How do people afford to live in London? Choosing between London or New York
Posted by Uncle_Richard98@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 344 comments
I’m trying to choose between London and New York (and yes I have the option to legally move to both places), and while I like London more I’m like… how do people actually live there?
Because the salaries are dog shit low. Like very very low. People with high degrees in London getting salaries of 30-40k per year when the cost of living in on par with some California cities.
Yes groceries and eating out are cheaper but only slightly, and the rents are very similar to California! But people in California have salaries starting almost at 100k+, while in London they start at 30k, what is going on?
What makes the US incredibly experience is healthcare expenses and property taxes, but if you work with high income for tech / financial companies you’re most likely getting health insurance paid by the company and with the amount of money you make you can easily pay the property taxes, while in London you have the NHS and employees also pay healthcare but like… what the fuck?
I have a colleague who recently moved from New York to London and she got shocked on how much less money she was getting from doing the same job she was making in New York, not only salaries are dog shit low, bonus, stocks and overall compensation are much less and the cost of living it’s not that much lower!
How can people afford to live in London?
allergicturtle@reddit
Wait until you learn how difficult (impossible) it is for US expats to invest while abroad and banks not working with you at all. Eventually, you have to relocate back.
khyth@reddit
I hadn't heard about this at all - what's the complication?
allergicturtle@reddit
Two main issues:
PFIC rules — any foreign fund/ETF is taxed punitively by the IRS, making local investment products essentially off-limits
FATCA — the compliance burden on foreign banks is so high that many just refuse American clients entirely
And most major US brokerages (Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.) close accounts once they see a foreign address. So you’re locked out from both sides. Interactive Brokers is basically the only real workaround.
khyth@reddit
Yikes I didn't know the US brokerages wouldn't give you access too. Hmm so what do expats do with their cash?
allergicturtle@reddit
Majority of people keep their US brokerage with a family member's address. Good idea to keep the existing US bank account you use to transfer money to that brokerage. Charles Schwab has some international options. Best is to switch to them before moving entirely.
khyth@reddit
Can you still trade US equities and ETFs? What about for cash earned in the UK? Do you repatriate it and invest or try to solely invest in the UK?
allergicturtle@reddit
Best path would be to qualify as “elective professional client” at Interactive Brokers UK. Schwab International lets you hold existing US ETF positions but blocks new purchases. For UK-earned cash you could repatriate and invest through your US brokerage. UK funds are PFICs, ISAs aren’t tax-advantaged in US eyes.
Don't make my mistakes. I've let my cash sit in Germany. I can't even open a interest bearing account here lol.
OliverTayl@reddit
You are absolutely not crazy for thinking this tbh. The salary gap between London and NY is probably the biggest culture shock for anyone making the move. The maths genuinely feels broken when you first look at it.
Your collegues experience is super common. Moving from NY to London almost always means taking a massive pay cut for the exact same job.
So how do people actually survive on £30k-£40k? The unglamorous truth is flatsharing. In NY you might have flatmates in your early 20s but you eventually try to get your own place. In London, living alone in Zone 1 or 2 on an average wage is basicly impossible unless you have the bank of mum and dad backing you. Professionals with master's degrees are routinely living in 3 or 4 bed flatshares well into their 30s just to split rent and council tax. If you really want your own flat, you're definetly moving way out to Zone 4 or 5 and commuting an hour each way on the tube or overground.
Americans also just have a much higher ceiling for disposable income. Londoners simply buy less stuff. Eating out all the time, ordering Deliveroo constantly or getting Ubers everywhere just isn't normal for the average worker here. People rely heavily on public transport and budget supermarkets like Aldi or Lidl.
If the money is so rubbish why do people stay? It comes down to what you wanna trade your money for.
Annual leave is a massive one. You legally get around 28 days of paid holiday here, and taking a solid 2 week break is expected, not frowned upon. Job security is also way better—you cant just get sacked on a random Tuesday with zero notice like in the US. Plus, the cheap travel. Your salary is lower, but a Ryanair or easyJet flight to Italy or Spain for the weekend can cost like £40. You literally have all of Europe on your doorstep.
You're completely right about the US though. If you're young, healthy and working in tech or finance, NY is the clear winner for building wealth. The healthcare argument is kinda irrelevant for high corporate earners because your company pays for premium private health cover anyway.
Honestly, choose NY if you want to maximise your net worth, climb the ladder fast, and make an absolute mint. Choose London if you prioritise work-life balance, want easy access to Europe, and are okay with being "poorer" on paper in exchange for actually having a life outside the office.
Excellent-Local-9153@reddit
I understand New York salaries like you say are a lot higher compared to London for the exact same type of roles. Curious as to what that pay check looks like at the end of the month after all expenses and then comparing to UK. Can't imagine it would be too different after all expenses etc.
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
Well. This is a lot of Europeans move to the U.S. That’s not a popular view on Reddit, but in the real world it is reality. If I move back to my native European country, my net worth will instantly decline by 35%, and my salary will be about 25-30% of what I make in the U.S. Expenses will be roughly the same because, as you noted, I work for a good company and my insurance is only $20 per paycheck plus a $6k annual deductible (was $4k until this year).
So I’d be sacrificing the opportunity to save for retirement and to take summer vacation for the opportunity to live in my home country (which means having an easier time relating to people, an easier time finding a partner, etc.)
That’s “how people do it” - they sacrifice. Only really lucky people and retirees are getting to have their cake and eat it too (i.e., live in Europe on a U.S. salary).
willmannix123@reddit
Do Europeans move to the US? It's almost impossible to get a visa to move there
Sufficient-Job7098@reddit
Is is difficult for Americans to move to Europe and it is difficult for Europeans to move to US. But there is certain percentage of people who due to unique circumstances have an option to live on either side of Atlantic ( diaspora, naturalized citizens, international marriages).
a_kato@reddit
It’s not difficult for Americans to get to Europe. You get a job you get a visa.
America sends their retirees or people who want to chill.
Europe sends their brightest and most ambitious.
USA is extremely harder. Honestly if you can’t find work from the USA to come to Europe chances the equivalent you in Europe has 0% chance for USA.
Instead if you manage to move to the states the equivalent you in USA is very easily moving to Europe
Distinct_Poetry_7869@reddit
This is not true for the UK. It's incredibly hard for Americans to get a UK visa. Honestly, just as hard as the reverse.
a_kato@reddit
No it’s not find a company that wants to hire you get a visa.
For USA you enter a lottery for h1b or have to work in a company a year.
How is it hard for Americans? Get a job
Distinct_Poetry_7869@reddit
In the UK only certain types of jobs are allowed to sponsor. Tech, finance, healthcare... If you're not in an industry that allows sponsorship that pathway is off the table. A lot of UK companies won't sponsor. They don't want to deal with the hoops it requires, even for some of the bigger jobs within industries like tech and finance. It's genuinely not easy at all. My partner has gotten Visas in both the US and UK and at least for him the UK was significantly harder.
a_kato@reddit
Everything you say applies twice more in the USA
NoIGnoTwitsNOtktk@reddit
Now.
shitlord_god@reddit
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lQC7iDN36ow
a_kato@reddit
Yeah if you can’t get a job with USA experience your equivalent you is not getting a job from eu to USA
CarliniFotograf@reddit
You obviously have never tried it! It’s not easy. I’m American in Europe, in my case I’m self employed. But no matter the situation, Visa requirements for various EU countries are different and is a process. Seems as of lately allot of countries are changing their laws and making it harder.
a_kato@reddit
Tell me how. Please. You get a job your job gets you a visa.
They 100% get that visa, they don’t spend shit ton of money, there is no lottery.
Can you please elaborate on one country that has the same system as USA?
FarkCookies@reddit
Much easier to move to Europe then to the US. Especially the Netherlands.
hudibrastic@reddit
The Netherlands is extremely easy, but in 10 years of Netherlands I only met 1 person whose Netherlands was a first option to move to, his life was all about weed, everyone else was like “oh well, country X didn't work out or is too hard, let me go to this one with bikes”
FarkCookies@reddit
What a weird thing to say, I know hundreds of people who came specifically to the Netherlands, myself included and it was not about weed.
jamjar188@reddit
Don't forget the green card lottery. I've met Europeans from eligible countries who got it and moved to the US.
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
This is a misconception. There are lots of visas to get into the US, they’re not easy to get but it’s possible. A lot of Europeans work for American companies in Europe and the companies sponsor the visas to get into the US.
You can create your own business targeting the American market and sponsor a visa through business purposes. And you had the green card lottery before this administration ended it recently.
ibitmylip@reddit
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, you’re right
No-Essay-7667@reddit
Cause it's actually very hard to get outside of marriage, to get a company to sponsor you isn't easy n became almost impossible after Trump (100k fee) I would argue it's easier for an American to move to Europe vs the other way around
sailoorscout1986@reddit
Intracompany transfers do not carry the 100k fee
No-Essay-7667@reddit
So you first need to work for a US company in Europe which is a competitive thing in its own, then you need to convince them to transfer you, you get transferred on an L1 visa which doesn't get a path to green card, so you need to transfer to an H1B, then you are eligible to petition for a green card - do you see how insane is this journey?! Oh and never get laid off, which is the norm in America
sailoorscout1986@reddit
Yeah you’re best off going to an American tech or finance company - it’s what I did. L1 absolutely has path to a green card. L1A is fastest though - for that you need to be a people manager, functional manager or executive for a year in your non US country. It kind of just hapoened to me so didn’t seem impossible but of course things do have to fall in place. I believe if you’re strategic enough you can set yourself up for this being possible if not guaranteed.
