Where to live as a graduate in London?
- Thread starter Hxc
- Start date
Heading out south or south west of London slightly should be able to live fairly reasonably on 35 grand and still "enjoy" direct transport links into London. (I used to have a flat in Bromley and could get into the city in <15 minutes on the train).
Soldato
The average salary in London for a male is nearly £60k, more for inner London workers. Understandably compared to Bristol which has a salary similar to the UK average then the cost of living is going to be higher.
Wapping? I looked at moving there before moving in with my GF.
South of the river is fine but you're basically confined to the Northern line and the transportation system means it'll take a lot longer than somewhere north. Avoid the District line and Northern line. The Northern line is the busiest in London and regularly has queues out the door in places like Balham and Clapham... Depends on the location of the office though, try and get a place on the line that runs next to you work with no changes, or at the end of the line (get a seat every day).
You'll have to flat/house share but find a good bunch and i'm sure it'll be fine.
£35k is fine to live on, depending on how much you spend on housing and how much you spend on drink...
South of the river is fine but you're basically confined to the Northern line and the transportation system means it'll take a lot longer than somewhere north. Avoid the District line and Northern line. The Northern line is the busiest in London and regularly has queues out the door in places like Balham and Clapham... Depends on the location of the office though, try and get a place on the line that runs next to you work with no changes, or at the end of the line (get a seat every day).
You'll have to flat/house share but find a good bunch and i'm sure it'll be fine.
£35k is fine to live on, depending on how much you spend on housing and how much you spend on drink...
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Caporegime
Lol! That place is smaller than my bathroom!
I know I won't be particularly well off, I'm not expecting to be, but I'm just wondering where to even look. I know people I can share with if needs be, so it's good to hear opinions
I find it a bit surprising that it's totally awful to live on that much. I live on approx 600 a month after rent in Clifton, as a student and have a really very, very good quality of life. I go out, I do a lot, I run a car, I buy what I want... I never feel hard up. I know london is more expensive but I can't imagine I would 'struggle' on 35k.
depends who you socialise with, where you work, live etc...
if you drink a lot and you're going to socialise with work colleagues at bars in central London on a Friday evening + you want to live somewhere close to bars, pubs, other people you know in London etc... then you'll want to be close to central and have lively nightlife near your home - Islington and Clapham are both popular with recent grads... you would certainly struggle on 35k if you wanted to have your own place, in that sort of area and have a social life..
On the other hand you could certainly live by yourself on that amount if you looked more towards the south east and you weren't out drinking in central London regularly
As a recent grad I'd say get a flatshare and enjoy your time - consider sharing with randoms - you can meet a whole variety of people that way (obviously you have to be a bit selective). If you're completely set upon getting your own place then look towards the south east - Brockley, as mentioned by another poster, could be an OK option for renting a 1 bed flat - Lee and Hither Green are also worth a look. Though not exactly the social life you could be having in places like Islington and Clapham in your 20s...
Slighty OT but out of interest, what industry are you going into? Finance? IT?
It's threads like this that make me so glad I didn't take any job opportunities in London. Struggling to live on 35K, having to endure the rush hour tubes and paying £10 a drink is nuts.
It's threads like this that make me so glad I didn't take any job opportunities in London. Struggling to live on 35K, having to endure the rush hour tubes and paying £10 a drink is nuts.
Soldato
Are graduates only allowed to live in certain places?
1 job is technology at an IB, 2 are audit/ACA qualification, and the final one is finance/business for a big tech company.
Soldato
Drinks are only that much in clubs. £35k salary is only starting in this case. Pretty good as it goes. I think the op will be fine and have more than enough money. Depending on the social lifestyle the op can save if wanted.
Soldato
Houseshare north, HIghgate, Archway etc. £600pm on rent min.
Soldato
Generally they don't live in extremely expensive areas. They live everywhere else though. Shoreditch, Islington, Clapham, Camden, West Hampstead and surrounding areas. Etc.
Although the funny thing is these are technically extremely expensive places.
Want a 2 bed flat that isn't a council house? That's £400k+ thanks!
I know what you mean, but just pointing it out
Soldato
Although the funny thing is these are technically extremely expensive places.
Want a 2 bed flat that isn't a council house? That's £400k+ thanks!
I know what you mean, but just pointing it out
Most areas in London are expensive but relative to areas like Kensington etc. they are very cheap. No grad is going to be buying a property without help in any part of the country. That comes later.
The difference is that a job in London quickly pushes you up the salary ladder, and within a few years you can buy entire swathes of Yorkshire for the price of a sandwich.
Soldato
I rarely ever have to pay £10 for a drink in London. A pint over £4 is pretty rare.
You don't struggle to live on £35k, the only real issue is the cost of renting which is why people commute in from out of the city centre... There are plenty of towns around london where the commute is about 30 minutes and you can live in a nice area for £700 a month in your own house, just not the city centre.
As for drinks a pint in a ceentral London pub will cost you around £4. Rush hour tubes are significantly better than having to drive to work imo...
As everything it all depends how you spend hour money. You can try and live in a city centre apartment on your own, overlooking the shard/thames, go to fancy wine bars and buy expeensive clothes. Or you can live half an hour's commuting distance, go to a nice pub and shop normally and £35 will get you a nice life with plenty of luxuaries. Too many people appear to want to live the "city" (aka banker) style life and wonder why they struggle...
See, I'd like a mix of this really. I'd like to be able to go into the city for drinks with friends, but I don't want to live in a box.... I don't mind commuting, but I want to be able to get home late at night if needs be... I suppose that's the dream, and hence would be expensive!
Soldato
If you want to look further out, most thameslink trains run through the night. Alternatively a house share would be a way of living in a larger property but paying a cheaper rent.