London is expensive to live, a small apartment in London to rent is about the same price as renting a 3 bedroom house in Nottingham. Think that is the biggest mistake people make, when they move to the UK they go to London. But if they look outside London or further North they will find living is alot cheaper and affordable.
jason owen how is Essex? Also would it be realistic to live in Essex and go to school in London? I currently live in the US and my commute to work on public transit is about 1.5-2 hours one way. But I'm wondering if others do the same there and if it's doable.
Essex is not as bad, Living expenses can be cheaper than London. Travelling wise it would be anywhere from an hour to 1.5 hours. You could also look at Oxford and the Reading area, again cheaper and both places run Express trains into London so it cuts your journey time down to 30 mins to an hour depending on the train you catch ( Some trains stop at more stations, whereas the express trains go non stop into London). In the UK its not that bad for public transport, i Live near Nottingham thats roughly in the middle of England, about 130 miles away from London and it would take me 1hour and 30mins by express train to get into London. If your not limited by the school already try looking at other schools in the UK you might be interested in, as living would be cheaper and nights out would be cheaper. But also keep an eye on the price as trains from one area can cost alot more that=n trains from another are. A good website to work out public transport in the UK is the main Journey Planner found here: www.nationalrail.co.uk/. If you need any info let me know, would be happy to help.
If you moved to london u made a big mistake. I was born in Switzerland, moved to Portugal now im in London. London multiculture is the total shit in here. And also houses total garbage costing a fortune. Not my thing.
I see nothing has changed: I grew up in London in the 60's and 70's. My father was a full-time teacher, my mother worked part-time and we were always poor!!! But I loved London so much and miss it so much today.
I lived in London for three years and was out and about at all times of the day and never felt threatened apart from on two occasions where I was foolish and put myself in potentially scary situations. I also never had enough money. I even went through a phase where I pretty much only ate two meals per day with one of them being my free lunch at work, because I just couldn't afford anything more :P But I love London. It was worth it at the time :)
I'm a Brit and having lived in Germany for several years I have no idea why any German would want to live in the UK. Germany is, in my opinion, much nicer country with a better quality of life. Of course there were things that infuriated me for e.g. the myth that Germany is efficient... just try and deal with a government department to realise the myth! but overall I think Germany is a super country.
Germany is very beautiful Andre men very handsome. German is very hard to learn I will need to know German if I want to have a job there. I don't think survive in Germany . I like to vist but worry about rascism and feeling not welcome Being black you have to be more careful where we travel as some places don't like us. . Have a lovely day and take care. It was nice talking to you
Georg Fritzl some people like to explore different places even if technically the quality of life may be high or higher where they're from. I think there is nowhere in Germany that offers the amount of excitement, diversity, and options as London, including Berlin. Berlin is more of an alternative for trendy young people and artists but isn't at the same level as those cities. That said, if you're willing to give up some of the great things about London and are looking for more affordable and less intense cities to live in, German cities are a good alternative.
@@Rose-hg8ls Totally depends on where you go. If you're going to the big citys (no matter in which country) you probably won't have problems with racism. But it's different in villages, I'd say not only in Germany but all over the world. Village people like their well known, small areas with famililar faces and they have exaggerated fears of crime (from anything they only read in the news..) so it can be difficult as someone new.. but as soon as they get to know you and understand youre a friendly person, there is no problem.
Thats so true... germany is so slowly in that case. Once I had to inform myself about my driving license and asked a government department via email. Two weeks later I got a reply as a letter... still can't believe this really happened
What about the social aspect? I am a really social person, never struggled to make friends, love trying out different things but living in London has been the loneliest period of my life. People here don't really talk to each other. They are smart and ambitious but I've found that it's so hard to make real friends. Everybody's dealing with their own life, they're not exactly hostile, just not super friendly. Work is strictly work to them, colleagues don't hang out together outside the office. When I first moved in, I was under the impression that people who live together inevitably become friends and do things together like watch movies or go out. Yeah, no. Housemates don't really acknowledge each other even if they're in the same room. London is so big and with 7/8 million people here, you'd never think that you'd struggle to make friends but unless you already know people here and hang out with their friends it's super hard to meet new people.
Most brits have gotten out of london,theirs always ppl to speak to,they usually frequent certain bars whathave ya its the way these places are,live all yurr life their and its only folk in yurr scheme or street u know to many ppl
Move to Cardiff. I lived in London for a couple of years and couldn't save a penny, in fact I was constantly in debt. When I moved to Cardiff I saved enough for a deposit for a large house and because the house is pretty large I rent out a few rooms and I pretty much get my mortgage paid. Going out is cheap. Cinema is £4 in Vue Cinema. London was £13.50. Nightlife is fantastic and restaurants are plentiful. Lots of top shows as well, Beyonce was here not so long ago. Rugby day is pretty crazy and Saturday nights. Be warned though as Hotel rooms in Cardiff on Rugby days have been known to charge £1900 per night. Best thing to do is Airbnb it.
London lifestyle is accepting the fact you will be in traffic for at least 2 hours a day and it doesn't matter how rich you are you are in traffic. I like being money rich and time rich.