Last_Knowledge_1873@reddit
How long did it take you out of curiosity to get the green card?
sailoorscout1986@reddit
Been here a year and still haven’t got it. But each circumstances are different. People manager is the easiest to come over with an apply for green card with. As long as you have a few directs you’re good and can even receive a green card within a year if your company applies straight away.
No-Essay-7667@reddit
You got lucky congrats! The tech path is dying too btw, layoffs left n right - regardless as you can see shit requires so much luck and years of work
KingCharles559@reddit
Fair point
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
It goes against the narrative on Reddit that the US is a terrible place and visas are impossible to get there. If I was ignorant and didn’t know bullocks I would have believed it too
postbox134@reddit
That's still a level low % of people, it's very challenging to move to the US (contrary to popular belief)
hudibrastic@reddit
It is challenging, but totally doable, the number of people who want to move to the US is unprecedented
nivea_dry_impact@reddit
Totally doable? It’s virtually impossible at this point unless you qualify for EB2 NIW which is insanely high requirement
hudibrastic@reddit
In the last year alone I know a few who moved through O1 and L1
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
Yep, this is right. It’s the most common. I have many European (and Asian continent too) friends - all came here for graduate school or their company had a posting here and they took it. Some of them got jobs directly here (e.g., university professors - very common, actually).
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
Yes, tons of them do! I have many, many, many European friends here in the U.S. Mainly they came for work or school.
Imdeadserious69@reddit
I hope you realise studying in US from abroad (eg as a European) is pretty much for rich people aka a fraction of society
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
Most of my European friends don’t come from rich families. Comparatively speaking, just about all my Asian friends all do.
It’s a mixed bag.
Imdeadserious69@reddit
They may not be ‘rich’ from your perspective but they are comparatively extremely privileged to most of the world who cannot afford international student fees at a US university. I think you live in a very sheltered and privileged bubble.
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
No, I don’t. I’m just living in the real world and no in the sheltered bubble that is Reddit.
I never said that anyone who wants to go to the U.S. can do it. I never said it’s free to do it. I never said it’s easy to do it. All I said is I have a ton of friends here and all left families and friends to move here because of the specific opportunity they had.
OP said “how do people afford London on London salaries?!” And I said, yeah welcome to the way the rest of the world works. Now you understand why a lot of people want to live here and choose to live here if they get the opportunity, despite all of our problems. Everyone in this subreddit is always complaining about the U.S. and all I was doing was providing a real-world, real-life perspective. I never said anything about getting to the U.S.. 🙄
Imdeadserious69@reddit
Okay, but in context; you replied to someone who said “it’s almost impossible to get a visa to move there” and your response “well I know heap of people who did it” - without important added context that these Europeans are part of a privileged section of society, it’s a bit misleading.
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
No it isn’t. I said I was talking about Europeans. This whole post is about Europe.
Imdeadserious69@reddit
Yeah, it is unless you have money to pay international uni fees…. And that’s only first part of it, Presumably then trying to graduate and go through an extremely competitive employment process whereby your employer then needs to facilitate your Visa…. Its a small fraction of society
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
I'm flattered that you think I know "most of society" ... but the "heap of people" that I know is obviously less than 0.0001% of all Europeans. Anyone with a brain understands this and thus this "misunderstanding" seems more like a problem with your intelligence than with my communication skills.
nivea_dry_impact@reddit
Buddy, to get a student visa like that you have to provide funds of 30-40k per study year in advance, and the student can’t work anywhere other than very few hours on campus. They come from rich families that they can sponsor/afford that kind of thing
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
I have several grad student friends and none of them had to pay 30-40k per year. They paid like $3k (which went up to $8k and all hell broke loose, justifiably), and they got paid a stipend same as the rest of us.
ReadySteady_54321@reddit
My dad did it in his 30s and he was dirt poor. At least in his case, it was made possible through good grades in university in a STEM field.
ponpiriri@reddit
Yes. My old job was full of recent French immigrants. They usually work for 10 to 15 years, make money then go home with a nice nest egg.
Anxious_Guava8756@reddit
I love the lifestyle I enjoyed in France but the US salaries are just so much higher its hard to rationalize missing out. Even with the ridiculous healthcare expenses and high rent of living in a big city. Taxes are still comparatively low compared to France.
I think Americans have a hard time understanding their country as desirable because the American lifestyle is so high stress but the economic opportunities are incredible. They don't realize having a big suburban house, two cars and a health insurance plan is out of reach for most of the world.
ciaopau@reddit
I am an American who spent a number of years living overseas in a European country, and I agree completely with everything you're saying. I got questions from friends and strangers alike asking why I would move back. My primary motivation was to live closer to my family, but past that, I was ridiculously limited in Europe career wise, which impacted my ability to be able to save and plan for the future. That is not a minor thing in today's world. As far as the high stress aspect goes, I have also come to understand so much of this is self-inflicted. I get some cities and industries are stressful, but the constant go go go mentality and over achieving nature of many Americans, there is a healthier way to balance it.
shelerich@reddit
Honestly it's out of reach for about 60% of Americans too.
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
Yes, this was exactly my point. And it is completely ok to say, hey I’d rather trade the economic opportunity for the particular lifestyle…but you do then need to understand that reality. And if you haven’t lived it, it’s hard to understand it.
Another thing Americans don’t understand is what “no opportunity” really means. When things are hard in the U.S., Americans call this “hopeless” and “no opportunity,” and I understand it can feel like that. But in other countries, you simply cannot go from 30,00€ salary per year to 60,000€ in like, 2-3 yrs (or 2-3 weeks, as many people here doubled their salaries in one job hop during COVID - I did). You cannot as easily just hustle a second job. You can’t just buy another house at 2% interest and rent it, like you could in the U.S. for many years. Like, where that is reality for a minority of Americans (who legitimately cannot improve their situation no matter how hard they work) …it’s true for the majority of Europeans.
50% of American households are owned by single people. I think this number is more like 15% in Southern Europe…and I’d bet a large portion of these are expats on American salaries.
Extra_Shirt5843@reddit
At least you're honest about it. So, so many Americans insist Europe is better in every way and all want to move there, without being aware of the actual reality.
Swayfromleftoright@reddit
How much do you get to take vacation?
In the UK 25 working days + bank holidays is pretty standard. Would love to move to US for the salary, but you hear horror stories about people getting like 10 days if they’re lucky, and the company making it really awkward to actually take them.
How true is that in your experience?
Suedehead4@reddit
2 weeks (ie 10 days) is pretty standard, although I’ve negotiated up to 3 weeks. Some employers give you more for longer service.
nicknicknickelodean@reddit
20 vacation days and a few national holidays.
proof_required@reddit
Any well paying job usually provides you good amount of vacations. I work for an American company remotely and I have taken 40 vacations every year for past 2 years. These are without any bank holidays which weirdly lot of UK companies add to paid vacations when advertising for jobs.
Swayfromleftoright@reddit
Thanks for the info. Very tempted to try it for a few years
External-Carpenter-2@reddit
This is not a popular opinion because it's not true.
Less than 5m US immigrants are european, which sounds like a lot but you have to keep in mind that there are over 700M europeans and 340M Americans. About 1M U.S. nationals live in the EU, so definitely less but there isn't much evidence of significant migration between the two. Unfortunately it's comlicated by dual citizenships and such, and I can't find any data on specific net migration between them. But anyway, what data there is suggests actually quite limited migration either way.
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
I’m not sure how your data refutes anything I said.
If your numbers are correct (and I didn’t double-check) then 1/340 =0.00294 (0.294%) and 5/700=0.00714 (0.714%), in terms of percentages of U.S. nationals choosing to live in Europe vs. European nationals choosing to live in the U.S.
But it doesn’t even matter. All I said was that often Europeans choose to live here because COL is way higher on their salaries in Europe. And that Americans who move to Europe either make that sacrifice or are wealthy/living there on American salaries.
Probably you interpreted literally my statement that “a lot of Europeans move to the U.S.,” which, fair enough, I suppose I did not specifically define “a lot of,” nor did I clarify that I meant “a lot of the Europeans that choose to live in the U.S. are doing so because they can make more money here…”. I didn’t think I needed to clarify the obvious point that MOST Europeans live in Europe. But here we are. Hope it’s clearer now.
CaterpillarLoud8071@reddit
A certain type of European moves to the US, and an even more specific subset actually stay long term - those who value money above all else. There's a reason Americans earn more - their output is higher. That means longer hours, less annual leave, mandatory overtime whenever your boss needs you, doing whatever you can to improve productivity and efficiency. Work in Europe is more relaxed.
Employment risk is also significantly higher in the States. Companies will pay over the odds and assume that you are a high performance worker because if you don't perform, you can be sacked immediately and replaced. European companies can't fire people easily so need to assume you are an average performance worker to balance the books. Lack of safety nets in America also mean people need to same more in a contingency fund, especially if they need healthcare.
Daidrion@reddit
It's not money, it's what it can get you. Namely -- financial independence and freedom. The risk is higher, but there's also a much greater reward.
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
Yes and also opportunity. Wanna start a small business in most European countries? Forget about it. In Italy, they make it as hard as possible they actively discouraged innovation.
Domi_786@reddit
There is nothing that would make me wanna move to the US
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
That’s great. You’re one person. You don’t represent Europe en masse (although with that mentality, you’d fit right in here to be honest).
