How Much Does It Cost To Live In London?

Whether you’re moving to the UK from abroad or you’re travelling from different parts of the UK to move to London, you’ll have heard that London is very expensive. These costs can differ depending on what part of London you’re living in as well as if you’re living in university accommodation, a house or a flat. There are a lot of different opinions as to how much living costs will be, which then again depend on the lifestyle of the person and how much money they have to spare. 

Accommodation
Source: Zoopla.com 
These prices are representative of a person renting their accommodation - I have researched numerous prices and have listed the median price. Although, each areas have their expensive areas and their inexpensive areas, to which rent prices can differ massively. 

• North London - £400-500 p/m
• East London - £200-300 p/m
• South London - £500-1,000 p/m
• Central London - £800-1,500 p/m

Source: Zoopla.com
If you want to purchase a flat, house or any other form of accommodation outright whether it’s in North London or even South London then the median price will be over £600,000 - some houses can be bought for as cheap as £300,000 whereas newer buildings in areas such as Central London and East London can go into the millions. 

Bills

• Phone Bill - £10-50 p/m. There are numerous networks across London with shops around the capital such as Three, Vodafone, EE, O2, Tesco Mobile, BT and Sky Mobile to name a few. Each tariff has its own allowance for minutes, texts and data as well as additional items such as tablets and other forms of technology. At the moment I pay £25 a month for an iPhone 6S with 1GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts. 
• Home Phone & Broadband - £30-50 p/m. With the rise of people working from home, the use of unlimited Internet has become popular with broadband users, which ranges in price depending on the different speeds and usage of the user. In most contracts broadband and home phone usage comes altogether, which comes along with a 12, 18 or 24 month contract. 
• Council Tax - £100-300 p/m. There are a range of different bands, which range from A to H, which determine how much council tax home users should pay - which range from borough to borough. If you’re in an A band then your council tax will be significantly lower than those who are in band H.
• Gym - £25-50 p/m. Even though there are numerous parks with free gym equipment across London, some people prefer to go to the gym. Gym prices range, special offers are common such as “one month free” or a reduced fee for those joining the gym for the first time. These gyms allow 24/7 access in most cases but those that are closer to Central London as well as in up and coming areas, prices can even go up to £100 p/m.
• Water, Electricity & Gas - £70-150 p/m. These rates are representative of fixed contracts for those living in London regardless of how much water, gas and electricity used. Companies such as Thames Water do offer Smart Meters for those wanting to pay for their usage as well as reduce the amount of water they use. 

Travel
Source: Transport for London, Eurostar & Trainline

• Oyster Card - £5. To buy an Oyster Card, which can be topped up and used across London’s public transport, it costs £5. The Oyster Card will have no credit on it, as you simply pay for the plastic card - you can top up your Oyster Card from newsagents with the Oyster symbol and at ticket machines across London. 
• 7 Day Bus & Tram Pass - £21.20 p/w. A 7 Day Bus & Tram Pass is a travelcard which can be put onto an Oyster Card which allows unlimited travel on buses and trams throughout London for a seven day period. Each journey on a London bus costs £1.50 and there’s a daily cap of £4.50.
• 7 Day Travelcard between Zones 1 and 2 - £35.10. A 7 Day Travelcard can be bought depending on the zones the passenger is travelling to, which once again can be altered to suit the passengers needs. For example, a travelcard can be bought for Zones 2-4 or even Zone 4-5.
• Train Ticket From London to Brighton - £15 - £35. Depending if you book in advance and whether you have any railcards, then the price of a train ticket can vary. If I wanted to travel to Brighton right this second then it would cost me £18.60 for a one-way ticket with a return being exactly the same price. 
• Car Rental - £12-25 p/d. If you’re travelling around London and opt out of using public transport then there are numerous car rentals across London which charge as low as £12 per day. However it depends on the area of London you’re booking from as well as for how long you’ll be renting a car for. 
• Eurostar - £69 return. If you want to travel to Paris from London’s St Pancras then a return can cost you as little as £69. However, it can be as expensive as £200 for a return ticket if you book last minute as well as booking during bank holidays and during busy periods. 
• Car - £3,000 p/y. The Evening Standard reported that drivers spend more than £3,000 per year on their car, including road tax, maintenance, insurance, petrol and parking. London unfortunately charges drivers who go into the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone), or more commonly know as the Congestion Charge, £11.50 per day. 
• To And From The Airport - £20.  Whether you’re going to Gatwick, Heathrow or to London City Airport there are numerous forms of transport to get to and from these places, the main forms of transport being public transport and trains travelling from Central London. A return journey can cost as little as £6 if travelling to Heathrow Airport whereas if you were travelling to Gatwick Airport it may cost £20. 