As someone living in London for 12 years , I agree with you totally. You forgot about the overcast weather,which looks like it cant decide whether to rain or shine hee hee. However, when it is a clear sunny day, it is like heaven and everyone comes out to enjoy it
My dad has a very well-paid job in the City and he still lives in a relatively small, shared flat. London is off the charts in terms of property prices, rental costs, transport prices etc.
I agree. I don't think London was very dangerous. I think it was fairly safe for a large city overall, however while living there the street harassment has made me feel me unsafe at times, so I would be careful walking alone at night. I was living in shoreditch which is a generally safe place but I had a few incidences that startled me, for an example had a guy pull me back once. also living in london I developed like allergies, but then again I'm from Portland, Oregon which is extremely clean in comparison. but for a large city there is a lot of green still.
It's pretty bad all in all. Who prioritises nightlife over the fact that you don't have enough money to be comfortable? Students maybe? As a professional person you want to enjoy the money as fruits of your labour but it london yoy simply cannot.
Brixton 10 years ago and Brixton today are two COMPLETELY different places. It's actually wild. Not saying Brixton was the wild west but the change is crazy
Sandy, I live in an English village near Bristol. Opposite my bungalow is open countryside. You can walk for miles in stunning countryside and be perfectly safe. You can walk into the village centre at 2am and be perfectly safe.There is absolutely no danger whatever.
I'd prefer that, too. I don't know why everybody always wants to live in the big cities? It's loud, it's rough, it's dirty and the air is polluted. And everything is too expensive. Countryside always wins in my opinion. ;)
I'm from Manchester but I just lived in Ireland for the past six months in the countryside and I loved it. I actually prefer the countryside, it's so much nicer :)
you don't need money to have fun in London. There are so many things to do that are free, like all the museums and parks, you can get a London pass and get into places free that would normally cost money. you don't need to go to the bar or club and get drunk or drink at all to have fun..
This is true, but after a while of doing all the free, friendy, cultural things one does get the desire to up the game a bit and live with a bit of distinction (hey, in central London you're surrrounded by the good life), rather than living 6 to a house with a shared bathroom,
London sounds like an expensive city. I've lived there. You could probably enjoy a better standard of living in somewhere like Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds, in the same job.
I lived in London for about 3 years and started to realise it's a money trap! I had a good job at thevtimevand shared a flat with my best friend. But once I helped a friend I had made in London move flat. He had 2 or 3 big bin bags of clothes, a suitcase, few pots and pans, music set and CDs. While others older than me where still renting furnished accommodation. No one owned a Car, I realised if I wanted more I had to leave London. I use to walk after a while sndvlike you started to realise how close many places are but the Tube sometimes makes especially if changing lines, feel there further apart than they are. Like Embankment to Trafalgar square, Trafalgar Squire to Green Park or Leicester squire each is about a 10 minute walk from the other. Or Liecster squire to Tottenham Court Road a 10 minute walk. Advise people to get a map sndvwalk it. The other thing I found livingbin London was how reginal you become to your areas. A metropolitan City but you end up in your hangout ares and only venture beyond to go into central London, visit friend miles away (not often) or for an event. Otherwise yoh concentrate your life on an area.
I can appreciate that this video is old, but here's my take on London as of 2019 after being here for 4 years and being mugged once. The police will not help you in emergencies. They will help you if you are a victim of racial discrimination, but violent attacks, not including weapons, are not high priority enough. Property rental and transport prices increase as a percentage year-on-year with no increase of service quality. Considering, as you said, one cigarette per trip, it's now even more expensive than smoking! Threats of terrorism is very real, you see the affects on bridges. I do agree, this is the most exciting city in UK, but the true cost of living here is utterly detrimental to life. Come here at your own risk!
It depends on where you live. London borough of Hounslow is cheap (apart from Chiswick). Places like Richmond or Camden etc are more expensive. Here is an idea you can live in one of the cheapest Travelodges in London for £29 a night which is approx £900 month but obviously no paying gas elec bills or council tax
from the point of view from an American who visited London and Paris....safety: I felt that London was extremely safe. I walked almost everywhere in Kensington and was in Westminster alot. cleanliness of air: as soon as i got off the plane and I walked out of the airport I immediately felt a difference in the air. it felt so much cleaner. streets: the streets were clean as far as I was looking however if you're out at night there are quite a lot of people living on the streets. in pars the streets were far dirtier and I didn't like it as much.
Vielen, vielen Dank für das ehrliche Video! Das war wirklich unglaublich hilfreich. So eine konkrete Antwort in Bezug auf Geld und Lebensstandard in London hab ich noch nie bekommen. In der Regel hört man ja nur ein generelles "Ja, es ist sehr teuer, aber dafür lebt man in London und man kommt schon irgendwie klar!" Jetzt habe ich eine viel bessere Vorstellung, was das genau bedeutet, also vielen Dank! :)
What is really incredible is that you are a marvelous person and you gave us a great view of human life in their freedom, their expectations, their worries. Nice to see you!
Everywhere I go I feel like I'm missing out on life somewhere else. I don't really have a place where I just want to be all the time. I think a lot of people our age can relate to the money thing, as well.