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
I'd happily have done it in a different career.
Because London is a really awful main city for being able to save and have a family. An absolute non starter.
SamuelVimesTrained@reddit
This might have been true - but I think the "yeah, lets move to the USA " sense has cooled off.
But - what the USA focuses on is tax. But what does this tax bring you?
As healthcare ? Expensive, insurances seem to deny a lot, and medical bankruptcies are a thing there.
Base pay for 'normal people, in normal jobs' is not enough to live on.
If you are not white, male and evangelical - it`s harder (especially now).
And the current administration has done an excellent job in alienating allies with threats, tariffs and insults.
I hope it`s not to late to turn that tide and make the US a dream destination again. Not the dystopian nightmare it`s become.
Crafty_Try_423@reddit
The thing is…for a huge number of people, life “on the ground” is not all that different. In fact, if they didn’t get in social media at all, and if they limited attention to news channels to maybe 15 non once a day, the vast majority of Americans wouldn’t notice anything different. A large subset (those who bought homes within the last 6 years) would notice they can’t budget the way their neighbors can. But that’s about it.
Most of my European friends are like, yeah, it’s not awesome what’s going on here but I can still make more money and afford to save AND have a house here so I’m gonna stay. They all complain about healthcare but if you’re a healthy person with a good job, healthcare is cheaper here than anywhere in Europe and the quality is good when you need it.
I’m not saying any of this is good and I’m not defending the way things are. I’m just saying this is reality out in the real world. On the ground, for most people, the U.S. doesn’t “look” dystopian.
That’s also why it’s able to continue. It is not true that most Americans are struggling. A quarter of Americans don’t even have a mortgage (65% of Americans are homeowners, 40% of those own free and clear). I looked this up once because I was puzzled by how so many people can buy so much stuff, when I have a good job and can’t. And the stratification is insane. But everyone over 18 can vote, so…
hudibrastic@reddit
This
People spend too much time on Reddit and end up thinking that everyone wants to escape the US
KingCharles559@reddit
They do - until they see the salaries
Ecstatic_Couple6435@reddit
As someone who moved to London 11 years ago from New Zealand where the wages are truly dog shit low (and even worse cos it’s in NZD) I’ve pretty much tripled my income over that decade. Have usually always been on over £70k and now £100k work in tech though.
Hr_Art@reddit
How do you live with 100k? I got offered a job at 100k in London, I'm not from the UK and will be living alone. I guess it'll be more than enough, but are you able to save money?
Ecstatic_Couple6435@reddit
Yeah it’s fine. I live alone too
muchtoomuch123@reddit
I’m so done with this economy tbh .. everything is so costly and the prices are rising like every month with the very low fucking wages
Electrical-Ad9003@reddit
Curious what part of expat life caught you off guard the most? I’m looking into this and put together a quick 2–3 min survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/RNEZ0hpta6
antiputer@reddit
How does anyone afford walk down a NYC street? I
kadeifi@reddit
Yes London is expensive but it’s not extortionate everywhere. Have you guys ever actually been to London? The only people living in central London- zones 1&2- aren’t finance or tech professionals. I live in East London and I don’t think I have a single neighbour who is a “professional” but they are still living an ok life. If you want a new build 2 bed apartment to yourself in zone 1 and to eat and drink out twice a week then yes you need to earn over £50k but if you live a normal life where you cook food and go to a decent gym and travel at the weekend you can. This rhetoric is so simplistic. London is a much, much better place to live than NYC. No crackheads. No tax and no stupid forced tipping making going out 3x the stated price.
happy_traveller2700@reddit
Many of us were or are on expat contracts where many of our expenses are paid.
ha7zi@reddit
Lived on 30-40k in London for years, it's fine just don't be stupid with your money and accept you can't save much.
These posts are absolutely ridiculous FFS
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
London of 2026 is not London of 2018 anymore. Brexit changed London prices a lot.
Party_Nothing_7605@reddit
It also boggles my mind. In 2021 I got a job offer in London for £43k and I felt that was crazy low for the job and experience I had, but people who live/lived in London told me that was actually a competitive offer. I was flabbergasted. I’m also from California, specifically a bay area suburb that’s one of the highest cost of living places in the world, and I could not and still can’t fathom paying Bay Area rent while making half or even a third of the money. It doesn’t add up.
NaturalMaterials@reddit
Most people are living in shared flats at those income levels, well into adulthood.
Extra_Shirt5843@reddit
Here in the states, people are convinced minimum wage ought to cover a place with no roommates already.
postbox134@reddit
It does if that's all you're used to. Californian salaries are basically out of this world compared to everyone else. There are things included in london such as healthcare but even so, the purely economic option is to work in the US
FlatCapNorthumbrian@reddit
Would you have to own and run a car in California? How much would that cost per year to run vs using public transport in London?
Party_Nothing_7605@reddit
You can be car free more easily in SF and small pockets of LA like Santa Monica, or certain neighborhoods in San Diego, but generally California is pretty car dependent
postbox134@reddit
Yes. They only place in the US where a car is kinda optional is NYC
FlatCapNorthumbrian@reddit
I don’t know how much it would cost to run a car in California or how long commute times could be. But I’ve heard of epic traffic jams in the likes of LA and other major cities.
I wonder how this would compare in cost and commuting times with public transport in London?
postbox134@reddit
Significantly more expensive unfortunately
Party_Nothing_7605@reddit
I’d love to live in London one day but yea I don’t think I could do it on 43k£.
postbox134@reddit
My first salary in London was £40k, it was a decent standard of living in a shared zone 2 flat. That was 2017. In 2026 you'd need a lot more!
wagsforever@reddit
What I always find funny in these discussions is Americans don't seem to realise they are the exception. It's not that London is poor it's America is very very rich.
FlatCapNorthumbrian@reddit
Only certain parts of America. Still shit tons of poverty there and people forced to live without health insurance and in caravans.
jamjar188@reddit
£43k in 2021 was not a competitive offer. In 2011, yes.
Fine_Owl_3127@reddit
upvote for use of the word - flabbergasted
FinestTreesInDa7Seas@reddit
The same reason that any locals can afford to live in cities with low wages and high cost of living:
When you move somewhere as an expat, you have to face the sticker-shock of every aspect of life.
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
I’m not talking about those, I’m talking about people who love to London with no prior family support and live with this wages
NoIGnoTwitsNOtktk@reddit
Is London an anomaly or is most of England (no, I mean England) high CoL?
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
My house is a 30min train ride from London Bridge probably valued at £1M in, central London would be £5M. It’s the property prices that make people feel poor in London. Not the general cost of living.
justanotherlostgirl@reddit
This might sound silly, but do people who live around an hour outside of London consider themselves Londoners? I think about how I wouldn't mind a commute especially if cheaper and honestly, rents are bad in so many major cities.
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
Depends on who you talk to. A lot of older people were born in London but moved out to the suburbs or moved out when they were children. I think only people that were born and brought up in London considered themselves Londoners. That’s my experience. I love where we live (Bromley) but I would have preferred to stay in Greenwich/blackheath - if we could have afforded it!
justanotherlostgirl@reddit
Thank you! The cost thing is just a little hard to figure out - and hearing how low salaries are is sobering. That said, if other costs like food are lower, maybe it can work out.
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
I think the uk is easier to live and people are friendlier/more helpful - nyc/USA is a tough place to live/navigate as a foreigner.
justanotherlostgirl@reddit
Well said. I really want to find a more friendly space. Life is too short for anything else.
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
London rent/property is crazy - it always has been, every where else is affordable in comparison.
Atheissimo@reddit
Unless you move to the most expensive parts of other cities, just about everywhere is half the price of London
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
Where I am from (Northumberland), housing is much, much cheaper.
DeCyantist@reddit
They are the rich people from other countries that enjoy London without making London salaries.
lisagrimm@reddit
Have lived in both London and NYC, and it’s much easier to live on a lower salary in London simply because you have a much, much larger area you can easily commute in from without needing a car, and you don’t need private health insurance. That said, there were more ‘cheap’ options in both back in the day - I paid £35/week for a room in a shared house within zone 3, and that just doesn’t happen now.
In NYC, you can of course live car-free within most of the 5 boroughs, but you still need health insurance, and ‘going out’ is a lot more expensive (by an order of magnitude when it comes to theatre tix, for example, or just the differences in cost at neighbouring restaurants vs pubs).
If Brexit hadn’t happened, I’d have happily moved back to London, but when I had the choice to emigrate from the US, either back to the UK where I’d happily lived/worked before, or to Ireland, becoming a citizen of an EU country was a no-brainer. And fwiw, Dublin is a lot more expensive than London when it comes to housing, as there simply isn’t enough of it, but I essentially had my old US salary matched when I got head-hunted for the role that brought us here. Love living in Dublin, but there’s a lot I miss about London…happily, it’s a very short trip now.
prettyprincess91@reddit
It’s cheaper than SF, and my living costs are only about £30K/year if you strip out the £20K travel, £10K concert/theatre/arts budgets.
That’s not that much money - if you’re an expat you have to make quite a lot to qualify for a sponsored visa so you should be fine.
lovepeacefakepiano@reddit
The cost of living really IS quite a bit lower. I moved from London to the US last year and I still can’t get over the grocery prices. It isn’t slightly cheaper, it’s significantly cheaper, unless you shop at Waitrose/M&S or Borough Market.
