[Bonganp01]

'm thinking of moving to London for university next year (got my eye on King's!) But I've had loads of people tell me its really expensive which is kinda putting me off. Is it really that bad? What should I expect for rent/food e.c.t. I currently live in Leeds, West Yorkshire by the way, is there anything I could do to make my transition smoother like save up or something lol?

Thank you in advance!

[tehFrance]

Rent is expensive... but most other things are less expensive than further south although I am unsure how it compares to up north.

[sweetiepie82]

(Original post by Bonganp01)
'm thinking of moving to London for university next year (got my eye on King's!) But I've had loads of people tell me its really expensive which is kinda putting me off. Is it really that bad? What should I expect for rent/food e.c.t. I currently live in Leeds, West Yorkshire by the way, is there anything I could do to make my transition smoother like save up or something lol?

Thank you in advance!

I think everything is generally more expensive down south, but student loans etc are reflected in this & you get a substantial difference in loan amounts if you move down there If I didn't have kids & a dog & a house etc etc. then I would definitely move to London to study.

[michael321]

(Original post by Bonganp01)
'm thinking of moving to London for university next year (got my eye on King's!) But I've had loads of people tell me its really expensive which is kinda putting me off. Is it really that bad? What should I expect for rent/food e.c.t. I currently live in Leeds, West Yorkshire by the way, is there anything I could do to make my transition smoother like save up or something lol?

Thank you in advance!

Food and stuff isn't massively more expensive, but property is. London is pretty much the most expensive place to buy/rent, per sq/ft, in the world, apart from maybe Monte Carlo.

[Bonganp01]

(Original post by michael321)
Food and stuff isn't massively more expensive, but property is. London is pretty much the most expensive place to buy/rent, per sq/ft, in the world, apart from maybe Monte Carlo.

oh so its really rent that's a problem.. "the most expensive place in the world!". Oh dear, student debt here I come(!) Anyone here already living as a student, how do you cope then? Do you have like 2 jobs?

[michael321]

(Original post by Bonganp01)
oh so its really rent that's a problem.. "the most expensive place in the world!". Oh dear, student debt here I come(!) Anyone here already living as a student, how do you cope then? Do you have like 2 jobs?

The property prices are pretty much the most expensive in the world, apart from Monte Carlo. I haven't actually checked about rent, but logically it would follow on from the value of the building.

I don't live in London, but I have friends there. Basically halls are often a bit of a trek from the university as accommodation is placed further out so it can be cheaper. Also there's a higher student loan.

Here's a link: http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2012/03/...-in-the-world/

[You Failed]

(Original post by Bonganp01)
oh so its really rent that's a problem.. "the most expensive place in the world!". Oh dear, student debt here I come(!) Anyone here already living as a student, how do you cope then? Do you have like 2 jobs?

Rent is the only thing that is more expensive really, most other stuff is the same price as anywhere else. Tesco's, Sainsbury's etc don't hike up their prices for stuff in London compared to anywhere else. Travel is pretty cheap with an oyster card (£1.35 for a bus to anywhere, £2.xx for the tube within zone 1-2), going out can be expensive but it can also be cheap, it really depends where you go, a student club or a posh bar in South Kensington. You get more of a student loan to cope with the increased rent, so with proper money management, it should cover your living costs.

[Bonganp01]

thanks for that guys, that's certainly reassuring I guess. I'm going down there in the summer to check out accommodation

[alexsasg]

I wouldn't say food is more expensive (unless you're always eating out at restaurants or something, but there are plenty of markets etc around), it's rent which is more of an issue.

[medic_armadillo7]

(Original post by Bonganp01)
'm thinking of moving to London for university next year (got my eye on King's!) But I've had loads of people tell me its really expensive which is kinda putting me off. Is it really that bad? What should I expect for rent/food e.c.t. I currently live in Leeds, West Yorkshire by the way, is there anything I could do to make my transition smoother like save up or something lol?

Thank you in advance!

Simple answer = Yes. London is ridiculously expensive. One of my friends when he lived in London for uni was having to pay £600 pcm for his flat. Another one of my mates was at a drama school, and he and his 3 other flatmates had to pay £750 pcm each for a bog-standard 4 bed house in North London, because they were required to live close to the drama school. Generally, if you find somewhere in London to rent for £400-500pcm, you are either extremely lucky, you are living out of town or you are living somewhere rough.

In comparison, if you were to pay £400-500 pcm on accommodation in other major cities: Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, you'd be complaining how expensive you rent was.

[Bonganp01]

(Original post by medic_armadillo7)
Simple answer = Yes. London is ridiculously expensive. One of my friends when he lived in London for uni was having to pay £600 pcm for his flat. Another one of my mates was at a drama school, and he and his 3 other flatmates had to pay £750 pcm each for a bog-standard 4 bed house in North London, because they were required to live close to the drama school. Generally, if you find somewhere in London to rent for £400-500pcm, you are either extremely lucky, you are living out of town or you are living somewhere rough.

