How expensive is London?

username196545

Everyone moans about how expensive it is - how? Obvs I've always lived here, so I don't get how we're more expensive?

Everything is in chains, right? Well shampoo costs the same in Boots all over the country - from London to some non-town like Northampton; right?

Um, everything in chains costs the same yar? So how is London more expensive? Petrol costs the same wherever you drive, admittedly congestion charge is bitchin but that's only Central.

Rent is more expensive, yus, but Westminster has the second lowest council tax in the country, and Westminster covers most of Central London (even the queen lives in Westminster).

So, I figure clubbing and restaurants is more expensive - how so? You can get grimy clubs here like Cheap$kates or Egg or something which aren't really 'pricey'. Pubs - I dunno, how much are normal drinks up North? Restaurants - most aren't really that expensive; there's loads of price ranges.

Clothes - well we have H&M and all that. There's market stalls and loads of places which aren't expensive tbh. We have as many Primarks as you do.

Public transport - okay, the Tube is kinda expensive but hey aren't we the only city with one? And you're free to catch a bus and with Oysters they're not bad. For a student it's pretty standard £1 a journey - not gonna break the bank tbh. Plus I went to my grandparents near a potato farm in the Midlands and it was much more expensive then £1 a way. I was shocked.

So wtf really is *so* much more expensive in London?

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Reply 1

Daina

Bubbles*de*Milo

Everything is in chains, right? Well shampoo costs the same in Boots all over the country - from London to some non-town like Northampton; right?

Not true, especially with Supermarkets.

Reply 2

fallen angel9

I'm with you. I don't get why everyone says it's more expensive either. Whenever I go into London everything seems exactly the same?

Reply 3

francescarella

i think it's cos there's lots to spend your money ON. there's so many more ways for you to part with your cash that you just get poorer quicker :dontknow:

i've been fine living in london for the past year and i'm jobless, and have never even gone into my overdraft once.

Reply 4

stargirl001

I've often wondered this. I've spent the same amount on drinks in London and other cities

£3 (or whatever the cap is on Oyster) really isnt that much for all day bus travel, I've definitely heard of other places where its higher.

The only things I can really think of being siginifcantly higher are: rent, house prices and car insurance (not even sure how much of a difference there is tbh)

Reply 5

CombineHarvester

The stuff in normal stores is a lot more expensive in London. A newsagent in the north would be a lot cheaper than in London. Only chain stores have roughly constant prices throughout the UK. Snacks are VERY expensive in London compared with elsewhere.

Reply 6

caw123

North West average house price - £147,401
South East average house price - £240,633

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/regions/html/region9.stm

Reply 7

jacketpotato

Rent is the big one. Renting in London is expensive.

Transport is also a lot more expensive than other cities. When talking about the bus, you need to remember that people are usually commutting longer distances - taking the bus into the centre isn't feasible for a lot of people. The only way for most people is the Tube, and that can be expensive. Driving is also a big no-no: £10 congestion charge, much more for parking and the congestion itself.

A lot of shops are more expensive, though people exaggurate this.

Reply 8

username196545

CombineHarvester

What do people buy in newsagents apart from newspapers (with the price on the front) and things like a bottle of milk and a chocolate bar or something.

Can of coke is 50 sometimes 60p and a chocolate bar is like 55p.

Reply 9

mr_cool

Bubbles*de*Milo

Petrol costs the same wherever you drive

No it doesnt

Reply 10

username196545

jacketpotato

Hm, I never thought of parking tbh. The congestion is £8, but yeah I don't drive so I forgot about parking.

Reply 11

caw123

A bottle of coke is the same in Manchester and Central London, from my experience. (Unless you go to a cheapo shop which sells coke a week before expiration date covered in cyrillic writing.)

Reply 12

rockrunride

Daina

Not true, especially with Supermarkets.