Birmingham for me is an excellent option, 1.20hour away on the train, renting pricing are much less, pleasant city, lots of opportunities and investment. Once Hs2 is finished its going to be a 45 min commute to London from here, not to mention 40 mins to Manchester.
im also a german living in london and i definitely don't really agree with what you said about the smog! it might be dirty but no, no dirt comes out of my nose when i sneeze and tbh i don't really think that the uber driver was really being honest with you lol
That's not so bad ! Being a Portuguese living in Lisbon I can assure you that I'm doomed to slavery , however I don't question myself if I go or not to the pub or bar , usually the question is whether if I have lunch or have dinner , and buy my own house is totally out of the equation . Kisses from Portugal .
I think, it doesn't mind if you don't have enough money to do everything what is funny and expensive, bc as you said, you only have to enjoy those little things that make you become a happier person... nice video!
Your English is nearly faultless and it is an absolute pleasure to listen to you. It is so rare to find a foreigner who has managed to become fluent in English with barely a trace of a foreign accent. I do feel compelled to point out that in English we say "late twenties" not "end twenties".
My experience: I live in Holloway. I have never experienced pollution. I worked in Soho for years and it is not dangerous, but Friday night is a chaos. The most confrontation I notice in London was on night buses.
Love London! I'm so happy to have moved here, specially that I moved to Camden. It's not perfect, but I love it. I think the fact that I ride a bicycle everywhere helps a lot in regards to the pollution.
cindybin2001 nah it's all good. Was afraid at first even coming from cycling in Amsterdam, but now I just got used to it. It's actually absolutely fine as well as you pay attention and not get distracted
Great video! Showing the truth of life in London! I am experiencing exactly the same! Btw London is not dangerous at all. I mean Italy is more dangerous everywhere, I never feel safe in Italy as everyone makes comments at you while walking :S
People in London live miserable lived but convince each other that it’s normal and that it’s worth it. IT’S NOT sorry to break it to you. You’ll eventually end up having to leave the city miserable looking 10 years older than you really are and with no saving. Good luck. Glad I went back to Canada after uni
i lived there 3 yrs for school and had a great time. I did skip meals, walked and did free things often. Sometimes for dinner I would go to Mcdonalds and have an ice cream. Buying clothes?? forget it!! But I was in a different situation because I always knew it would end.
Honestly, everything you said sounds pretty common to almost any large city (at least in the US), and even more so if it's popular with tourists. It's a great idea for a video though because these are very important things to know before you move to a place, and people who haven't experienced it might have no idea whatsoever what to expect. Thanks for taking the time to do it!
Honestly, I don't know anyone in London who is truly "living". It's just a treadmill of money problems and a crap quality of life. You think it's "cool" and people are living it up, etc., but in reality it's a pretty hollow existence with little to really show for it. Even in the 1970s you were able to move out of London, take a pay cut yet still be better off overall. It's nothing new.
You will never have that comfort feeling. Career paths are truncated by 30 years as your cost increases too. If your job is a unique skill they may extend your career. But don't count on it as the focus is on transportable skills.....so try your luck abroad.
i'm so glad i found your channel, sandy! I am moving to London from America in September, so this has been so helpful. thank you and excited to subscribe!
Thing is, for a flat a 1 bedroom flat in Islington I can buy a 5 bed house in the beautiful Co Fermanagh countryside, complete with 2 garages and 2 acres of land... FOUR TIMES OVER And still have some change left in my pocket...
Hey sandy ! I've discovered your channel a few days ago and I SO love watching your videos ! I am German as well and my future goal is to live in London too:) This video gave me a further insight in what living in London mostly is like .. So thanks a lot ! Xx lots of love from Germany ❤️
I'm from England but I couldn't live in London. I enjoy going there for like a weekend or something but I think it is too busy and too expensive for me to live there lol
Bare in mind you live in central london which is expensive af, I also live in London (born and raised) and my area is still expensive but people still manage to buy their own places at your age so depends which part of London, central London is particularly expensive because of tourists etc
Live further out of the centre of the city and commute. A 35 or 40 minute journey to the centre of town is not far and puts you in an area where flats/houses are much more affordable.
Cheers for the video - we've lived in London for a few years and this video is quite an honest representation! For all those thinking of moving here - you really do need to love the "busy city life" aspect to outweigh the negatives :)
Hi Sandy. I know that you don't talk about politics in your videos usually. However, I would be very interested to hear how you think the Brits vote to leave the EU might affect you personally. Will you do a video on that? Greetings from sunny Cologne and keep up the great work.
As a foreigner living in London for over 6 years the financial situation seems to be a bit different for me but otherwise you were on point. I do share a flat with 2 other people but i don't find it difficult at all to eat out everyday or party if a want to and still save some money although I have to admit I do tend to wast it on my hobbies and interests more that I should.
You are very expressive in your face when you speak. and in the tone of your voice. I enjoy your British accent! It is very easy for me to understand it, perhaps because you have a german accent too, as you said. so I ' ve seen almost all of your videos listening to you and improving my english in this way. Thanks! (by the way my mother language is Greek.)
Opinions are truly beautiful. Life is an adventure, each to their own of course. Thank you so much for your personal input on London. In short everyone has their own take in life..
I think about the danger aspect, yes there are news stories of ppl getting stabbed or shot, but it doesn't happen very often that's why it makes the news.
