Affordable places to live based on an anticipated ..,.

Based on an anticipated 19,000 pounds annually, and based on my friend/roommate earning the same, what are considered affordable parts of London? A 1 bedroom would be fine. I only sound lost because I am. I'm used to Toronto prices, so I've got no idea what costs are like in London. What I do know is a 1 bedroom is fine, I'd like to travel, and I'm not particularly concerned with saving more than a couple hundred pounds a month

Any help'd be appreciated.

At £19,000 per year, after taxes you're lookin' at about £1,221 per month.

You should probably spend no more than a third of your net income on rent - approximately £100 per week, or £200 per week since there's two of you.

You can find one bedroom flats for £200 per week all over the place. There are lots of options, but there will be always be trade-offs. You have to prioritize what's important to you. Proximity to central London? Proximity to bus or subway stations? Size and quality of the flat? Quality of the neighbourhood?

Personally, I would recommend west and south-west London, in particular: Fulham, Battersea, Clapham, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, etc. These neighbourhoods are expensive but not too expensive, they're not too dodgy, there are lots of restaurants, shops, and pubs, and you won't be too far away from core London. Pickings might be slim at £200 per week but I'm sure you'll be able to find something.

Once you know what you can afford, do some research, and see what's currently available in the market:

http://www.gumtree.com
http://www.findaproperty.com
http://www.propertyfinder.com
http://www.rightmove.co.uk
http://london.craigslist.org/apa

When you have a list of prospects, do some research on the neighbourhoods where they're located:

http://www.upmystreet.com

Hope that helps.

Enjoy your time in London! I love it here!

Any reasons you said 1/3 is preferable? I realize this is all dependent on what I'd like to spend my money on, but I can't help but think there's some unknown cost to things. I was figuring 500 on rent, 200 on food, and the remaining 500 for, well, clothes/going out/travel/etc. Would 200 per month be reasonable for food? I'm speaking just for one person

I just think that as a general rule, regardless of what country you live in, one should never spend more than a third of disposable income on rent. It's not even a mortgage! You don't want to be a slave to your rent, working to give most of your earnings to your landlord.

Regarding food: personally, I spend around £400 per month on food, because I always dine out (I'm lazy like that). But I think £200 should be fine, as long as you make most of your meals at home.

I think your monthly budget should be something like this:

£ 400 rent
£ 50 council tax
£ 75 utilities, tv, internet, phone, mobile
£ 200 food and supplies
£ 100 transportation
£ 100 entertainment
£ 275 miscellaneous (clothes, travel, savings)
-----
£1200

Here's some advice before you come to London: bring money. When you find a place, you might have to pay a deposit, as well as first month's rent. Plus, you have to support yourself until you get your first paycheque, and some companies pay once a month. I recommend having at least $3000 Canadian in the bank. At least.

Personally, I think 1/3rd of your income on accommodations is high -- when we were going through the credit referencing for our place, the maximum that the landlord is advised to look at is 1/4 of your salary being towards tent, so if you are budgeting anything higher than that, you may be denied.

hey bird,

do you mean 1/4 of gross or disposable income? Before or after taxes?