And getting takeout in the US - oof. After taxes, delivery fees and tips (don’t get me started on tipping) you might as well go to a restaurant.
A big one is that in London you barely need a car (in fairness I don’t know if you need one in NY). So no car payments no gas no repairs. You’ll be taking the tube.
Rent should be a lot lower unless you try to live in central London which you don’t have to because: tube. Public transport is amazing.
Also in the US even if your employer pays your health insurance it’s kind of a gamble what the insurance actually pays in full vs what you have to still have to partially pay. (On the upside, if you can afford it it’s probably better, what with the long waiting times under the NHS.)
trailtwist@reddit
NYC isn't Manhattan or gentrified Brooklyn .. you can eat good for $10-15 all over the city
jenn4u2luv@reddit
It’s wild. I moved the other way around (NYC to London) and I still get reverse sticker shock whenever I see my total foodshop at M&S or Waitrose.
I actually recently did a ghost cart at Whole Foods US for the same items. And I even chose the Whole Foods store brand so it’s cheaper and the total basket cost in NYC was more than double of what I spent in M&S,
People really don’t understand this until they’ve lived in both places.
Also I will say my takehome pay in London is higher. In NYC, my payslip had a total of 11 taxes and fees, so in the end, I was taking home less. Salary calculators online don’t include all the city-level taxes and other fees like insurance portion covered by the employee.
a_kato@reddit
Ah yes comparing Whole Foods lmao.
I’ve lived in shit ton of places. Things in USA are dirt cheap compared to the wages.
It doesn’t matter how “expensive” expensive grocery stores are.
The reason why M&S is cheaper because there are less people with much less expendable income.
You need to compare a standard supermarket with Costco, stop and shop and others
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
Yeah the thing is most US food is dogshit chemical slop, whereas even cheaper UK supermarkets are at the quality of expensive US ones.
So you have to compare high end US to get close to like for like, because someone choosing which place they want to live probably doesnt want to poison themselves on standard US food.
a_kato@reddit
No it’s not. Most of the stuff I mention are organic.
Trust me the aldi beef tastes like crap.
Also the most premium of premium organic and whatnot to make yourself feel better beef is like 15-16$ a pound.
Again this is without taking into account the different wages
jenn4u2luv@reddit
Why is Aldi even in question? Aldi is not a premium supermarket in the UK. People who shopped at Whole Foods in the US wouldn’t be shopping at Aldi in the UK.
a_kato@reddit
Because when we talk how cheap expensive something is we don’t go and compare high end options.
And if you are someone who shopped at Whole Foods and m&s you honestly have no idea how cheap or expensive cost of living is
jenn4u2luv@reddit
I’m comparing like for like options because that’s my experience that I can speak to and I actually recently fact-checked.
You are free to do your own ghost cart of the supermarkets of your choosing and make a conclusion yourself.
a_kato@reddit
Again people who shop at Whole Foods have the same vibe as “holy shit hiring a personal driver in X country is cheaper than Y country”
They should not be commenting on cost of living discussions
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
Lol high earning expat professionals don’t shop at Walmart or Aldi, and don’t tend to want to poison themselves with American slop food. So of course the cost of good ships is more relevant.
a_kato@reddit
Really? What’s the slop food? Can you tell me how the milk and eggs are different in Aldi compared to stop and shop?
How is it poisonous bro?
Again buy what you want but don’t comment on things like costs because you obviously don’t care about it. The fact that you think Aldi milk is superior is something you pat your back to feel better about yourself
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
For eggs - American eggs are washed in chemicals which removes their protective coating and makes you significantly more likely to get salmonella from them.
For milk - most American cows are fed large quantities of hormones which are illegal in Europe. Of course more expensive “organic” options exist in America. But the base standard is illegal here.
a_kato@reddit
I want to clarify you are wrong in both I will answer you generically and then go to specific.
Everything you are citing are different regulatory standards. There is 0 scientific studies or findings that attribute these to worse or actual different results. Just because I say don’t use X it doesn’t mean it’s safer in consumption on actuality.
For eggs:
The eggs washing actually reduces the risk of salmonella. Not the other way around. It makes more vulnerable to bacteria though but that is if you don’t refrigerate it which every one does. And again there is no correlation to that practice to increased salmonella cases
For milks:
Cheapest milk is hormone free and they advertise it as such. Milk 2.84$ a gallon hormone free in my local shop. The only difference between these is things like grass fed and other stuff which again do not have any diff in quality.
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
I mean you are just saying things that are false but on.
a_kato@reddit
Really give me the article that says eggs washing increases salmonella?
Also you can go to the average stop and shop or website and see how the cheapest milk is hormone free same for BJs and Costco
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
Go and find the studies that show much higher salmonella rates in the US due to your unhygienic practices :)
a_kato@reddit
Nah you give me it to me. Cause what you claimed is categorically false that washing increases salmonella.
Also you don’t eat the fucking egg raw
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
Mate, you’ve linked to the UK equivalent of an OANN “fact checker” :)
a_kato@reddit
You can find others. There were economist articles as well.
None of them provided links to that.
I have no idea what oann is and I am still waiting on your washing eggs increases salmonella or where you buy hormone milk in the USA
jenn4u2luv@reddit
American Pork is banned in EU and UK (1 of 15 food items) and overall banned in 160 nations because they have fattened their pigs with chemicals.
When the pork by-product is ingested by humans, the humans also absorb these chemicals in their bodies. That’s partly why it’s easy to get fat in the US if you eat meat. There’s also other adverse effects.
US beef is the same as it has been injected with growth hormones. Similarly, humans can ingest that.
One of the sources: https://www.toxicfreefoodfda.org/news/american-foods-that-are-banned-abroad-and-how-they-can-impact-your-health/
a_kato@reddit
I will answer generically but the article you are mentioning is not a study. It’s different regulatory standards.
Yes Europe has stricter but that doesn’t correlate to safer.
Also the link you provided is not a scientific article and has pure misinformation:
“news recently with Brexit trade negotiations as the U.S. attempts to convince the U.K. to scrap regulations”
This statement is entirely false. This originated from a political member in UK about concern of the potential deal. The actual story is the USA and uk never talked specifics and just said from the USA side we are not looking at it now. There was nothing related to food standards or attempts. UK and USA tabloids where running with it
jenn4u2luv@reddit
Lol I had to double check that I was not in the UK or NYC subreddits because why is that other person so adamant that only Aldi/Lidl/Walmart would count as basis for determining cost of living.
Real expats aren’t penny pinching like what this guy thinks should be happening. Most of us have high-paying jobs and wide range of skillsets, which is the entire reason our employers hired us.
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
Quite!
jenn4u2luv@reddit
You’re in an expats subreddit. Most people here who are actual expats are not penny pinching.
PowerfulIron7117@reddit
Aldi is the cheapest of the cheap. There’s about 10 options between Aldi and Waitrose. If you want to compare to Aldi, you have to compare it to the absolute crappiest, cheapest supermarkets in the US, where I guarantee the food is much worse quality than Aldi.
FlatCapNorthumbrian@reddit
I mean Aldi is in the US as well. We could compare Aldi UK vs Aldi US prices?
lovepeacefakepiano@reddit
M&S is an EXPENSIVE store in the UK. That’s not where normal people shop.
a_kato@reddit
I know and I say it makes no sense to compare m&s to Whole Foods.
You have to compare stop and shop, Costco to thinks like Aldi
jenn4u2luv@reddit
So you should do your own experiment then.
I have seen people on Tiktok actually compare their baskets between UK Aldi and US Costco and the US Costo total is also 2x of Aldi.
a_kato@reddit
Yes because people on TikTok and online are tards and compare apples to oranges.
Chicken breasts, ground beef are all the same price.
Eggs are cheaper same for milk.
I have run my own experiment called budgeting which you obviously don’t do since you are comparing Balegianca (Whole Foods) to Gucci (M&S) and somehow you have an opinion about clothing (food) costs.
Vast-Estimate-2268@reddit
In the UK there are Whole Foods, not a ton but a few and they are more expensive than M&S.
lovepeacefakepiano@reddit
Well sure. Waitrose is also more expensive than M&S. Both stores are not where most people shop. That’s where you shop if you’re quite well off.
You’ll want to look at Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Asda. Just like I’m not looking at whole foods prices here, I’m comparing to places like maybe Safeway.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
The UK Whole Foods was the original but surely you must know that the US Whole Foods is a completely different entity now.
Having lived in both, M&S is more comparable to Whole Foods US.
Choice_Technology791@reddit
Whole Foods in both countries are owned by Amazon.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
I know but they are not run the same way. I have worked with them as a client in the US so I had to review their US and UK business requirements and structure.
The Whole Foods UK branches are subjected to UK food laws, which is a lot more strict than US food laws.
Here’s a good article discussing the marketing deception used in Whole Foods US: Here’s Why I Don’t Buy 90% of “Natural” Products at Whole Foods
Vast-Estimate-2268@reddit
Yes but they are still the same company not some little high street market. And the produce and meat is no better than M&S next door but the prices are significantly higher.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
I will not argue with you especially if you haven’t lived in both cities or shopped at those two supermarket chains lol
Choice_Technology791@reddit
I have. You're way off.
