The Student Room Group

Too expensive to live out in London

I’m a bit worried about the expenses
I don’t know how to work out the transport costs
I’d have around £103 left for a week after subtracting rent costs but I’ll need money for food rent and saving money up
My accommodation would be in Angel lane and Kcl is 30 mins away from that - how much would I have to pay to get there and if I wanted to go back home on the weekends, would that be too expensive
I want to save up as much money as I can but don’t see myself doing that with the expenses
If I had a job there, then I could save up my money
I currently have a job at a supermarket but have only worked there a month and I don’t think they’d let me transfer
With reasonable weekly budgeting it is very likely that you will be to live on £103 a week after paying rent and bills. :smile:
Depending on your habits, health and standard of living.
But you will need some regular part time earnings during the weekends, evening or holidays to save up any money.
I'm a lifelong Londoner and spent many years of my undergrad & postgrad life living on under £30 a week after rent and bills.
Reply 2
Original post by londonmyst
With reasonable weekly budgeting it is very likely that you will be to live on £103 a week after paying rent and bills. :smile:
Depending on your habits, health and standard of living.
But you will need some regular part time earnings during the weekends, evening or holidays to save up any money.
I'm a lifelong Londoner and spent many years of my undergrad & postgrad life living on under £30 a week after rent and bills.


How much would it cost around for transport that’s what I’m mainly worried about because I don’t know what to expect
But food wise I know how to eat cheaply so I think I’d be fine with that
Reply 3
Original post by londonmyst
With reasonable weekly budgeting it is very likely that you will be to live on £103 a week after paying rent and bills. :smile:
Depending on your habits, health and standard of living.
But you will need some regular part time earnings during the weekends, evening or holidays to save up any money.
I'm a lifelong Londoner and spent many years of my undergrad & postgrad life living on under £30 a week after rent and bills.


How much would transport cost around
I read online that it costs around £30 a week But that’s a lot if I want to save up too
I’m worried I won’t find a job or won’t know how to travel to the required job
It would cost £5.50 per day to travel from Stratford to London Bridge with an oyster card. £3 in the morning peak and £2.50 return off peak. You could get a 16-25 railcard which will give you 1/3 discount on off peak fares.
Original post by Anonymous
How much would transport cost around
I read online that it costs around £30 a week But that’s a lot if I want to save up too
I’m worried I won’t find a job or won’t know how to travel to the required job

The tube is very convenient in London I recommend the citymapper app to navigate around the system
Original post by Anonymous
How much would it cost around for transport that’s what I’m mainly worried about because I don’t know what to expect
But food wise I know how to eat cheaply so I think I’d be fine with that

Costs of travelling within London can vary a lot depending on whether you prefer to travel by bus, train or another form of public transport.

Discounts on travel costs are also available with an 18+ Student Oyster photocard and 16-25 railcard with London weekly, monthly and annual travel ticket costs.
A 7 day bus&tram pass costs £15.30, while a monthly bus&tram pass is £58.80.
A 7 day travelcard for zone 1 is £25.80 and monthly cost is £99.10.
Alternatively, you could take the 388 bus from stratford to monument and walk from there to London bridge. which costs £1.50 per trip. You could use the hopper fare to change onto the 26 in mare street if you’re going to strand.
Reply 8
Original post by Anonymous
I’m a bit worried about the expenses
I don’t know how to work out the transport costs
I’d have around £103 left for a week after subtracting rent costs but I’ll need money for food rent and saving money up
My accommodation would be in Angel lane and Kcl is 30 mins away from that - how much would I have to pay to get there and if I wanted to go back home on the weekends, would that be too expensive
I want to save up as much money as I can but don’t see myself doing that with the expenses
If I had a job there, then I could save up my money
I currently have a job at a supermarket but have only worked there a month and I don’t think they’d let me transfer


London. Beijing. Paris

They aren't for the peasants but for the middle class
Reply 9
Original post by hungrysalamander
Alternatively, you could take the 388 bus from stratford to monument and walk from there to London bridge. which costs £1.50 per trip. You could use the hopper fare to change onto the 26 in mare street if you’re going to strand.


Would you say it’s more cheaper and convenient to catch the bus or a train
And if I got an Oyster card, would that mean that I could travel to all areas of London
Original post by CCHINA
London. Beijing. Paris

They aren't for the peasants but for the middle class


Sorry not all of us have the privilege of being brought up financially comfortable
Reply 11
Original post by Anonymous
Sorry not all of us have the privilege of being brought up financially comfortable

So go to a less expensive city like Liverpool or Manchester then

London, Birmingham and Devon are out of your league
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Anonymous
Would you say it’s more cheaper and convenient to catch the bus or a train
And if I got an Oyster card, would that mean that I could travel to all areas of London

The bus is less frequent and slower but cheaper than taking the tube. An oyster card is absolutely essential if you live in london as it has a daily cap on spending. You could also use a contactless card but you can’t use a railcard discount.
Original post by CCHINA
So go to a less expensive city like Liverpool or Manchester then

London, Birmingham and Devon are out of your league


I worked incredibly hard to get my grades so it’s unfair to not go to a university because of the expenses not reflecting my families financial situation
I'd definetily recommend riding a bike as much as you can, and getting the clothes to manage the wet weather too. Bikes are free!!! And you can go anywhere. Learn the cycle routes and the city is you're oyster... Also early mornings can be great fun riding in the city because there are so many other cyclists there too, it can be like riding in a great pack of friendly people. (I finished an MSc at KCL this year) and rode from outside of the city (it was 20+ miles) I really enjoyed it and discovered a lot of cycle routes whilst I was there. There's also some good lockers and showers at the college (excellent in fact) and they really encourage you to ride. It can also be cheap to ride half the way (like avoiding tubes and riding a bike instead). A good idea would be to buy a Brompton with the money you save, but I used an old racer bike, and kept off the trains during rush hour (as I couldn't travel during peak times) the rest of the time, I was free to ride, and it was by far one of the best parts of the day, having had a morning blast, before stopping for coffee and then going to lectures. Good luck, you're in for a treat.
Original post by hungrysalamander
The bus is less frequent and slower but cheaper than taking the tube. An oyster card is absolutely essential if you live in london as it has a daily cap on spending. You could also use a contactless card but you can’t use a railcard discount.


Do you think it would be better to just commute from my home town to Kings
I could save a lot more money than the extortionate amount being used on rent but i think it would be less stressful to live out and have a quiet space to study in
Original post by Anonymous
Do you think it would be better to just commute from my home town to Kings
I could save a lot more money than the extortionate amount being used on rent but i think it would be less stressful to live out and have a quiet space to study in

Depends on how far your home town is from kcl. I would still recommend living in halls for your first year as its easier to make friends. It’s definitely to commute from your home if it has direct trains to London bridge though.
Original post by hungrysalamander
Depends on how far your home town is from kcl. I would still recommend living in halls for your first year as its easier to make friends. It’s definitely to commute from your home if it has direct trains to London bridge though.


It’s around 1 hour 30 mins away
Which I think isn’t bad
But the main reason I wanted to live out was because of having no space to study at home and with my environment being difficult to study in
But now looking at the costs I’m questioning whether I should live out or not now

Quick Reply

Latest

Trending

Trending