6 ms·

Do you mind sharing whereabouts in London you're staying? (Zone x, or slightly outside London...?) I was there for some years, and my rent was always around 8k

Do you mind sharing whereabouts in London you're staying? (Zone x, or slightly outside London...?) I was there for some years, and my rent was always around 8k a year. I find trying to live in an expensive city while on a low salary admirable.

Anderkent 13y ago
I guess it depends on your requirements. If you're young and without dependants it's much cheaper. I live in a flatshare, 40 minute door-to-door commute (via overground, luckily, not the tube) and the rent is about 4k a year.
petercooper 13y ago
In London, it's incredibly popular to live in roommate situations and have just a single room in a house with shared kitchen/bathroom for this reason. I know a lot of people still live with their parents into their late 20s and pay little or no rent, too.
- gaius 13y ago
  It's common but it doesn't follow that it's popular.
yashodhan 13y ago
Currently way out in the boondocks (zone 8). I'm looking to move into Zone 2/3 East London (Shoreditch/Bethnal Green area) to be closer to work. There are quite a few flat shares available for £500-600 pcm, which is my budget. That leaves me with £400/month to live off, which is good enough I suppose.
- jamesdeer 13y ago
  I'm a start-up founder, and live in Bethnal Green. It's a lovely place to live (in London). Our office is just off of Brick Lane, and it's a short 15 minutes to work every morning :)
  - _progger_ 13y ago
    No offence, but Bethnal Green looks like an ethnic ghetto. Is it getting better further to the south?
  - jblok 13y ago
    Bethnal Green isn't exactly a lovely place to live. It's saving grace is it's proximity to central London/Shoreditch, but there's nothing stand-out about it at all. It seems like no one respects it - every day I walk home from the station past at least 1 drunk/crackhead and rubbish all over the street.
- mseebach 13y ago
  It's good that you don't mind being poor, 'cause that's what you're gonna be. I hope that start-up is worth it.
  - yashodhan 13y ago
    Good bunch of guys, and they're helping me add backend development to my skillset. That's how I look at it. Don't care much for equity.
    - SandB0x 13y ago
      No mate, unless you are getting a significant cofounder-level stake in the project these guys are exploiting you.
      - ownagefool 13y ago
        It depends how good/wanted he is. I live in Scotland near Edinburgh, my first dev job I was earning £13k. It isn't super easy to break into development in the UK but within a year that had about doubled and that and learnt enough to be able to jump ship, which I did. Now years later, I've happily earning more than the London average by contracting. I ate shit early on because I wanted to get somewhere in an economic time where the young are being screwed. I think it was probably worth it, but only until your experience and talent matures a bit.
        UK-AL 13y ago
        Considering a lot of founders themselves are straight out of university I think your underestimating yourself.
    - eftpotrm 13y ago
      Move. Seriously. You're harming your future. I made very nearly that as a fresh graduate with an unremarkable degree and no relevant experience. Out in the sticks with more reasonable living expenses. Thirteen years ago, and I'd come close on several better paying positions. (Tip BTW, £400/mo after rent won't be enough for independent living.) You're letting loyalty cloud your judgement; you can do better for yourself. Counting pennies isn't fun and you don't need to.

Anderkent 13y ago

I guess it depends on your requirements. If you're young and without dependants it's much cheaper. I live in a flatshare, 40 minute door-to-door commute (via overground, luckily, not the tube) and the rent is about 4k a year.

petercooper 13y ago

In London, it's incredibly popular to live in roommate situations and have just a single room in a house with shared kitchen/bathroom for this reason. I know a lot of people still live with their parents into their late 20s and pay little or no rent, too.

gaius 13y ago
It's common but it doesn't follow that it's popular.

yashodhan 13y ago

Currently way out in the boondocks (zone 8). I'm looking to move into Zone 2/3 East London (Shoreditch/Bethnal Green area) to be closer to work. There are quite a few flat shares available for £500-600 pcm, which is my budget. That leaves me with £400/month to live off, which is good enough I suppose.

jamesdeer 13y ago
I'm a start-up founder, and live in Bethnal Green. It's a lovely place to live (in London). Our office is just off of Brick Lane, and it's a short 15 minutes to work every morning :)
- _progger_ 13y ago
  No offence, but Bethnal Green looks like an ethnic ghetto. Is it getting better further to the south?
- jblok 13y ago
  Bethnal Green isn't exactly a lovely place to live. It's saving grace is it's proximity to central London/Shoreditch, but there's nothing stand-out about it at all. It seems like no one respects it - every day I walk home from the station past at least 1 drunk/crackhead and rubbish all over the street.
mseebach 13y ago
It's good that you don't mind being poor, 'cause that's what you're gonna be. I hope that start-up is worth it.
- yashodhan 13y ago
  Good bunch of guys, and they're helping me add backend development to my skillset. That's how I look at it. Don't care much for equity.
  - SandB0x 13y ago
    No mate, unless you are getting a significant cofounder-level stake in the project these guys are exploiting you.
    - ownagefool 13y ago
      It depends how good/wanted he is. I live in Scotland near Edinburgh, my first dev job I was earning £13k. It isn't super easy to break into development in the UK but within a year that had about doubled and that and learnt enough to be able to jump ship, which I did. Now years later, I've happily earning more than the London average by contracting. I ate shit early on because I wanted to get somewhere in an economic time where the young are being screwed. I think it was probably worth it, but only until your experience and talent matures a bit.
      - UK-AL 13y ago
        Considering a lot of founders themselves are straight out of university I think your underestimating yourself.
  - eftpotrm 13y ago
    Move. Seriously. You're harming your future. I made very nearly that as a fresh graduate with an unremarkable degree and no relevant experience. Out in the sticks with more reasonable living expenses. Thirteen years ago, and I'd come close on several better paying positions. (Tip BTW, £400/mo after rent won't be enough for independent living.) You're letting loyalty cloud your judgement; you can do better for yourself. Counting pennies isn't fun and you don't need to.