What is the cost of living in London?

What is the recent cost of living in London for 2 adults and 1 child?

• can anybody suggest me about the cost of living in London for 2 adults and 1 four year old child.i want to know about the taxes(including income tax) payable in London.

• Answer:

  That depends on your salary, because how long is a piece of string lol ;) Most of us work out our cost of living by the salary or wages we get. If your on a lower end, you may need to look at cheaper areas, smaller places to live or further out. (I might add though, many so called cheap areas, also have expensive areas within or one road/street up! This happens a lot in London, so you may be very near the nice and posh bits, but have cheaper rent! EG, my 2 bed flat is £800 a month, my youngest sister's is £1000k a month, yet she is 10 mins up the road from me. Reason being is mine is on a high street in the not so nice end and hers is in the nicer end and has recently been done up! BUT I have a garden and she doesn't!) My other sis lives in the middle of nowhere another 10 mins away from me, ie no direct shops, actually opposite an estate and pays even more than my youngest sister, because her 2 bed flat is a converted flat to *professional* standard and is on the cusp of well sort after North London. However, she lives in Hackney of all places and I do NOT feel safe using her station even though she is one stop from mine) It just depends on where you look and how lucky you are to find somewhere AND of course what you can afford! Household bills also vary because it depends on how frugal you are, how much work your willing to do and the company your with. EG I use energy saving light bulbs, use heavy curtains and throws on doors and windows, have double glazing but drafts from floorboards and what not. I put my heat on lower for longer which is cheaper than blasting it. I use a pay as you go elec metre so i can see exactly what we use and control it (although the theory goes, it's cheaper on direct debit as the daily standing charge on metres is higher, but works for me!) Am on a water metre and get a discount on my elec and gas as I am with the same company for both! I use set monthly payment cards (NOT direct debit, so I get a shock) and do not do 3 monthly bills either. I send in monthly gas readings, often wash up in cold water not hot to save gas and try to use water as little as possible. Now having a 4 yr old I am sure will change how much you can do, because what with working and caring for a child, it may not be possible and you may have different needs. You can live in London on lower wages, but it is more difficult, but it can be done and doesn't have to mean being miserable. I use Freecycle where possible and I am lucky to have a cheap as chips market place, so makes buying fresh fruit and veg easy! As another poster said, it may be helpful to put down all your income and expenditure and see how much money you have, that will set the bar as to where and how you can live. Income taxes are different dependant on how much you earn, so take a look at HMRC for guidance on that. They have a rate system which goes up the more you earn. Here is a list of bills if your not sure about what's what:Mine are for 2 people, 2 bed flat, East London (zone 3) Rent £800 2 bed flat with roof top space. Block of 3 flats in the building. Gas for heating (not for cars, if your American by the way) £20 - £30 a month Water inc waste water £20 - £30 a month Elec £20 -£30 a month Council tax £116 a month TV Licence £12.12 a month Then you have everything else, Internet £7.50 Land line, £9.99 Mobile 1 £20 Mobile 2 £20 Food £200 a month (not inc cleaning, laundry, personal items) And..you get the idea..costs will be higher obviously with a child so it really does depend on your personal needs and wages! Hope that helps though!