I've lived in Paris before and while I think that the streets there were dirtier than in London in terms of litter and dog poo, I got the impression that the air pollution in the metro was not nearly as bad as in the Tube, where I could basically SEE the dirt and dust floating in the air in a brown haze. And I never had black stuff in my snot living in Paris or hear of anyone who did (I did cough up a lot of phlegm, but it was always clear...) Anyway, that's just my experience!
Thanks for the video! I love how honest you are :) I love London but I couldn't live there. I guess it depends on what you expect from your life. I couldn't imagine myself living with other people at more than 30 years old :) The most important is to be happy with your life, wherever you live :) London is such a wonderful city, but I guess I will keep on coming as a tourist :D I'm coming this Saturday and I'm really excited! :D
You're from Germany!? I never would have guessed that, man hört gar keinen deutschen Akzent raus.. So krass. Möchte nach meinem Abitur auch nach London ziehen, da England quasi meine Leidenschaft und England so, so schön ist. Bin immer noch blown away von deinem britischen Akzent :D Danke auf jeden Fall für das Video, war seeehr hilfreich!
Every time we reach our target income we set a new higher target before we actually feel that we have achieved our target. We keep doing this until we are so old that we cannot work anymore. We should learn to make the most of what we have
About the tube pollution, the first few days here you will get black soot in your nose. Pretty gross but it goes after a few days.. Some mornings in the victoria line you can see the soot cloud built up. All in all though London is pretty great and you get used to being skint!
The only fix is to move further out of London into the more suburban areas and travel into central London to work, again not ideal as you seem to like having bustling London outside your door. There's always a compromise. The other fix is to partner / marry someone else who also has a good salary, then it might just make it possible to be more financially comfortable, but it's still not easy.
I was born and bred in east London, lived there for 35 years then moved out a few years ago. Rent, council tax, lekky and gas bills take the absolute piss. What you gotta do is live just outside London but work there to get that London rate. I think it's exciting for young and foreign people, but the longer you're there, the more you see it's turned into an overpriced shithole. Only people that'll be living there in a few years will be, flat sharers, big earners and claimants on the sausage, most original Londoners will agree im sure.
new areas? restaurants, new coffee, new venues, new openings, yeah a lot of excitement in these =S and don't get me wrong London is such a beautiful city its just that the living cost compared to the wages and the crazy working pace docent seem to be outweight for the new restaurant, coffees, etc, etc
Never seen a more honest video : London is a nice place to visit for a week or two but building a life is just impossible by the time you pay the mortgage on your house you will be around 60-70 years old is it worthy the stress? If you want to have best standard of living Germany is your place.
Deitsch fui Di: what does this have to do with my comment? I really like choker necklaces on a girl. i wasn't relating this to the second part of my comment.
Not really my dear! First age is just a number but if the fact that time is passing by and you still don't own a flat or a house that's just not in London. Money isnt enough no matter where you go. Here in Brazil people in early 30s also dont own their own place, most still live with their parentes and Im talking about São Paulo, which is similar to London. That's where everything happens, however it's wicked expensive so renting or sharing is a normal thing as well. Sad but facts!
Brixton isn't really that bad anymore because of tourism etc. Same as Hackney...although there are still parts of Hackney that are bad. In general London is safe but I would avoid places like Willesden, Harlesden, Peckham etc. Nice vids by the way :) Übrigens die mieten in Berlin werden auch langsam teurer. Gentrification :( Lg. Ein Londoner in Berlin
Back in the early 90's you could buy a nice 2 bed apartment in North/West London for around £60k!, salaries havent increased much in that time too yet look at property prices now!, Infact when i started working in the City in 1991, i knew guys earning over £100k back then!...So tough now to get on the property ladder for first time buyers.
Thanks for the advise. I'm applying for a postgraduate course at the U.K., but not sure which place to chose between London and Glasgow. London looks pretty nice, yet I'm concerned about the cost of living there. However living in Costa Rica is freaking expensive nowadays so maybe London's just normal lol
I’m from Greece and I wanna move to a cheap town so I can work and make some money at first I thought London was a good idea but I realized that it isn’t that cheap any suggestions?
Heyy your video was verry helpfull! But i really want your help, in a few months i'm planning on moving to london by myself. For my gap year. And I really don't know what to do, who i need to call or ask.
Help me reach 15K followers on Instagram
Big up! I like it.
London is expensive to live, a small apartment in London to rent is about the same price as renting a 3 bedroom house in Nottingham. Think that is the biggest mistake people make, when they move to the UK they go to London. But if they look outside London or further North they will find living is alot cheaper and affordable.
jason owen how is Essex? Also would it be realistic to live in Essex and go to school in London? I currently live in the US and my commute to work on public transit is about 1.5-2 hours one way. But I'm wondering if others do the same there and if it's doable.
Essex is not as bad, Living expenses can be cheaper than London. Travelling wise it would be anywhere from an hour to 1.5 hours. You could also look at Oxford and the Reading area, again cheaper and both places run Express trains into London so it cuts your journey time down to 30 mins to an hour depending on the train you catch ( Some trains stop at more stations, whereas the express trains go non stop into London). In the UK its not that bad for public transport, i Live near Nottingham thats roughly in the middle of England, about 130 miles away from London and it would take me 1hour and 30mins by express train to get into London. If your not limited by the school already try looking at other schools in the UK you might be interested in, as living would be cheaper and nights out would be cheaper. But also keep an eye on the price as trains from one area can cost alot more that=n trains from another are. A good website to work out public transport in the UK is the main Journey Planner found here: www.nationalrail.co.uk/. If you need any info let me know, would be happy to help.
jason owen thanks so much, will definitely check out that site!