In comparison, if you were to pay £400-500 pcm on accommodation in other major cities: Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, you'd be complaining how expensive you rent was.

£600 pcm for a flat? £750 each for a house?! This is really hitting me hard! I thought sharing with flat mates would be cheaper but I guess it does depend but still- shocking. Obviously my first year at uni will be at halls but after that I was planning ahead and thinking of living somewhere close to greater London, not too far out but moderately close. To be honest,I'd like to avoid all "rough" areas (no gangs please lol) but somewhere just normal lol. I guess London is turning out to be rather too extraordinary for me. Hmmm, time to rethink maybe..

[medic_armadillo7]

(Original post by Bonganp01)
£600 pcm for a flat? £750 each for a house?! This is really hitting me hard! I thought sharing with flat mates would be cheaper but I guess it does depend but still- shocking. Obviously my first year at uni will be at halls but after that I was planning ahead and thinking of living somewhere close to greater London, not too far out but moderately close. To be honest,I'd like to avoid all "rough" areas (no gangs please lol) but somewhere just normal lol. I guess London is turning out to be rather too extraordinary for me. Hmmm, time to rethink maybe..

Tbh, £750pcm was extortionate but it was a prime location in North London and they had no choice in the matter. Still £500-600pcm is typical. I think the trick is you and whoever you end up living with need to be resourceful in finding a house. Just a couple of things:

1) There is safety in numbers the more people you live with the cheaper the house and its expenses may be per person, because the larger house sometimes have a fixed lump sum rent, as opposed to rent per person (as individual tenancy agreements) and so long as you find one of these you can reduce the cost.

2) The further out of London you live, the cheaper it is, but you still need to pay for transport.

Also, if rental prices are still an issue, potentially you might be better lodging with someone, which can be cheaper. The downside to that is, you probably wouldn't be able to live with your mates and you need to vet your lodger to make sure, they won't rip you off.

Although London is expensive, people do manage, so I'm sure you will.

[jelly1000]

(Original post by Bonganp01)
£600 pcm for a flat? £750 each for a house?! This is really hitting me hard! I thought sharing with flat mates would be cheaper but I guess it does depend but still- shocking. Obviously my first year at uni will be at halls but after that I was planning ahead and thinking of living somewhere close to greater London, not too far out but moderately close. To be honest,I'd like to avoid all "rough" areas (no gangs please lol) but somewhere just normal lol. I guess London is turning out to be rather too extraordinary for me. Hmmm, time to rethink maybe..

Well in first year you'd probally want to go into halls, these are typically around £150-£160pwfor a single room with bills included. My friend is a 2nd year at UCL and is currently paying £130pw for a room in an ex council flat on an estate in Camden near the uni, so that works out around a little more than £560 a month but her travel costs are almost nil as she is walking distance from everything she needs.

[calumsteele1]

it depends where you go in london really but generally speaking london is marginally more expensive than mos tother parts of the UK especially with rent... however that being said on my pamphlet from UCL they begged to differ and said london was no more expensive than any other city

[tehFrance]

(Original post by calumsteele1)
However that being said on my pamphlet from UCL they begged to differ and said london was no more expensive than any other city

Well it isn't, hell it is cheaper than where I lived in the UK before.

[Bonganp01]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Well it isn't, hell it is cheaper than where I lived in the UK before.

Guess that's good news then. I'm off down there this summer to check out accommodation ,gonna rule out anything above £500 for now(that is for one room only obvs) but we'll see how it goes...

Ooh, and just out of interest what areas are considered "rough" exactly? I've heard of Brixton and Hackney but they're the only 2 that I know of lol

[walterwhite123]

(Original post by You Failed)
Rent is the only thing that is more expensive really, most other stuff is the same price as anywhere else. Tesco's, Sainsbury's etc don't hike up their prices for stuff in London compared to anywhere else. Travel is pretty cheap with an oyster card (£1.35 for a bus to anywhere, £2.xx for the tube within zone 1-2), going out can be expensive but it can also be cheap, it really depends where you go, a student club or a posh bar in South Kensington. You get more of a student loan to cope with the increased rent, so with proper money management, it should cover your living costs.

Depends. Booze is certainly far more expensive than it will be in Leeds.

[walterwhite123]

(Original post by tehFrance)
Well it isn't, hell it is cheaper than where I lived in the UK before.

Where was that?

[icapturethecastle]

I think it is expensive. I don't live in halls, but my travel alone is £130 a month to get to uni (in London) and on top of that food. I work part time, and most of my money goes on travel, food and books.

I'd say renting is defo more expensive. You're looking at around £400 - £600 a month to rent :'( (private accommodation)..

[SpongebobSquarepan]

Went to wembley and it was £5 for a grotty burger from one of them salmonella vans.