Vast-Estimate-2268@reddit
Uhm I am an American who lives in London. I shop at M&S almost exclusively and occasionally the nearby Whole Foods. I used to shop at Whole Foods in the US but I haven’t lived there in over a decade. But when I’ve visited (Boston not NYC) I noticed that prices have gotten unhinged recently even compared to London. And I would assume that NYC is even worse than Boston for prices. I’m not arguing that prices are higher in the UK, I don’t think they are at least not in London but that Whole Foods pricing is ridiculously high.
Vast-Estimate-2268@reddit
No it’s got slightly different products but it is the same company. The one I’m taking about is.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
Refer to a comment I made here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/expats/s/LExX8HhU1l
jenn4u2luv@reddit
And why can’t I compare? They are 1:1 equivalents and I food-shopped the same thing in both cities to cook the same dishes.
Whole Foods, the US chain, isn’t really ‘whole foods’ and fully organic. They are still following lax US food standards.
Just try buying their organic chicken and see how much water comes out of it while cooking. This is an issue because it means Whole Foods also follow the standard of injecting their chicken to make them heavier/bigger and thus will cost the consumer more money. Consumers are not only duped by this commercially, they also eat those gunk injected in the poultry.
DieFledermouse@reddit
NYC charges Euro level taxes for developing country infrastructure. I moved from NYC to London recently. London is just as expensive, but everything works better than NYC. The VAT is painful though.
Sufficient_Mirror_12@reddit
This is just flat out false. NYC runs well very for a large metropolis. I feel the worth of my tax dollars. NYC has the most comprehensive public health and hospital system (many of the services are free), 24/7 transit, very few if not any informal settlements (rarer for a megacity), robust public safety, and very competent snow removal for example. Also, you can track snow plows and where trees are planted down to the street level on the city website. All these are signs of a good government capacity for a developed nation.
DieFledermouse@reddit
I travel a lot and can’t think of a transit system worse than NYC. NYC is filthy, even Delhi is cleaner. Crime is low in NYC, but London is 3X lower for murders. All other developed countries have universal healthcare. Not NYC’s fault, but for the same taxes I get more in London. Which major developed foreign city do you think has worse public government services?
jenn4u2luv@reddit
Be for real. Have you not seen all the poo and piss inside the NYC subways. Most stations don’t have a functioning elevator/escalator or toilets. All the mutant rats casually running on the platform.
There’s a recently viral video of a man peeing on the seat of a Northern line tube and everyone’s angry about it. But things like that are just a regular day to day situation in NYC.
The roads in New York are akin to my 3rd world home country’s roads—filled with potholes.
The snow plow initiative is new and led by Mamdani, which is a good thing. I’m confident he will make a huge difference for New York. But even then, the overall taxes there are high for what you get here in London.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
That’s the best way to put it.
My takehome pay percentage in NYC was around 52%. In London, it’s 58%. There’s city taxes and other things like insurance premium deductions that get taken out of the payslip and these really collectively hurt, especially when the expenses like rent, utilities, hobbies, lifestyle are much higher in NYC.
London doesn’t get enough love haha. But it’s actually a much better place to live in when looking at it from the angle of having less stress because everything is cheaper and the public infrastructure just works.
Sufficient_Mirror_12@reddit
London is almost double the size in land area so more space to move around. I think NYC works quite well actually. London's local setup is very fragmented and the council tax is unfortunate for working class renters.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
Here’s an idea: move to lower council tax neighbourhoods 🙂I live in the lowest council tax borough in the country.
I don’t mind the ‘fragmentation’ of London and in fact this is what I love about this city. In NYC, all the life and work happen in “the city” which is Manhattan. So I also chose to live in Manhattan to lessen my commute and save my time/effort.
In London, that’s not an issue because every neighbourhood can stand on its own. You can live a life and not need to go to central unless you absolutely need to (like for work or an event). It’s also more balanced because there’s better separation between work and life. In New York, you’re always ‘on’ but in London it’s easy and even a societal norm to turn off after work.
sodsto@reddit
gotta find a spot in NYC near a Lidl or an Aldi. US stores are almost all overpriced, even if the salary bump makes it more palatable.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
I was providing my lived experience as someone from my socio-economic status would be shopping at the US Whole Foods and UK M&S. I don’t really care about Aldi/Costco.
That said some people on Tiktok have done a US Costco and UK Aldi grocery cart comparison. It is also twice the price, if not more. The one I saw was even in a low cost of living (LCOL) city in the US and they were comparing it to London (VHCOL) prices, making that price difference even more shocking.
I suggest you do your own experiment. Quite easy to do with online shopping. Then you can choose your supermarkets and data points 🙂
sodsto@reddit
I shop at Lidl in NYC. It's definitely more expensive than Lidl in the UK, but it's also significantly cheaper than typical US stores, which was my only point. I agree that general groceries are more expensive where I've lived in the US, though they track with many people carrying higher average salaries than the UK.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
Ok that’s your lived experience then. I won’t argue with what you experienced.
We’re talking about just the groceries. Outside of groceries, it’s still a 1/2 to 1/3 cost in London for everything else. Hobbies. Events. Restaurants. Even workout classes.
With lower salaries in UK, I would surmise that someone in an above average salary in NYC will struggle more than someone in an above average salary in London. Not that there’s no struggle in London, it’s just a bit less.
sodsto@reddit
I agree the UK is typically cheaper. I'd wager the biggest differentiator though is whether healthcare is a covered benefit in US roles. An office manager in NYC on $110k with healthcare included will do a lot better than the same person without. The delta is in OP's likely remuneration package in either city.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
How many companies in NYC really covers the full insurance premium?
I have a amassed a good amount of acquaintances and friends (went to a lot of events and my friend organises big scale events) in NYC and even in Consulting, Tech, Finance, Corporate only the top companies pay the insurance in full.
I worked for a Fortune 500 company and I still paid $300+ monthly for my smaller portion of the medical insurance premium. (My employer paid a higher number)
And on top of that, there’s a lot of bleeding when it comes to the co-pay and deductible.
sodsto@reddit
No idea. My mid-sized company pays full, and I've never worked at a company in the US that doesn't.
It's definitely a question for the OP to consider though. It's certainly possible to attract double the base salary in NYC for an equivalent London role then end up with the same or less at the end of the month through insurance and living costs. They have a valid point about significantly lower salaries in the UK and what you can afford with them. I've moved around a ton and ... it's remarkably hard to draw a direct equivalence.
Whiskey_Books@reddit
Strong agree here. My net effective tax rate was the same NYC-> London. Expect I didn’t have to worry about my medical deductible.
Walking out of the hospital without a bill for giving birth was surreal.
Also rents, yes London is high but you often get more space, and/or amenities like a washer or dishwasher. Only one apartment I had in NYC had those.
a_kato@reddit
Bro where were you shopping in USA? Milk is less than a 1$ a litter. Beef meat is like 11$ a kilo. Chicken breasts is like 9-10$ a kilo.
Mind you all that is in USA dollars.
For example milk in one of cheapest is 1 pound a liter and that is 1.3$.
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
We'll I'm from NY and now live in London (the two places we're actually comparing) and the London price are cheaper. I think you're underestimating how expensive NYC is...
a_kato@reddit
Oh really? Cause I just checked the Whole Foods at freaking tribeca (didn’t check cheaper ones) and milk is like 1.08$ a litter. So comparing New York Whole Foods to aldis uk is like two cents difference. Can you point me to the extravagant prices?
I didn’t even bother to even check the Costco. But I am curious how much were you spending on groceries? When you were cooking what was your per pound cost of beef?
There are cheap places to get groceries in New York and the salaries of New York are not even close to London.
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
Mate just go there. Too damn much. Everything is sticker shock. I once paid $13 for a gallon of milk just so I could make coffee dies
Cheap? Where are we going? The place that sells the chickens live? I used to pass by it on the train but I had no interest in stopping by.
You can't easily go to Costco in the UK. Idk why you'd compare that.
a_kato@reddit
What? What does it matter if Costco or X.
You have cheap groceries. If you paid 13$ I have a bridge to sell you.
Costco is cheap and they do deliveries so just plan your groceries.
Again no nyc is not that expensive you were just very very rich and dididnt even bother
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
Desperate times will make you spend too much on milk 😂
You shop at Costco without a car???
The waitrose by my house is .77 a litre fyi for what has always been a superior quality product. An average half gal in Manhattan is around 5 bucks.
I've never been rich but I guess I'm wealthier than you with how insure you seem to be about it...
a_kato@reddit
Delivery is 5$ bucks. You have delivery money you just don’t want to bother
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
You don't tip?
Boring-Parfait-2624@reddit
Correct. This person clearly has no idea how expensive NYC is. It’s crazy how delusional people are about what it means to live in NYC. And anyone who would argue that the quality of food ingredients in the US is better than Europe knows nothing about food.
Great-Philosophy6166@reddit
Where do you shop in Boston. That is what this boils down to. Because Boston is not cheap, as some people here seem to suggest
a_kato@reddit
Stop and shop is in every neighborhood and then there are costco and bjs and targets etc etc
The-American-Abroad@reddit
Groceries being more expensive is mostly a thing in nyc and huge major cities. Outside of there, the groceries are actually a bit cheaper in the US vs. Western Europe.
percybert@reddit
And the OP is asking looking to compare with New York. So there’s no point comparing with Bumfuck, Alabama
Boring-Parfait-2624@reddit
Finally some common sense. OP wants to know about New York City not anywhere else.
percybert@reddit
I know! I go to NY and London a lot. I’m always astounded at the prices of everything in NY
The-American-Abroad@reddit
You sound like a pleasant person.
tanbrit@reddit
Completely agree on the grocery costs! I moved from London to Philly, so not NYC prices but not far off, and get sticker shock so often, or get caught out thinking that something isn’t too bad only to find out it’s the price per lb - paid $2.50 last weekend for a swede/rutabaga that would have been $0.50 in London
sodsto@reddit
Most (50-60%) households are car-free in NYC; some areas are poorly served by transport, but for most, the subway and bus network is good.