Yes, but probably you also get a worse salary in Nottingham
jason owen. Who wants to live in Nottingham. Better off being in your own country.
Its nice to have an honest point of view of London as a Swiss moving to London in a few weeks, this video was helpful, thank you !! :)
+Fabien Milon great :) I am sure you'll love it over here :)
How's life in London so far?
SandyMakesSense
Why do you leave Switzerland dude? One of the most beautiful countries in the world with high standards of living!
If you moved to london u made a big mistake. I was born in Switzerland, moved to Portugal now im in London. London multiculture is the total shit in here. And also houses total garbage costing a fortune. Not my thing.
I see nothing has changed: I grew up in London in the 60's and 70's. My father was a full-time teacher, my mother worked part-time and we were always poor!!! But I loved London so much and miss it so much today.
I lived in London for three years and was out and about at all times of the day and never felt threatened apart from on two occasions where I was foolish and put myself in potentially scary situations. I also never had enough money. I even went through a phase where I pretty much only ate two meals per day with one of them being my free lunch at work, because I just couldn't afford anything more :P But I love London. It was worth it at the time :)
Ronniechops good for ya 😢👌
I'm a Brit and having lived in Germany for several years I have no idea why any German would want to live in the UK. Germany is, in my opinion, much nicer country with a better quality of life. Of course there were things that infuriated me for e.g. the myth that Germany is efficient... just try and deal with a government department to realise the myth! but overall I think Germany is a super country.
Germany is very beautiful Andre men very handsome. German is very hard to learn I will need to know German if I want to have a job there. I don't think survive in Germany .
I like to vist but worry about rascism and feeling not welcome
Being black you have to be more careful where we travel as some places don't like us.
. Have a lovely day and take care. It was nice talking to you
Georg Fritzl some people like to explore different places even if technically the quality of life may be high or higher where they're from. I think there is nowhere in Germany that offers the amount of excitement, diversity, and options as London, including Berlin. Berlin is more of an alternative for trendy young people and artists but isn't at the same level as those cities. That said, if you're willing to give up some of the great things about London and are looking for more affordable and less intense cities to live in, German cities are a good alternative.
Rose that’s is changing as well. Every time there are more racial diversity in Germany
@@Rose-hg8ls Totally depends on where you go. If you're going to the big citys (no matter in which country) you probably won't have problems with racism. But it's different in villages, I'd say not only in Germany but all over the world. Village people like their well known, small areas with famililar faces and they have exaggerated fears of crime (from anything they only read in the news..) so it can be difficult as someone new.. but as soon as they get to know you and understand youre a friendly person, there is no problem.
Thats so true... germany is so slowly in that case.
Once I had to inform myself about my driving license and asked a government department via email.
Two weeks later I got a reply as a letter... still can't believe this really happened
What about the social aspect?
I am a really social person, never struggled to make friends, love trying out different things but living in London has been the loneliest period of my life. People here don't really talk to each other. They are smart and ambitious but I've found that it's so hard to make real friends. Everybody's dealing with their own life, they're not exactly hostile, just not super friendly. Work is strictly work to them, colleagues don't hang out together outside the office. When I first moved in, I was under the impression that people who live together inevitably become friends and do things together like watch movies or go out. Yeah, no. Housemates don't really acknowledge each other even if they're in the same room. London is so big and with 7/8 million people here, you'd never think that you'd struggle to make friends but unless you already know people here and hang out with their friends it's super hard to meet new people.
You forgot to say no jobs
Mimmo Marfuggi who needs a job when u live in the paradise
Most brits have gotten out of london,theirs always ppl to speak to,they usually frequent certain bars whathave ya its the way these places are,live all yurr life their and its only folk in yurr scheme or street u know to many ppl
It depends who you want to be sociable with
I guess it's also for the city is huge
Move to Cardiff. I lived in London for a couple of years and couldn't save a penny, in fact I was constantly in debt. When I moved to Cardiff I saved enough for a deposit for a large house and because the house is pretty large I rent out a few rooms and I pretty much get my mortgage paid. Going out is cheap. Cinema is £4 in Vue Cinema. London was £13.50. Nightlife is fantastic and restaurants are plentiful. Lots of top shows as well, Beyonce was here not so long ago. Rugby day is pretty crazy and Saturday nights. Be warned though as Hotel rooms in Cardiff on Rugby days have been known to charge £1900 per night. Best thing to do is Airbnb it.
Aston Bright most persuasive paragraph fuck I'm going to Cardiff
it doesn't rival the lifestyle of london tho
London lifestyle is accepting the fact you will be in traffic for at least 2 hours a day and it doesn't matter how rich you are you are in traffic. I like being money rich and time rich.
Aston Bright Most people don't drive in London. Take the tube, problem solved. Unless it's rush hour, but oh well. You can't win it all.
