Living in London with one income for a family

[Nutt]

I need some opinions here.

We are a family, with 2 children. Hubby got offered a job in London, with a basic salary of 1620 p/mth. There will be some additional pay based on profit sharing from the company.

Company is willing to lease a 2 BR flat for us, for 500+ quid p/mth.

My children are 7 and 1. I plan to work part time if i were to go as well.l

Now, would this be affordable at all for us to live there ??? Company is in SW2 area, and it seems the lodging is somewhere there as well.

Currently, we are earning ( based on 1 pound - our currency 5.5 ) about Ringgit Malaysia 12,000 per month, which is on average is a good income here. So, we do get some luxuries with our earning.

So peeps, please tell me, is it worth it for us to relocate to London at all ?????

[dubbayoo]

[quote="Nutt"]I need some opinions here.

We are a family, with 2 children. Hubby got offered a job in London, with a basic salary of 1620 p/mth. There will be some additional pay based on profit sharing from the company.

Company is willing to lease a 2 BR flat for us, for 500+ quid p/mth.

My children are 7 and 1. I plan to work part time if i were to go as well.l

Now, would this be affordable at all for us to live there ??? Company is in SW2 area, and it seems the lodging is somewhere there as well.

Currently, we are earning ( based on 1 pound - our currency 5.5 ) about Ringgit Malaysia 12,000 per month, which is on average is a good income here. So, we do get some luxuries with our earning.

So peeps, please tell me, is it worth it for us to relocate to London at all ?????[/quote]

Cost of living will depend on numerous factors so I'm not sure a proper answer can be given. That may be why your post has gone unanswered for a bit.

You can begin with http://www.workgateways.com/working-cost-of-living.html as a guide however that's only the beginning. Your situation will vary based on transportation needs (how to get around, how far to go), lifestyle (food, entertainment, clothing, etc.) and more.

Assuming the 1620pcm is gross, that leaves about 1260 after deductions and your flat is 500. That leaves 760 to take care of everything. For a single person that would be a good amount but for a family of 4 it may be stretched very thin. If you were to work as well it would definitely help but then you'll have to consider the cost associated with child minding.

As I said above, it's probably not possible to give you a definitive answer. I'd suggest you find out where the flat is and at least begin with finding out what the nearest supermarket is. Go to that supermarket's website and (if such things are listed) do a test online shop to see what a weekly food bill would run. As food will be one of the major expenses it's a great place to start budgeting.

Find out how far the flat is from schools and your husband's place of work to see what's required for transportation. Once you know that you can go to the Transport for London site to check public transportation rates. If he plans to drive then you'll need to look at the cost of a car, MOT, petrol, congestion charge, and so on.

Research will be required to know if the amount will be enough.
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Chris Burgess
UK Ancestry visa holder from Canada.