Any_Put_9519@reddit
Grocery is definitely cheaper in London than NY. But I think restaurants are about the same — it depends on the cuisine. For example, good Italian food is more expensive in NY than London, but good Chinese food is cheaper in NY. Also, portions are ~20% bigger in the US (a main in the US is enough for me, but a starter + main often leaves me not completely full in the UK) so you have to factor that into the equation.
Kiwiatx@reddit
You can also get private employer subsidised health insurance in the U.K. that cuts through the waiting times for elective treatments. My company paid for it and my husband used it for a couple of minor surgeries performed privately. Optionally it’s available to anyone.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
You should know that in California, especially in SF, $100k is considered just above the poverty line.
I moved from NYC to London and I feel so much more financially secure here in London. Cost of living is so much cheaper.
I was able to copy paste my lifestyle here and everything costs 1/2 to sometimes even 1/3 of New York costs. You mentioned cheaper eating out in London but you’re not accounting for tax and tipping which is on top of the price tag in the US. Those things add up.
Sorry to hear about your friend who moved here.
I would say that it is completely possible to earn better here, only because I have a circle of people who are earning as well as I am, and the people in my Zone 2 neighbourhood’s average income is £100k. Those are 2 data points, with the neighbourhood one easily verifiable, that would say it’s doable to earn well in London.
fire_vibes@reddit
Agreed. I’ve travelled for work from London to New York and New York is so much more expensive!
Any_Put_9519@reddit
Honestly I didn’t find that much of a cost difference between NY and London.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
Income tax and other fees/deductions in NYC were higher for me percentage-wise versus London.
Living in NYC, I paid other fees to the city aside from income tax such as Medicaid, OASDI, etc. There’s also the deductions for health and dental insurance premiums.
I took home around 52% of my pay in NYC. In London, it’s roughly 58% take-home.
And I make more in London, so one would normally expect the take-home to also be less with higher tax band. But that’s not been the case for me.
Toast4003@reddit
I've accepted an offer for a relatively good salary and going to live in Watford near the train station which takes 17 minutes to London. I also live with my wife so we are dual income.
You have to do the calculations. I previously lived somewhere cheaper, built up a lot of savings, paid off my apartment. Now I'll be able to buy a house in 6-12 months with a modest mortgage. Most people are just shit at maths.
Negative-Resolve-421@reddit
I have an option to live in either US or EU. Hands down US is winner. I will spend 3-5 months in EU enjoying more relaxed lifestyle and then beck to US for 6 months to grind some $$ to support this lifestyle. Having the best of both worlds is marvelous.
VerySaltyScientist@reddit
If you live about 30 minutes outside of London and travel, you can actually find affordable houses in some of the surrounding towns. That is of course if you are find being 30minutes away from anything.
Both__@reddit
NYC and London have a lot of trust fund babies running around with inherited wealth subsidizing their lifestyles.
RelevanceReverence@reddit
Considering Trump, I'd choose London for now. If you have a kick ass job you can earn a lot there.
controlmypie@reddit
Brits suffer from tall poppy syndrome and any career ambitions are better pursued someplace else.
Bacchus_Bacchus@reddit
One thing to consider about London and UK generally is the work life balance. People will have between 3-6 weeks off as standard. I know that’s not a COL issue but if you value that then it should fit into the equation.
Similarly, there’s way better employee protections. You can’t just get fired for anything.
mp85747@reddit
What't the point of all this time off, if you can't afford anything and can't go anywhere...?
Grab-Wild@reddit
2 They live in government owned property
They rent a small room
They live in Dubai, and fly in for most of the year, but just enough to avoid paying tax
They have some dodgy side work
Combo of the above
demostenes_arm@reddit
ibitmylip@reddit
reddit_tat@reddit
Lotta this in NYC, too. The New York Times real estate section has a feature called The Hunt about finding a house/apt. They’ve fixed so that now they feature a variety of people.
But it used to be just laughable. “Jordan is looking to buy his first apartment—a studio or one bedroom in Tribeca. He studied underwater soap carving at NYU, and now works as a barista while pursing his passion of making beer-infused chocolate. His budget is $800k.” It was laughable because it was SO TRUE.
ChateauLaFeet@reddit
Absolutely true, and that is not really even the worse one I've seen!
Novel_Individual_143@reddit
Ha ha
1MechanicalAlligator@reddit
Y'all are really abusing the number "1"
shitlord_god@reddit
it is the way reddit handles ordination by default, if you do
"5. wombat combat"
standalone it'll probably render as
Like that :D
Frosty_Average3972@reddit
1 bed 20k, 20k plenty to live on nicely?
catbrane@reddit
Over_Hawk_6778@reddit
Even cheaper earlier you go. My working class immigrant grandparents bought a house on single income which I wouldn’t even be able to afford renting with a PhD.
catbrane@reddit
That's true.
In 1990, when I first moved to London, you could still see plenty of evidence of WW2, amazingly. Cycling around the City you could see tiny, weed-filled NCP carparks for £5 a day, all old bomb sites no one had yet developed. London's population didn't rise back above the 1939 peak until 2016.
Current housing costs are in part the crazy end-point of London's 50-year-long, post-1945 recovery.
East-Profit-3754@reddit
Europeans are not expected to build up personal wealth. That's not the societal model they live in. The state takes care of them and the weak and poor, in exchange for, well, their economic output.
Taxes are extremely high, salaries low. But col is adjusted to that in such a manner that they get by, live modestly, and get taken care of if they need healthcare or whatever.
proof_required@reddit
Spoken like someone hasn't lived in Europe. One of the strongest European economy i.e. Germany has poverty level pension. Americans has this weird idea of how much government takes care of the local population.
Daidrion@reddit
I agree with the rest of your message, but this part is simply not true.
proof_required@reddit
Here Munich vs SF
Daidrion@reddit
Ok.
Also, "housing" is not only about buying, but also renting which you decided to omit.
proof_required@reddit
Lot of argument here revolves around expensive American cities like SF/NYC. That's why I pick the most expensive German city. If you really want to compare then you will have to pick all of the smaller/mid-size American cities too. For example, Denver is cheaper than Berlin when it comes to buying.
Not sure why I should pick renting over buying.
Speedbird1A@reddit
lol this is definitely not the case in the UK.
External-Carpenter-2@reddit
The UK is a cosy nanny state compared to the US, we have a social safety net that just doesn't exist there. Brits like to complain but I've lived in both countries and the US made me really appreciate how big the state is in the UK, how much support and protection people get. Yeah, it's tough if you don't get on the housing ladder and there are lots of injusticies in the UK, but we are as close to the big-state nordic model as we are to the free-market US model.
Speedbird1A@reddit
I don’t disagree, but you do have to save and invest in your ISA and pension if you want a comfortable retirement with holidays and eating out regularly and not worrying about money (or heating costs, or whatever else).
Daidrion@reddit
It's also possible in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, places like Dubai or Cyprus, etc.
jamjar188@reddit
The thing is, at current rates of state spending and immigration, the European model is not sustainable in most parts of Europe. I sincerely doubt that people currently at the start or middle of their working life will be cushioned in retirement. No, they're gonna be a lot poorer than their parents' generation.
East-Profit-3754@reddit
Of course. Most people are aware of that fact, which is why there is currently some civil unrest. However, they are not angry enough to change anything. It's more like complaining and moaning than taking real action.
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
Depends where in Europe.
someguy984@reddit
It s puzzling the salaries are so low and the costs are about the same as the US. Like how is that even possible?
Cold-Society3325@reddit
It depends what your expectations are and whether you can get affordable housing. Plenty of people on moderate and even low salaries live in London. I know people on minimum wage in private rented housing that do it although I don't suppose it's easy. I think it helps if you are a native Londoner and have family here.
It's really only housing (and maybe travel costs) that are the limiting factor. Other costs are much the same as the rest of the UK unless your expectation is to eat out a lot or you have expensive hobbies. Housing costs are high in general but get cheaper the further out of central London you go and some people get council or housing association housing. I think some people think they need to live in zone 1 or 2 and you really don't.
Boring-Parfait-2624@reddit
There might be higher salaries in NYC but in NYC having a salary above $100k is not a lot and you’ll still be watching every cent.
Cost of living in NYC especially rent will eat most of your take home money and add to that the taxes. Taxes increase the higher your salary is. Once you reach over 100k, your taxes increase enormously. Healthcare is not fully covered by most companies so for healthcare you end up paying a lot monthly plus if you do have health issues you have to pay what is called a copay (meaning part of the cost).
Work culture of NYC is brutal so you’ll be needing that health insurance the longer you live there.
Having lived in NYC for a very long time I could never recommend it. It’s a fun experience for a few years but beyond that the culture and quality of life is not very healthy long term.
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
Right but living in London in a 40/50k salary is not that different. The rent and the expenses will eat that up very fast (and only living in a studio or small apartment), taxes are as high or higher than New York. The only difference is that work life balance is better in London than New York
Boring-Parfait-2624@reddit
If 40/50k gets you a small studio or small apartment in London then you will be much better off in London. At that salary in New York, you will be lucky to even be able to rent a room in someone’s house.
jamjar188@reddit
As a single person you will struggle to to live independently on 40/50k in London, I'm afraid. Take-home salary after taxes is low
Maybe you can find a studio in zone 5 for £1500.