And you forgot to say that is a beautiful city too
As someone living in London for 12 years , I agree with you totally. You forgot about the overcast weather,which looks like it cant decide whether to rain or shine hee hee. However, when it is a clear sunny day, it is like heaven and everyone comes out to enjoy it
+Mike Neto so true! Like today :)
My dad has a very well-paid job in the City and he still lives in a relatively small, shared flat. London is off the charts in terms of property prices, rental costs, transport prices etc.
I agree. I don't think London was very dangerous. I think it was fairly safe for a large city overall, however while living there the street harassment has made me feel me unsafe at times, so I would be careful walking alone at night. I was living in shoreditch which is a generally safe place but I had a few incidences that startled me, for an example had a guy pull me back once.
also living in london I developed like allergies, but then again I'm from Portland, Oregon which is extremely clean in comparison. but for a large city there is a lot of green still.
It's pretty bad all in all. Who prioritises nightlife over the fact that you don't have enough money to be comfortable? Students maybe? As a professional person you want to enjoy the money as fruits of your labour but it london yoy simply cannot.
💯
Brixton 10 years ago and Brixton today are two COMPLETELY different places. It's actually wild. Not saying Brixton was the wild west but the change is crazy
Get real. Brixton is still a complete shithole, it's just better hidden than before thanks to gentrification.
Unfortunately it is becoming expensive - the cost of living exceeds working salaries in the last few years.
sadly is like that with overwork, abusive underpaid workplaces
Your honesty on how to live and adjust to life in London is very refreshing. Thank you.
I live in one of the most ‘dangerous’ areas of London and she is right it is really not that bad
Newham?
Sandy, I live in an English village near Bristol. Opposite my bungalow is open countryside. You can walk for miles in stunning countryside and be perfectly safe. You can walk into the village centre at 2am and be perfectly safe.There is absolutely no danger whatever.
I'd prefer that, too. I don't know why everybody always wants to live in the big cities?
It's loud, it's rough, it's dirty and the air is polluted. And everything is too expensive. Countryside always wins in my opinion. ;)
because some people don't want to travel hours to do anything fun
I'm from Manchester but I just lived in Ireland for the past six months in the countryside and I loved it. I actually prefer the countryside, it's so much nicer :)
Where were ya in Ireland? coming back?
Kerry. Not yet but I would like to in the future.
I've lived in London, Norwich, Edinburgh, Sandbanks and is currently in North Oxford. So, been quite a trip.
Haha amazing! You travelled quite a bit!
you don't need money to have fun in London. There are so many things to do that are free, like all the museums and parks, you can get a London pass and get into places free that would normally cost money. you don't need to go to the bar or club and get drunk or drink at all to have fun..
This is true, but after a while of doing all the free, friendy, cultural things one does get the desire to up the game a bit and live with a bit of distinction (hey, in central London you're surrrounded by the good life), rather than living 6 to a house with a shared bathroom,
Kathryn Davies As a musician who want to move to london and that like to drink a lot i see ur comment very wrong haha but its true what u say
Exactly right.
London sounds like an expensive city. I've lived there. You could probably enjoy a better standard of living in somewhere like Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds, in the same job.
I lived in London for about 3 years and started to realise it's a money trap! I had a good job at thevtimevand shared a flat with my best friend. But once I helped a friend I had made in London move flat. He had 2 or 3 big bin bags of clothes, a suitcase, few pots and pans, music set and CDs. While others older than me where still renting furnished accommodation. No one owned a Car, I realised if I wanted more I had to leave London. I use to walk after a while sndvlike you started to realise how close many places are but the Tube sometimes makes especially if changing lines, feel there further apart than they are. Like Embankment to Trafalgar square, Trafalgar Squire to Green Park or Leicester squire each is about a 10 minute walk from the other. Or Liecster squire to Tottenham Court Road a 10 minute walk. Advise people to get a map sndvwalk it. The other thing I found livingbin London was how reginal you become to your areas. A metropolitan City but you end up in your hangout ares and only venture beyond to go into central London, visit friend miles away (not often) or for an event. Otherwise yoh concentrate your life on an area.
I can appreciate that this video is old, but here's my take on London as of 2019 after being here for 4 years and being mugged once. The police will not help you in emergencies. They will help you if you are a victim of racial discrimination, but violent attacks, not including weapons, are not high priority enough. Property rental and transport prices increase as a percentage year-on-year with no increase of service quality. Considering, as you said, one cigarette per trip, it's now even more expensive than smoking! Threats of terrorism is very real, you see the affects on bridges.
I do agree, this is the most exciting city in UK, but the true cost of living here is utterly detrimental to life. Come here at your own risk!
Thanks for keeping it real
It depends on where you live. London borough of Hounslow is cheap (apart from Chiswick). Places like Richmond or Camden etc are more expensive.
Here is an idea you can live in one of the cheapest Travelodges in London for £29 a night which is approx £900 month but obviously no paying gas elec bills or council tax
Only bankers push the idea that every single person buys their own home. Never feel ashamed for living with family or friends :)
Trey Hocker bankers ??? No
It's a good investment if you already have the money in your pocket.
from the point of view from an American who visited London and Paris....safety: I felt that London was extremely safe. I walked almost everywhere in Kensington and was in Westminster alot. cleanliness of air: as soon as i got off the plane and I walked out of the airport I immediately felt a difference in the air. it felt so much cleaner. streets: the streets were clean as far as I was looking however if you're out at night there are quite a lot of people living on the streets. in pars the streets were far dirtier and I didn't like it as much.