Depends on the size of the supermarket in my experience. The big Sainsbury's in Camden has the same prices as my parents' local one in King's Lynn, but the smaller Sainsbury's Locals are definitely more expensive. It works if you know where to go. As for public transport I dunno. I used to pay £7 for a weeks' bus pass in KL, here it's £10. Tube is reasonable, £1.60 for zones 1-2 and you can get a YPR to lower the cap. Pubs and clubs definitely more expensive, but cheapo Spoons and students' union are always good. You get what you pay for with Moonies.

So yeah. The fact that property prices are astronomical here sorta outweighs most else. Also as someone said there's way more to spend your money on.

Reply 13

username196545

mr_cool

No it doesnt

How so?

Reply 14

Tucking Fypo

Cheap$kates hahahaha.

Reply 15

mollymustard

I think it is only more expensive in termsof leisure/entertainment. For example getting your haircut costs double in London, unless you go somewhere really awful. Gyms cost more. A double and coke costs £6.

You talk about Cheap$kates and Egg etc - cheap but they arn't exactly classy etc. You get much more for your money up north!

Reply 16

username196545

caw123

A bottle of coke is the same in Manchester and Central London, from my experience. (Unless you go to a cheapo shop which sells coke a week before expiration date covered in cyrillic writing.)

This made ma laugh for some reason. :pinch:

Reply 17

Helenia

Bubbles*de*Milo

Everything is in chains, right? Well shampoo costs the same in Boots all over the country - from London to some non-town like Northampton; right?
Not true - prices within chains do vary. Even Tesco value stuff can be a bit more expensive down here (and that's compared with Cambridge, which is not the cheapest place in the world).

Rent is more expensive, yus, but Westminster has the second lowest council tax in the country, and Westminster covers most of Central London (even the queen lives in Westminster).

Yes, and most people can't afford to live in Westminster. Rents are HUGELY inflated compared with the rest of the country - back home (Shropshire - cheap but not as cheap as further North) I could rent a 6-bedroom house with 2 acres for the amount I'm currently paying for a 3rd floor, 2 bedroom flat in a reasonably nice area. That's one of the biggest differences. I don't know much about council tax as I've only ever paid it here, but I can't imagine it makes up for the difference in rent/house prices.

So, I figure clubbing and restaurants is more expensive - how so? You can get grimy clubs here like Cheap$kates or Egg or something which aren't really 'pricey'. Pubs - I dunno, how much are normal drinks up North? Restaurants - most aren't really that expensive; there's loads of price ranges.

Again, even stuff like McDonald's can be more expensive. There are grimy student clubs, but the normal-to-high-end stuff is much more (also possibly because lots of the rest of the country just doesn't HAVE really swish cocktail clubs) And pubs too - even dodgy ones are about 50p a drink more than Cambridge. It doesn't sound like much but it adds up over a night out!

Clothes - well we have H&M and all that. There's market stalls and loads of places which aren't expensive tbh. We have as many Primarks as you do.

Yeah, that's not so much of a problem. Again though, there's the really pricey shops and within certain professions there's pressure to match a certain "look" which means you have to pay for it.

Public transport - okay, the Tube is kinda expensive but hey aren't we the only city with one? And you're free to catch a bus and with Oysters they're not bad. For a student it's pretty standard £1 a journey - not gonna break the bank tbh. Plus I went to my grandparents near a potato farm in the Midlands and it was much more expensive then £1 a way. I was shocked.

Fair point, I actually think London transport is pretty good value with Oyster, especially compared with bus prices I've experienced elsewhere. The reason I probably spend more on transport here is that a)London is so BIG that you can't walk to many places, b)I'm terrified of dying on my bike and c)there's nowhere to park.

It is perfectly possible to live quite frugally in London, it is certainly not essential to buy really expensive clothes and go out to fancy bars, but stuff like rent will bite you hard. And there are other things like car/home insurance - often more expensive than for other places - I had to pay an extra £40 for two months on my car insurance (on top of my current premium) when I moved down here, so that'd be £240 more over a year!