External-Carpenter-2@reddit
Last time I was flat hunting it was possible to find a studio in plenty of parts of zone 2 for £1200-1600 a month. Still gonna be tight with all the bills to live alone, but 1500 was doable 2 years ago at least.
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
But you would likely be on more like 100k usd
SignificanceBig8369@reddit
But what you don’t seem to understand is that £50k in London is basically a better deal than $100k. I’ve lived in NYC for two years on $125k and I came back to London because I was losing money every year. COL in NYC is easily x2 London’s.
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
I don't claim to know NYC very well.
But yeah that's kind of a relative sweet spot for London as you'd be paying very little tax.
Would you say the same with say 150k gbp vs 300-350k usd and wanting a family house?
SignificanceBig8369@reddit
Time has passed now and I’m currently on £300k pa in London and life is much more comfortable than in NYC on $300k. Now obviously if you have to choose between London £60k and NYC $200k, then NYC is a better option but I need to be blunt: if you’re not making 2x what you’re making in London you will be much poorer.
Boring-Parfait-2624@reddit
And even then it’s difficult to get a small apartment or studio unless you’re closer to 200k without feeling like you’re living paycheck to paycheck.
postbox134@reddit
And healthcare, plus access to better tax free saving like ISA (not true if you're an american citizen)
Kiwiatx@reddit
If you can’t figure out how to compare cost of living instead of just comparing salaries you don’t deserve to live in London.
I earned £45k in London and easily lived on that. Paid my mortgage and holidayed in Europe 3x a year. The earning equivalent in Austin TX was $75k.
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
I have lived there and the CoL is more than Switzerland on half the post tax salary.
You aren't getting a mortgage on £45k unless you have good cash reserves or a high earning partner.
Kiwiatx@reddit
OP comparing/complaining about NYC and London. Keep up.
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
Maybe in 2014/18, not anymore. Have you been to London after the pandemic?
Kiwiatx@reddit
Yes I’ve been to London twice and the cost of groceries is still low compared to the US.
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
Groceries are an irrelevance.
Tax and housing
KingCharles559@reddit
Its true
postbox134@reddit
When were you earning £45k? Because it's probably the same now
Kiwiatx@reddit
I turned down a job paying £50k before I left and would be on £60-£70 now. Yes I’ve been to London twice and the cost of groceries is still low compared to the US.
magicsign@reddit
I would definitely skip London on a 30-40k salary, single.
BlinkysaurusRex@reddit
I would skip zoned London on well over double that tbh. When you’re making that kind of money, you should be able to save healthily and still afford a decent lifestyle. If you can get the job in literally almost any other UK city, I’d advise anyone to.
SugoiTokei@reddit
Invest well and/or buy real estate. It’s the only way you will ever dramatically improve your economic status. No matter what country you move to.
Specialist-Piccolo41@reddit
Vacation allowances are superior in the UK but London is shockingly expensive compared to other cities.
CinnamonOverthinking@reddit
I know a lot of people from London who moved to NYC for work but no one who did other way around, I think this says enough
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
And most of those people (if they are British) move back to London.
hudibrastic@reddit
I live in London with a FAANG salary, 2 tech incomes, and still we live comfortably, but far from luxury or building wealth
That is one of the reasons we want to move to the US, Europe punishes high achievers and reward laziness, not a shock it is a stagnant continent, dying of relevance… in a few decades Europe will be a place to go only if you like to see old churches
On Reddit it looks like everyone wants to leave America, in real life people wants the ability to change their lives and their families lives… and for this only America offer in large scale
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
You get that high salary and then you realise in NYC you’re still not that wealthy. Wealth in NYC is on another level. The culture in America is that you’ll never have enough money, there’s always another level to aspire to.
stephenkryan@reddit
USA since 2008 has grown around 2 to 3 percent per year on average. In Europe, that has been about 0.3% on average per year. There has been this trend for 18 years, the compound effect becomes stark.
I can't see the trend changing soon.
PM_ME_PLASTIC_BAGS@reddit
You don't see people around the world moving away from American products and the EU taking steps to extricate US tech giants?
Daidrion@reddit
Not any time soon. The only country that produces its own hardware and software at a similar extent is China, so unless you're willing to switch over to them you're out of luck. There's no real alternative to something like AWS, Cloudflare, Google services, etc. Even on the consumer side for all the talks about leaving certain platforms people are still using it.
And speaking about Europe, look at the situation around Ukraine. it has been 4+ years already since the war started but aside from a couple of countries there's absolute no sense of urgency to properly rebuild the army whatsoever. If that's the approach taken to deal with external pressures, I don't see moving away from the US at all.
capekthebest@reddit
Is that per capita?
stephenkryan@reddit
No, I think Europe's figures would be worse on per capita basis.
PapiLondres@reddit
It’s because London is the worlds number one city , a global city , the greatest city on the planet with unparalleled culture and history and people love living here . New York is a dull provincial town like something 3rd class in China so you have to pay people a lot more to live in a remote suburban town .
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
Unless you’ve lived there you can’t understand how expensive day to day living is in NYC. You’ll find out why the salaries are so much higher. When you have to tip 20-30% on everything you do and people’s wages are so high you soon realise why people prefer London and take the lower salaries. Especially true if you have a family NYC is a horrible place to raise kids (in comparison to London). I much prefer London in every way - but I’m completely biased!
TooMuchBrightness@reddit
I’ve lived in both on a high salary. Personally, I found New York City a lot more expensive and way worse city to live in with children. In London property and rent is incredibly expensive but we don’t pay high property tax like in New York, childcare is cheaper schools are generally better in London. Saying that if I wasn’t from the UK, I would probably prefer to live in NYC as a young, single person and make a ton of money.
JazzyMcgee@reddit
Don’t live in the fancy areas of London. I survive in South London on £28k, admittedly my rents cheap, but even if I found a place that was about 800 rent plus bills I’d be okay.
deskmeetface@reddit
I moved to London a few months ago and the only way it works for me is I'm still working for a US company earning US wages (I had to switch to being a contractor). Even with the conversion rate, I make at least twice, maybe more than I would in a similar job working for a UK company. It's crazy how people here put up with such low wages in such an expensive city.
Distinct_Poetry_7869@reddit
In the same boat! Live in London work for US company. And yes, the low wages are insane here. But the COL in London significantly lower than NYC, SFO and marginally lower than LA.
Particular-System324@reddit
London is US CoL with EU salaries/taxes.
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
The worst of both worlds. Which is a shame cause I really believe London is the best city in the world, but the cost of living and local salaries (same with taxes) are absolutely insane.
Distinct_Poetry_7869@reddit
No clue what field you're in but since you stated you have the right to work in BOTH US and UK, could you get a US remote job that pays you as an independent contractor or is willing to go through a third party hiring company? That way you can live in London and still get US salary. Even if you had to take a bit of a pay cut on the US side you'd still end up net positive.
Particular-System324@reddit
Finance jobs are supposed to be high paying in London. I think that would be the one instance where London could be like paradise for some.
Uncle_Richard98@reddit (OP)
There are finance bros in New York getting 200k+ salaries, can you get that in London? I doubt it…
roctonwp@reddit
You definitely can. Not a finance bro myself but my mates were making that within a couple years of graduating, and are now well beyond that.
Particular-System324@reddit
Do they have to work donkey hours for that?
roctonwp@reddit
Yes, it’s better as they’ve gotten more senior but the average work week is probably 70-90h at the start (range I’ve seen is 60-110h a week). Once you’re experienced enough (and if you’re one of the top performers) you can get an even more highly paid PE or HF job (PE still tends to have brutal hours, HF can be lower but they fire quickly).
Particular-System324@reddit
Damn. I think I'd rather stick to 90-100k and have a <40h work week while being nowhere near a top performer both because I am incapable and because I have hobbies I'm more interested in lol.
Atheissimo@reddit
In finance and law, absolutely. £150k is mid if you're in HFT, and senior professionals can earn millions.
Particular-System324@reddit
What about risk management (banking) if you have any idea?
Atheissimo@reddit
I don't have specialist knowledge, but according to Morgan McKinley it's between £80 and £140k
https://www.morganmckinley.com/uk/salary-guide/data/risk-manager/london
postbox134@reddit
Yes but you're encountering 60% marginal tax rates at that level.
$200k in NYC is not a particularly high salary, but £100k plus in London is
Particular-System324@reddit
No clue. But I do know some people value easy access to Europe a lot more. If it's purely money yeah NYC is up there.
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
I don't think that's really true outside London.
It's more EU salaries / taxes / CoL.
Particular-System324@reddit
Fair enough, I've seen some stories (both irl and here on reddit) about how bad the CoL has gotten even in other parts of the UK (or Great Britain if we're being specific, since I don't know anything about the situation in Northern Ireland) so I thought maybe they were also approaching that unenviable state of high CoL with low salaries and high taxes.
meteoricboy@reddit
I moved out of NYC, where I was born and raised, nearly 20 years ago because of cost of living issues. I then lived pretty comfortably in London for 16 years. I’ve only recently moved out of London, but because of work not really financial issues. YMMV (based on profession personal preference etc) but I still think quality of life is better in London than NYC. I am an academic so my salary isn’t akin to finance but it’s also twice median UK wage.