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We Brazilians make about 3.000$ per Year, we can still pay a rent of 250$ per month and go to the beach at weeknds
Vielen, vielen Dank für das ehrliche Video! Das war wirklich unglaublich hilfreich. So eine konkrete Antwort in Bezug auf Geld und Lebensstandard in London hab ich noch nie bekommen. In der Regel hört man ja nur ein generelles "Ja, es ist sehr teuer, aber dafür lebt man in London und man kommt schon irgendwie klar!" Jetzt habe ich eine viel bessere Vorstellung, was das genau bedeutet, also vielen Dank! :)
What is really incredible is that you are a marvelous person and you gave us a great view of human life in their freedom, their expectations, their worries. Nice to see you!
Everywhere I go I feel like I'm missing out on life somewhere else. I don't really have a place where I just want to be all the time. I think a lot of people our age can relate to the money thing, as well.
Staying in Mayfair this week while we look for a place to live. Moving from Los Angeles. I find your channel very helpful
Birmingham for me is an excellent option, 1.20hour away on the train, renting pricing are much less, pleasant city, lots of opportunities and investment. Once Hs2 is finished its going to be a 45 min commute to London from here, not to mention 40 mins to Manchester.
im also a german living in london and i definitely don't really agree with what you said about the smog! it might be dirty but no, no dirt comes out of my nose when i sneeze and tbh i don't really think that the uber driver was really being honest with you lol
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That's not so bad ! Being a Portuguese living in Lisbon I can assure you that I'm doomed to slavery , however I don't question myself if I go or not to the pub or bar , usually the question is whether if I have lunch or have dinner , and buy my own house is totally out of the equation . Kisses from Portugal .
I think, it doesn't mind if you don't have enough money to do everything what is funny and expensive, bc as you said, you only have to enjoy those little things that make you become a happier person... nice video!
Your English is nearly faultless and it is an absolute pleasure to listen to you. It is so rare to find a foreigner who has managed to become fluent in English with barely a trace of a foreign accent. I do feel compelled to point out that in English we say "late twenties" not "end twenties".
I understand .When I moved to a big city, it took me forever to enjoy it. I finally took some time off and played tourist in my own new city.
My experience:
I live in Holloway. I have never experienced pollution.
I worked in Soho for years and it is not dangerous, but Friday night is a chaos. The most confrontation I notice in London was on night buses.
Love London! I'm so happy to have moved here, specially that I moved to Camden. It's not perfect, but I love it. I think the fact that I ride a bicycle everywhere helps a lot in regards to the pollution.
cindybin2001 nah it's all good. Was afraid at first even coming from cycling in Amsterdam, but now I just got used to it. It's actually absolutely fine as well as you pay attention and not get distracted
Great video! Showing the truth of life in London! I am experiencing exactly the same! Btw London is not dangerous at all. I mean Italy is more dangerous everywhere, I never feel safe in Italy as everyone makes comments at you while walking :S
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London isn’t isn’t dangerous 🤔 I think the opposite
People in London live miserable lived but convince each other that it’s normal and that it’s worth it. IT’S NOT sorry to break it to you. You’ll eventually end up having to leave the city miserable looking 10 years older than you really are and with no saving. Good luck. Glad I went back to Canada after uni
i lived there 3 yrs for school and had a great time. I did skip meals, walked and did free things often. Sometimes for dinner I would go to Mcdonalds and have an ice cream. Buying clothes?? forget it!! But I was in a different situation because I always knew it would end.
This is so bullshit. I live in London as a property dealer. You need a lot of money to live here or even visit here.
Thank you so mutch Sandy. This helped me a hell of a lot 💜 Someday I'll hopefully be living in Camden as well 👍🏼🤗
Woop woop
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I live in Maryland and I wanna move to London as a dream home
Honestly, everything you said sounds pretty common to almost any large city (at least in the US), and even more so if it's popular with tourists. It's a great idea for a video though because these are very important things to know before you move to a place, and people who haven't experienced it might have no idea whatsoever what to expect. Thanks for taking the time to do it!
Honestly, I don't know anyone in London who is truly "living". It's just a treadmill of money problems and a crap quality of life. You think it's "cool" and people are living it up, etc., but in reality it's a pretty hollow existence with little to really show for it.
Even in the 1970s you were able to move out of London, take a pay cut yet still be better off overall. It's nothing new.
Is the standard of living for end-twenties better in Germany, for normal people ?
You will never have that comfort feeling. Career paths are truncated by 30 years as your cost increases too. If your job is a unique skill they may extend your career. But don't count on it as the focus is on transportable skills.....so try your luck abroad.
i'm so glad i found your channel, sandy! I am moving to London from America in September, so this has been so helpful. thank you and excited to subscribe!
+Erin Dodds amazing!!! Thank you Erin!!
Thing is, for a flat a 1 bedroom flat in Islington I can buy a 5 bed house in the beautiful Co Fermanagh countryside, complete with 2 garages and 2 acres of land...
FOUR TIMES OVER
And still have some change left in my pocket...
