So what is a practical and liveable wage

[SpinDoctor]

Just wondering what your take was on that. For those that haven't read my intro post I'm moving to the UK in 2 weeks... I've had a couple nibbles on jobs from CVs I've sent out and they're pay rates are fairly vague but they give a range of £8 - £13. Having done all of my working in Canada and Australia I don't have much of a reference point for the UK's cost of living. Even between Canada and Australia the differnence in cost of living is astronomical, I needed to earn 50% more just to stay afloat in Aus. I've seen jobs where they say they pay a competitive rate of £7.50 with all the overtime you want... Is it actually possible to live on 7.50/hour?

So outside of London what is a wage that would allow for basic standard of living. I.e. renting a modest flat, no car loan, no kids, and a wife in tow.

I had a bight from a shop in London also. I would expect wages would need to be much higher but what would one need to live and work there. Would probably be living in a modest flat or sharing...

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Only you can answer that question, we all have our own ideas of what is an acceptable rate of pay. It will depend to a great deal on where you chose to live, the regional variations are quite large with London being completely out of kilter with the rest of the UK.

Are you able to begin by renting temporary accommodation to allow you time to test the waters? if so that's what I'd suggest, then you can look at regional house prices and other outlays and decide on what you need to earn to support your lifestyle in each region.

Regards Mick

 

[Jacob]

Cost of housing (and work space) is the big issue here.
e.g. no-one on a low wage can live in London area unless they have a huge amount of cash to start with, or be prepared to hassle the hostilities of benefits and welfare. A low London wage would be anything less than say £50k pa. Crudely that's £25 per hour but it's not that simple.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/i ... egions.stm

I'd seriously consider the north or Scotland. Both places with a lot to offer. NI too but don't know it myself. Must go there sometime.

£7.50 per hour is not possible, except for a single person living in a tent perhaps. The minimum wage in UK is £6.50 per hour and is seen as much too low. Low wage families are dependent on benefits of various sorts - which you may not get at all if you are an immigrant.

 

[JustBen]

Cost of housing (and work space) is the big issue here.
e.g. no-one on a low wage can live in London area unless they have a huge amount of cash to start with, or be prepared to hassle the hostilities of benefits and welfare. A low London wage would be anything less than say £50k pa. Crudely that's £25 per hour but it's not that simple.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/i ... egions.stm

I'd seriously consider the north or Scotland. Both places with a lot to offer. NI too but don't know it myself. Must go there sometime.

£7.50 per hour is not possible, except for a single person living in a tent perhaps. The minimum wage in UK is £6.50 per hour and is seen as much too low. Low wage families are dependent on benefits of various sorts - which you may not get at all if you are an immigrant.

Rubbish!
£7.50ph is easily liveable outside of London and will get you a bit more than a tent........ Unless the person insists on having the latest of everything, designer clothes, gadgets, brand new car, drinking/eating out very often etc.

 

[Mike.S]

FWIW, here's my family's experience. My 21 year old son has just moved out to rented accommodation - in a very ordinary part of West London suburbia. He's paying - 50/50 with a flat mate - £1,300pm for a nice 2 bed flat i.e. £650pm plus bills (gas, electricity etc). He commutes, by train, to Chiswick (West London) which adds to his bills. His salary is £28k. Spent some time looking at flats nearer to work (more desirable/expensive location) but couldn't afford it.

It may help to use the BBC website - which publishes a 'where can I afford to live' calculator here.

A cousin (aged 30, works in Local college education) who works in Hammersmith (West London) and earns a bit less has just moved into a family home (West London) as a lodger (one bedroom and shares use of family kitchen/bathroom) and pays £380pm.

There are 'grey' areas (think not entirely legal) where it can be a bit cheaper e.g. my local hairdresser has just converted two block built storage areas at the rear of his shop to living accommodation - and houses eastern european families in them! Areas around LB Hounslow (West London) are replete with 'garden sheds' that house (largely Asian) families illegally. My father's neighbour has just had an enforcement notice (take it down) served for a house side extension which miraculously tuned into a self-contained flat, intended for renters.

So, what I'm saying - relative to London - is there's plenty about if you know where to look but none of it is 'cheap'. If you anticipate a 'modest' London income (think £20k min) you can just about survive, say as a lodger. Regret I don't know the situation elsewhere - but exploration of the BBC site - link above - may assist.

Good luck.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ben is welcome to come to Cornwall and earn sunshine wages, but he'll have a job to buy a £99,950 one bedroomed flat on £7.50 an hour.

 

[JustBen]

First off, the OP is not looking to BUY a property. He will be new to the country and wouldn't get looked at for a mortgage for quite some time. He is looking to rent.

I myself am not far off that figure and until recently(landlady sold), I was living in a 4 bed detached house in a small village. I have 2 cars, 2 kids, a workshop full of tools and I don't struggle.

Yes, there are certain parts of the country where is may be a little tougher but it's still achievable.

Live within your means.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I guess, in fairness then, that you are putting in quite a few hours a week.

