Cost of first month in London

One question I get asked a lot is, how much does London cost when you first arrive? Its hard to give a straight answer because everyone is different. Some people have family or friends they can stay with, some people are travelling with a friend or partner, some are on their own. Some people have healthy budgets, some are on shoestring budgets. So I've decided to, let you know my own experience and help you out with a simple calculator.

Personally, I saved up a lot to make sure that I had enough to cover me for the first 3 months. I looked at spending about £30-£40 per night at a nice hostel, sharing a dorm with 4 to 8 people max. I was in a hostel for 6 weeks. Most of my money was kept for initial rental deposit (about 1 month or 6 weeks) plus first months rent. I was in a flat share, so this ended up being about £1,500 in 2012. To get an idea of how much a flat share is in areas you would like to live, have a look at Spareroom.com . The UKBA currently asks you to have at least £1,890 in savings when you apply for the Youth Mobility Visa (working holiday visa) - im really not sure what this is based on though.

So, the calculator, this will give you a budget based on 4, 8 or 12 weeks. Simply fill in what you expect to pay for accommodation or want for a weekly spend. Ive put in a rough average in the first line but you can delete and fill in your own. Please bear in mind that this is just a ball park estimate and that you should not rely only on this calculator, or any other calculator for that matter, for financial advice - please do your own research. Having said that, I do hope you find it useful. Do let me know what you think!

Rough average based on:

• Hostel at £30 per night - this is based on a a shared dorm. Hostel prices can fluctuate between nights, and during the summer months.
• Oyster card - used on buses, tube, tram, trains between zone 1 & 2 which are most central to London If you are staying further out, prices are here
• Sim only, prepay freedom freebie from Vodafone (comes with 150 minutes, unlimited local text and 500MB) £20 gets you more so it depends on your use
• Weekly spend at just under £15 a day (this can be difficult if you don't have cooking facilities)

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Making my first friend in London - The Expat Diaries Linkup

Westminster Abbey

When I first moved to London, I didn't know a soul. My first six weeks were spent in a hostel. I was working nights (remotely) on wifi that kept dropping out every 10 minutes, going cross-eyed reading and reply to ads in the search for more permanent accommodation, trying to adjust to hostel life (it was my first time), and exulting in the excitement of finally having made the move to London and simultaneously fending off the anxiety of being on my own.

Pretty swish for a hostel dont you think?

 The best thing about hostels is that you get all walks of life there and generally, because of the shared-room/facilities setup, people are more open to connecting with others. Of course there are the exceptions such as tour groups, friends travelling together, school groups, sporting team etc who tend to stick with people they know.

Our hostel came with its own knight!

I was staying in a pretty nice hostel with a huge common room, a breakfast/dining room and bar. As the days lapsed I began to notice people who weren't just passing though. There was a girl who spent each morning Skyping with someone back home, a guy who was older than the average crowd who seemed to know all the staff well, a group of young teachers who were temping at different schools while trying to find a permanent placement and home amongst a few others.

Portobello Road Markets

One evening I opted for the slightly quieter breakfast room to work and eventually found myself in the middle of the group of teachers. My ears perked up when I overheard one girl say she had found a room in a really nice area at a bargain rental rate. My first words, to what wold become my first Aussie friend in London, were when I butted into her conversation with an envious "Wow, how'd you manage that?"

Snow in Clapham Common during my first house hunt

It wasn't an instant friendship, I bumped into her a couple more times before I mustered up the courage to ask for her number and, after that, the courage to send her a text inviting her to do something.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Its not easy making friends as an expat, you just have to bite the bullet, get out of your comfort zone and speak to someone. I'm glad I did, my time in London would not have been the same without them.

Yes my new found friends we're nerds Harry Potter fans too

This post is part of the The Expat Diaries Linkup hosted by Postcards from Rachel. Pop over to her site to read more expat stories or to join in the fun.

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Moving to London and Finding a New Home

Recently i was very lucky to have Internations publish an expat guide i wrote on Finding a New Home in London. If you are moving to London and are looking for a place, be it a shared house or your own, then have a read of my article, it will be a great starting point.

I have been through the rigmarole of trying to find accommodation in London. I have both lived in a shared house and have rented my own place, and for anyone new to London, there are some things that can be a bit daunting.

While writing this article, i did realise that i have a whole lot more to say on the subject than i initially thought so i am considering writing more here in the hopes that others will find it useful. Be sure to leave me a comment or send me an email if there is anything in particular you wish to know.

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