TedCruzZodiac2018@reddit
I don't know what you do but for my work then entry level salaries were lower in London compared to the US but the senior/principal level was higher
Unearthingthepast@reddit
With many medium and large companies you get an extra Inner London Allowance if you live/work in central London on top of your basic salary. A quick check on google shows it generally varies between £6000. - £9000pa...
Sensitive-Twist2799@reddit
Si puedes elegir y lo tienes tan claro ,adelante,no veo las dudas .
wouldyoufightakitten@reddit
Owning, not renting mainly.
Most otherwise, London is cheap as shit if you know the spots. I usually spend £10 a day on food and coffee, for the day, etc..
StudySpecial@reddit
Salaries in London are very binary.
There are quite a lot of relatively high-paying finance-related jobs - for those, London salaries used to be slightly below NY before Brexit, but they didn't get adjusted for the GBP devaluation and stagnated since, so now they're a decent amount below NY.
For anything outside finance it's a bit dire. Some tech companies are still ok-ish in terms of absolute salary but WAY below US tech salaries.
30k sounds very low tho - median london salary is about 45-50k (pounds).
FlatCapNorthumbrian@reddit
Yeah, bus drivers in the North East of England get over £30k for a basic 39 hours week. I full time degree required job in London will definitely get paid more.
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
GBP / USD is not very different to shortly before Brexit
StudySpecial@reddit
before the Brexit vote (2016), GBP/USD was consistently around 1.55-1.65 - after that it hovered mostly around 1.30, so \~20% lower - the actual brexit date is irrelevant, the drop happened immediately around the time of the vote
over the last year GBP recovered a bit again because trump has been destroying the USD, but that[s a separate issue
Typical_Low9140@reddit
law, for US firms’ London offices, is actually decent pay. Many are paying a similar salary to the NYC cravath scale, which starts at $225k.
jenn4u2luv@reddit
I’m in tech. I got a raise when I moved here in London from NYC. I acknowledge that my case is an edge case, but it’s doable.
crispr-dev@reddit
This. Essentially if you’re a working person you need to be in a specific niche that pays so much it’s still fine after the British pay cut.
No_Economist_1411@reddit
Because they adjust expectations and costs in ways that aren’t obvious at first.
People flatshare well into their 30s, live in smaller places, and often farther out. Fewer people own cars, so that’s a big cost gone. Healthcare isn’t a financial risk hanging over you like in the US, even if salaries are lower.
Also, a lot of people aren’t actually doing great financially, they’re just getting by. Family help, dual incomes, and long term renting are pretty common.
So it’s not that London “makes sense” financially. People just accept a different lifestyle and trade lower income for things like stability, location, and quality of life.
KingCharles559@reddit
Bingo
MotorAd90@reddit
Get a better job in London. Or have parents support. Or both!
frugalacademic@reddit
Work-life balance is better in London. You can take days off without being harassed by your employer whereas in the USA, you need to be available 24/7 (obviously I am generalizing, there are good employers in the US as well).
Quality of Life: don't underestimate the proximity of Europe: you can easily take a weekend trip to Rome or Paris, and even inside the UK theer are lots of interesting places to explore.
And obviously we cannot ignore the elephant in the room: politics in the US are horrendous at the moment.
BetterLifeViaBetter@reddit
You are not in Finance that is the issue!
mralistair@reddit
Salaries go up. there is an understanding that straight out of university you are basically useless for a few years.
takebackthep0wer@reddit
My man Patrick just covered this. Step function in marginal tax rate at 100k. https://youtu.be/T3neJOdknqc?si=l2yI8hVgt5Kk24JF
postbox134@reddit
This should be UK government priority number 1, it makes being a high earner in the UK make zero sense. Leads to people leaving but also weird things like doctors working part time. Genuinely terrible policy but it plays well into taxing the 'rich' (i.e. High earners not asset wealthy)
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
Yup! And then there's things like how the tax rate increases so dramatically suddenly. It makes you really feel annoyed about each increase, it's harder to notice that increase for sure in the US. In the UK people are like "I just don't want to make over that 50k" bc they feel like at that point the rate is so high it's not worth working... I've never encountered that type of attitude in the US
jamjar188@reddit
My friend works two jobs and every time she looks at her monthly salary slips she cries. She loves her second job (which devotes her evenings and part of the weekend to) but financially it makes zero sense because she gets taxed so much.
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
Yeah the guy I know who said he can't go over 50k also works two jobs 😅
laredditadora@reddit
Consider also that the average US graduate will have $1000-2000 to pay on student loans a month whether they’re working or not, and ours are taken more like a tax at a rate that is proportionate to salary (and only once you’re earning over a threshold). Average £100-300.
Atheissimo@reddit
It's common for Londoners on lower salaries to live further out of the middle of the city and commute, which is relatively easy due to the extensive public transport network. Once you get into Zones 3, 4 and 5 you're looking at more like £1200 to £1500 for a one bed, which isn't great on a national scale but half San Francisco's average rent (for example).
The downside is that the quality of life in outer London can vary, though there are still good places to live.
jamjar188@reddit
Zone 3 no longer has one-beds for £1200-1500 if you want to be in a flat that is in decent condition and within 15 minutes' walk to a station. You're lucky to find a studio in zones 4 or 5 for that amount.
People are paying £1200 for a single room in a flatshare in some parts of zone 2.
PLaTinuM_HaZe@reddit
As my mom always says, “money can’t buy you happiness but it sure as hell makes life easier”
WaterPretty8066@reddit
"How do people afford to live in London?"
Many don't. They just pay their rent, live frugally and only just get to the next pay day. A lot if my friends find cheap ways to enjoy themselves.
Frosty_Average3972@reddit
It's called xes
AdamN@reddit
"A double bed, and a stalwart lover for sure, these are the riches of the poor." - Morissey
jamjar188@reddit
We don't save any money, basically
EatingCoooolo@reddit
I got a job late last year for two Indian companies and the pay was low, entry level ish even with over 10 years experience in IT this was what they offered and if you didn’t take it it will be off shored for people who will take less.
At the time I had just come off a contract of £300 a day and I was getting offers from more Indian companies for £100 a day.
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
Make the money in NY and use that to buy a house in the suburbs just outside London
Defiant-Dare1223@reddit
If you make serious cash, and houses in the suburbs are serious cash, the uk is not a good place to be - you face serious CGT and IHT issues.
Hot-Bison5904@reddit
That's why you make the money in NY and accept the cheaper job in the UK
Different ways of life for different periods of your life is my approach to it! Tho I do think the UK is hurting itself long-term with its tax rates...
BobWM3@reddit
Today’s New York Times discusses the disconnect between London high rent and low wages. Basically the article is about how people have multiple roommates because they can’t afford to live on their own. That is not new, however. It’s always been like that in London.
tomorrow509@reddit
Finding a nice affordable flat in the London area is near on impossible. Never have I gotten so little for so much but I considered myself lucky when I found the right place. If you do decide on London, consider an outlying village/town with good train service into central London. Train and Tube service are great most of the time.
Fit_Internal_2153@reddit
Because people aren’t playing the same game in London as they are in New York.
Lower salaries, yes but also no massive healthcare costs, no student debt for many, better tenant protections, and more reliance on public transport instead of owning a car. That cuts a lot of hidden expenses you’d have in the US.
Also, a lot of people in London aren’t actually “thriving” financially. They’re flatsharing into their 30s, living in smaller spaces, or getting family help. High earners exist, but they’re a smaller slice compared to NYC.
So the short answer is people afford London by accepting a lower standard of living and different trade offs, not because the math magically works better.
ExcellentWinner7542@reddit
Why either of these two poor picks?
Square-Patience8357@reddit
The cost of living even taking into account wages is significantly higher in New York.
Rent is astronomically higher than London.
Supermarket prices are insane compared to the UK which is one of the cheapest for food in the western world.
ponpiriri@reddit
Roommates or shacking up with a partner.
InterNote278@reddit
En fait c’est très simple, si on est indépendant tout va dépendre de ses revenu et de son plaisir de vivre dans un pays où un autre et si on est employé, il faut avoir un gros salaire autrement on vit dans la misère et ça n’a aucun intérêt
IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit
You get pregnant at 14 and get housing
IrishViking22@reddit
Sounds like you have already decided on moving to New York, so just do that, instead of making dogshit Reddit posts.
howard499@reddit
The secret sauce in London was/is to have more than one income stream and not pay rent.
ADF21a@reddit
Imagine how amazing London must be for EU citizens from less wealthy countries like Italy.
Hopeful_Art_4800@reddit
Sex worker. I’m not gay but $20 is $20
DesiccantPack@reddit
Yeah, but $20 is only £15.
Hitcher06@reddit
What did OP post (since they deleted their comment!)? “$20 is $20?”?
DesiccantPack@reddit
Bingo.
apparat07@reddit
You still behind Wendy's on Friday nights?
Hopeful_Art_4800@reddit
In a snug having a pint mate.
postbox134@reddit
When I moved from London to NYC my salary doubled, and has since doubled again. If I was still in London I'd make maybe 40% of what I do in New York.
This is less a statement on the UK more that American salaries are just so much higher than 95% of the world.
Weekly_Beautiful_603@reddit
I left London for precisely this reason, hence why I’m not an expat. No idea about New York though.
snoop_ard@reddit
Lmk when you find that answer. I was planning on moving there too.