Regards Mick

 

[DannyEssex]

Just to add to the discussion

I live in south essex and the prices aren't as high as London, but its an commute, 40 mins by train and roughly the same by car on a good day. You can get a roughish 1 bed flat for £450 pm or house share for £80ish a week

And yes you can live on on £7.50 per hour, you just cant food shop at M&S :lol:

 

[JustBen]

Hi

I guess, in fairness then, that you are putting in quite a few hours a week.

Regards Mick

Nope. I'm on a 45h salary with a few hours a months overtime.
I avoid overtime as much as I can.

 

[monkeybiter]

FWIW My son's main job is part-time £8.00/hr, he is in the process of buying a three bedroom mid terrace in decent nick for £55K. If we lived anywhere else it robably wouldn't be affordable. There's an upside to living in an ex pit-village.

 

[SpinDoctor]

Great information folks. Very much appreciate it.

Just to clarify, I am British but haven't lived in the UK in decades. Dad had wonder lust and took us to Canada when I was very young. I seemed to inherit his wonder lust and ended up in Australia but now the parents are gone so it's time to come home and be close to family - but not too close. It's always been home to me even though I was too young to be influenced. Every time I traveled to the UK, land in Manchester and jump on the train to Sheffield it always felt like I was coming home - did it so many times I've lost count. When I brought my wife for the first time she couldn't believe it. It was like I had this whole other life that she had no idea of. All the people I knew and how familiar it all was. I'd just slot back in with the family and carry on like I hadn't been away. I'm looking forward to in being a oneway trip this time.

 

[RogerS]

First off, the OP is not looking to BUY a property. He will be new to the country and wouldn't get looked at for a mortgage for quite some time. He is looking to rent.

I myself am not far off that figure and until recently(landlady sold), I was living in a 4 bed detached house in a small village. I have 2 cars, 2 kids, a workshop full of tools and I don't struggle.

Yes, there are certain parts of the country where is may be a little tougher but it's still achievable.

Live within your means.

Good post, JB.

 

[MIGNAL]

First off, the OP is not looking to BUY a property. He will be new to the country and wouldn't get looked at for a mortgage for quite some time. He is looking to rent.

I myself am not far off that figure and until recently(landlady sold), I was living in a 4 bed detached house in a small village. I have 2 cars, 2 kids, a workshop full of tools and I don't struggle.

Yes, there are certain parts of the country where is may be a little tougher but it's still achievable.

Live within your means.

You run two cars and two kids, pay rent all on not much above £7.50 per hour. No benefits?

 

[gregmcateer]

Everyone will have different views of what's enough / not - as posted earlier. Some of us may be surprised about how much or how little others earn and spend.
This thread therefore, could slide into a to and fro debate about the fairness of min wage, benefits, living standards, pro- and anti- London, the Banks, probably UKIP, Blair, Thatcher, etc, etc. Could we leave that to another thread for RogerS and Jacob to battle it out :lol:

What I think the OP wants is a feeler gauge of realistic cost of living, before he makes the leap. Seems the BBC site is a good start and from what you are saying, SpinDoctor, you are likely to be in or around Sheffield. Perhaps one of your old contacts / family can help out with accommodation short term? Certainly renting and purchasing outside London and the south east is GENERALLY lower, but so are the wages LIKELY to be. As an indication - we moved from Bromley in South London, where a three-bed terrace rents for about £1300 pcm to the West Midlands, where a broadly similar one will cost about £700+

Good luck and I hope the move goes well.

Greg

 

[JustBen]

First off, the OP is not looking to BUY a property. He will be new to the country and wouldn't get looked at for a mortgage for quite some time. He is looking to rent.

I myself am not far off that figure and until recently(landlady sold), I was living in a 4 bed detached house in a small village. I have 2 cars, 2 kids, a workshop full of tools and I don't struggle.

Yes, there are certain parts of the country where is may be a little tougher but it's still achievable.

Live within your means.

You run two cars and two kids, pay rent all on not much above £7.50 per hour. No benefits?

I get no benefits(and wouldn't want any). She gets child tax or something credits but whatever it is, it makes no difference to the household as I pay for all bills.

Like I said, it is achievable.

 

[MIGNAL]

You can live on the streets for nothing. That's achievable as well.
Bills are just one part of the equation though.
What happens to the Child allowance? You give it away or do you give it back to the state? How much is your rent?
Apologies for asking the questions. I'm baffled as to how two adults can pay the rent, run two cars, two kids on something close to £300 per week.

 

[JustBen]

It's not as difficult as you seem to believe it to be,

We are careful with money, we don't drink, we don't succumb to peer pressure and the need for the latest household/fashion item.
The cars are reliable, economical, cheap to run and insure.
The house is well insulated and efficient.
The children are 'cheap to run' and would much rather be out climbing trees/wrestling with each other than be sat glued to a tv/ipad/DS etc
The child allowances are saved.
We have almost no debts.

I also said i was not far off that figure, not at that figure.

 

[MIGNAL]

Thanks for giving all the detailed costings.
You seem to live a very interesting and fruitful life.

 

[SpinDoctor]

It's not as difficult as you seem to believe it to be,

We are careful with money, we don't drink

You lost me there.