UK Cost of Living
Groceries
The cost of living in the UK can be quite high so ensure that when you first arrive, you have sufficient funds to cover your living costs for the first month or so.
The cost of your daily grocery bill can vary widely depending on where you live and choose to shop.
The main supermarkets are Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Waitrose they generally stock everything from groceries, clothes, DVDs, electrical products and household goods.
Below is a rough guide to a few items so you can get a feel for prices:
| Loaf of Bread | 60-70p |
| 6 Eggs | 80p |
| Milk- Pint | 40p |
| Baked Beans | 35p |
| Orange Juice 1 Litre | 90p |
| Jar of Coffee | £4.50 |
| Bottle of wine (drinkable) | £4.00 |
| Average pub meal | £6 - £10 |
| Average meal for two in mid-priced restaurant | £40 |
| Take away pizza (Big) | £12 |
Here are a few money saving tips
If you’ve got one, use your student or youth travel card: You are entitled to many discounts if you have a student or International youth travel card. These include discounted entry to museums, cinemas and clubs. There are also special deals and discounts associated with Oyster cards.
Buy from Charity Shops: When you move into your new place the charity shops should be your first port of call for any crockery, utensils or home wares.
Look out for specials, with the market being suppressed at the moment retailers are discounting like mad.
Check the back of your cinema ticket for discounts at nearby restaurants, take advantage of early-bird dining offers at restaurants you normally wouldn’t be able to afford and make note of happy hour times at every pub you pass.
Book your travel and accomodation via sites like Wego.com or hostelworld.com and book your flights/trains and accommodation early, this is often when you will get the biggest bargains.
Join the local library: Once you’re settled in a suburb one of the first things you should do is join your local library. Many have free computers and Internet access and cheap (£1 - £3) CDs and DVDs for hire.
Don’t live in central London! You can save even more money by living outside of London, as the cost of accommodation and day to day living expenses are significantly lower than the capital. It’s less vibrant obviously, so the question here is priorities..!
Accommodation
Podding: The latest craze in accommodation from Japan - this may suit while you are seeking a more permanent place to live. Pod hotels feature normal sized beds that are lined up length to length with a thick dividing wall. Piccadilly Backpackers in central London have 70 ‘pods’ costing around £17 a night with breakfast. www.piccadillybackpackers.com
easyHotel in Earl’s Court - a highly popular haunt for Antipodeans - offer individual pod rooms with cupboard-like en-suites for around £25 per night. www.easyhotel.com
Dossing: the cheapest accommodation option: find a kind friend who will let you sleep on their couch or floor for free or a minimal fee of £5-£10 per night to cover household costs. You know it’s time to go when you can’t see the carpet anymore due to the 20000000 mattresses or your backpack is in the front garden. anyway, this is usually quite a short term solution.
Hostels: welcome long-term guests and will often include breakfast. Weekly rates range between £70-£200.
Room Share: costs on average range between £40-£60 per week but expect to be co-habiting with 6-20 (!) other tenants.
Bedsits and Studios: an option if you are looking for self-contained apartments, meaning one room with a small kitchen area and a separate bath/shower room. Self-contained bedsits and studios start from £80 a week in London, again depending on where you wish to live.
Renting a Shared House: The cheapest option if renting. To share a room in a shared house you can typically pay £60 a week. To have your own single room you would be looking more towards £75-£80 per week and for your own double room it would be closer to £100.
Useful sites:
www.loot.com
www.tntgrapevine.com
www.londonlodging.co.uk
www.gumtree.com
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