adventures and Naps my help me
£250pm is a LOT to spend of food if it's just the 2 of you. i live on my own, but i can get by on spending £10-£20 per week, never more than £80pm for food, i buy ingredients and make my meals from them, and i don't get main brands either, i'm happy with own brand foods, it's so much cheaper
I spend £600pm. 5£ breakfest; 6£ lunch; 3.5£ soup 7-8 pm ; 4-5 £ another meal and als ofruits every day another 1-2 £. so i don't know how you guys can spend only 200-300 pm
£5 for a breakfast everyday is mad, you eating at cafes all the time? also £3.50 for soup? if you buy fresh ingredients and prepare meals for the week yourself food costs next to nothing.
craig thomas where do you do your shopping? My boyfriend and I cook for each meal, fairly healthy and plan it out for the week. Our total grocery bill is 80£ per Week from Sainsburrys
A tin of heins soup is less than a pound
I guess it depends if you prefer to feed your body with fresh meals and fresh vegetables or if you just have a budget for soup, so that makes sense now!
Awesome video!!! 👌 Thank you for explaining everything in this video! Keep up the great vids 👍
Thanks so much for watching!!
rent depends on where you live, even in London if you live in north London is much cheaper
To anyone saying the further north you go it is cheaper thats bullshit, any city is going to have higher living costs, I stay in Edinburgh for instance that way further north than northern England and it’s extortionate
Even though i’m English, I’m loving watching these videos!
Well, you are not an idiot but you had the place to live with your boyfriend and he owns the house, other people that come here and wan a place to live will usually rent a flat if they can get one and a one bedroom flat will cost between £600 and £1000 per month, much more if you go to London which is what a lot of people do because of employment opportunities. This added to the list can really make a difference to the standard of living that you have
Found your channel accidentally but I'm enjoying it so far!
I'm English and live in London, my rent is £950 and with bills is about £1150.. so just be careful people, although I do live alone but it's a small studio flat
In 2019 council tax is about £142 per month and a monthly bus pass approx £84. So the cost is closer to £1000 per month.
we live near Kent to and we have also rented rooms out to college students. always worked out well
Lots of Australians come here and work in pubs bars etc and get stuck here, they cant save enough to leave or go somewhere else.
If I'd rent i'd pay at least £500-£800 a month and at least £300 bill's a month (personal taste to walking everywhere if I can)