Medication & Prescriptions 

• Prescription - £9.15. If you visit any type of pharmacy after being given a prescription from the doctor or nurse then you will be charged the standard rate of £9.15. This price applies to those who are not exempt from these charges which will be stated on the back of the prescription. Items such as birth control, including condoms and the pill, are free.
• Paracetamol - 39p. If you visit any supermarket around London then you’ll be able to find any own brand paracetamol considerably cheaper than paying for a branded pack of tablets. 
• Cold & Flu - £4. If you decide that you want to purchase medicine to shift your cold or flu then it may set you back around £4 for a named brand such as Lemsip - which can either be bought as tablets or sachets. However, if you buy a supermarkets own brand then it will cost as little as £1.75 - some may argue that they do exactly the same job.
• Seeing a GP/Nurse/Visit to a Hospital - Free. If you’re living in London then you will be able to gain access to the NHS for free, an incredible healthcare system that the UK has and we should be grateful for it. Even operations and procedures are free on the NHS provided that you’re registered with your local GP and can prove you live here. 

Groceries & Household Essentials 
There are hundreds of different supermarkets and shops that sell food - from markets to chain supermarkets, each offers their own products and branded products at a range of prices. Supermarkets such as Tesco and Lidl are known for being relatively inexpensive whereas supermarkets such as M&S and Sainsbury’s are a little more expensive for the higher quality provided. 

• Bread - £1.10
• Eggs - £1.20 (For A Pack of 10)
• Cheese - £3 
• Yogurt - £2 (For a Pack of 4)
• Sugar - 70p
• Chicken Breast - £2
• Beef Mince - £2-3.50
• Bread - £1.10 
• Cereal - £1.50-3
• Milk - 80p (For 2 Pints)
• Bananas - 84p (Per kg)
• Oranges - 80p (For a Pack of 5)
• Potatoes - £1-1.50
• Bottle of Water - £1 (1L Bottle from Evian)
• Soft Drinks - £3 (For a Pack of 6 - Sugar Tax Applied)
• Spirits - £10-20 (1L of Smirnoff Vodka costs £17)
• Wine - £3-10

• Toilet Paper - £6.50 (For a Pack of 16)
• Sanitary Pads - £1.65-£5 (Depending On The Pack Size & Brand)
• Tampons - £2 (For a Pack of 20)
• Shampoo & Conditioner - £5
• Deodorant - £1.50-3
• Washing Detergent - £3-5 (Per Bottle)
• Stamps - £8.40 (For a Pack of 12 - 1st Class)

Entertainment 
London has hundreds upon hundreds of different activities to do - whether it’s rain or shine, there’s a wide range of activities with price tags that vary on where you visit and what you do. Each person has their own taste and preferences but regardless London is very expensive in this aspect. 

• Cinema Ticket - £10-15. Popular companies such as Odeon, Vue and Cineworld are very expensive in consideration that cinema tickets can be up to £15 if the film has just been released. Independent cinemas across London charge less than half of this but in retrospect they may not be showing the latest and greatest films. 
• Theatre Tickets - £10-150. There is a very big price range for theatre tickets, with popular theatres along the West End charging as much as £150 for the best seats in the house whereas smaller theatres only charge around £10-15 per ticket for smaller shows going on throughout London. 
• Meal Out For 2 - £20-40. Once again, depending on the tastes and preferences of the person visiting a restaurant, a meal for two would cost £20 if you go to a place such as Wetherspoons or a local restaurant. Whereas if you visit restaurants such as Ask Italian or Slug and Lettuce then a meal for two including drinks may cost you £40 and above. 
• Museums - Free. The best things in life are free and so are a number of museums around London such as The Tate Modern, British Museum, Natural History Museum and The National Gallery to name a few. There are a majority of museums around London that are free with a small number charging visitors a small entry fee or suggesting that visitors give a small donation. 
• Alcoholic Drinks - £4-10. Whether you prefer spirit and mixer or a glass of wine, there’s a very hefty price tag that comes along with these drinks whether you get these in a bar or alongside a meal in a restaurant - in my local pub a Vodka and Coke sets me back around £4.50 whereas a pint of a soft drink costs around £2.50. 

Clothing 
London is renowned for its shops, from Oxford Street to Westfield Shopping Centre, there isn’t a shortage of shops to spend all of your money on clothing. Primark is known to be guilty of fast fashion with t-shirts selling for as little as £2 and jackets for little as £20. However, if you went into a shop such as H&M or Zara you can expect to pay as much as £20 for a t-shirt and £30 for a jumper, especially if they’re branded with a celebrity or TV show. 

• Coats & Jackets - £20-50. As mentioned before, Primark sells items of clothing for relatively affordable prices, which means customers can pick up a jacket for as little as £20 but for those wanting to spend a little more and get a bit more comfort, Oasis sells jackets for £45 when on offer. H&M and Zara are also contenders to get jackets from, with the newest styles in stock with a hefty price tag attached. 
• T-Shirts - £2-10. The average price for a t-shirt ranges from about £5.99 for a simple t-shirt with a small design on it compared to one that can cost £10 if it’s got a reference to a TV show or if it’s coming from a celebrity collaboration. 
• Jeans - £25-50. Jeans are a very pricey item mainly because customers want good quality as well as a size that fits well. If you buy a pair of jeans from Primark then expect to pay less than £25 but then again if you want jeans from a popular brand such as Levi’s you can expect to pay £40-50. 
• Trainers - £15-100. For a pair of trainers that are Nike or Adidas you can expect to pay at least £30 from Sports Direct whereas you can pay up to £80 if they’re the newest trainers released. However, you can get a pair of simple trainers for as little as £15 that come from brands that are reliable but simply not as popular.