Hey sandy ! I've discovered your channel a few days ago and I SO love watching your videos ! I am German as well and my future goal is to live in London too:) This video gave me a further insight in what living in London mostly is like .. So thanks a lot ! Xx lots of love from Germany ❤️
I ❤️ London!!!!
+Totally Liv haha me too!! :)
I'm from England but I couldn't live in London. I enjoy going there for like a weekend or something but I think it is too busy and too expensive for me to live there lol
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you just got to live the best way you can? just enjoy life,
in the big cities in the USA usually it takes 2 generations to actually own and have paid off a home or "flat" (apartment/condo).
Honest video but still I wanna live there :D And I'm moving there in august and i can't wait :) Maybe someday i will meet you on the street :)
atena4 are you still in London? How did it go ?
Yeah I want to hear an update too!
move to Bristol and become a scrumpy addict! Lifeplan2016...
The Bristol Channel is really just full of cider
I live in Bristol and it's not so easy even here now. It's not London but have you seen the price of flats in the last few years?
Was going to move to Bristol but it is too expensive for my means, but the rest of Somerset is very reasonable.
London and Bristol are Run by left wing scum.
Bristol has got everything London has got now including shut down pubs,shut down museums,shut down theatres....
Bare in mind you live in central london which is expensive af, I also live in London (born and raised) and my area is still expensive but people still manage to buy their own places at your age so depends which part of London, central London is particularly expensive because of tourists etc
Live further out of the centre of the city and commute. A 35 or 40 minute journey to the centre of town is not far and puts you in an area where flats/houses are much more affordable.
Cheers for the video - we've lived in London for a few years and this video is quite an honest representation!
For all those thinking of moving here - you really do need to love the "busy city life" aspect to outweigh the negatives :)
Hi Sandy.
I know that you don't talk about politics in your videos usually. However, I would be very interested to hear how you think the Brits vote to leave the EU might affect you personally. Will you do a video on that? Greetings from sunny Cologne and keep up the great work.
Hey yes I will be filming today ❤️
+SandyMakesSense Great. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you! :-)
Is she German??
As a foreigner living in London for over 6 years the financial situation seems to be a bit different for me but otherwise you were on point.
I do share a flat with 2 other people but i don't find it difficult at all to eat out everyday or party if a want to and still save some money although I have to admit I do tend to wast it on my hobbies and interests more that I should.
You are very expressive in your face when you speak. and in the tone of your voice. I enjoy your British accent! It is very easy for me to understand it, perhaps because you have a german accent too, as you said. so I ' ve seen almost all of your videos listening to you and improving my english in this way. Thanks! (by the way my mother language is Greek.)
Opinions are truly beautiful. Life is an adventure, each to their own of course. Thank you so much for your personal input on London. In short everyone has their own take in life..
The blackness when you blow your nose, or dirt on your collar is not smog. It is dirt and grime! Smog is a mixture of smoke and fog.
I think about the danger aspect, yes there are news stories of ppl getting stabbed or shot, but it doesn't happen very often that's why it makes the news.
I've lived in Paris before and while I think that the streets there were dirtier than in London in terms of litter and dog poo, I got the impression that the air pollution in the metro was not nearly as bad as in the Tube, where I could basically SEE the dirt and dust floating in the air in a brown haze. And I never had black stuff in my snot living in Paris or hear of anyone who did (I did cough up a lot of phlegm, but it was always clear...) Anyway, that's just my experience!
good to hear the excitement can outweigh the bad stuff! this was a great honest vid x
+elese dowden thank you elese :)
This video was so helpful and honest. Really loved it! Thanks!!!
I’ve lived in London my whole life why am i watching this
Thanks for the video! I love how honest you are :) I love London but I couldn't live there. I guess it depends on what you expect from your life. I couldn't imagine myself living with other people at more than 30 years old :)
The most important is to be happy with your life, wherever you live :)
London is such a wonderful city, but I guess I will keep on coming as a tourist :D I'm coming this Saturday and I'm really excited! :D
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ofc its expensive you live in camden, if you move out to zone 3 it gets cheaper especially south london, only problem is travelling costs
i lived there for about 8 months and is the best city in the world
Agreeeeed
Thanks for the informative video! I am planning on living in London in a few years so this video has helped a lot!
You're from Germany!? I never would have guessed that, man hört gar keinen deutschen Akzent raus.. So krass. Möchte nach meinem Abitur auch nach London ziehen, da England quasi meine Leidenschaft und England so, so schön ist. Bin immer noch blown away von deinem britischen Akzent :D Danke auf jeden Fall für das Video, war seeehr hilfreich!
The black stuff in the air is crap from older diesel cars & buses. Newer diesels have "DPF"s, which are particulate filters.
Every time we reach our target income we set a new higher target before we actually feel that we have achieved our target. We keep doing this until we are so old that we cannot work anymore. We should learn to make the most of what we have
About the tube pollution, the first few days here you will get black soot in your nose. Pretty gross but it goes after a few days..
Some mornings in the victoria line you can see the soot cloud built up.
All in all though London is pretty great and you get used to being skint!
I don't want to live in london for ever I just want to keep on moving
The only fix is to move further out of London into the more suburban areas and travel into central London to work, again not ideal as you seem to like having bustling London outside your door. There's always a compromise. The other fix is to partner / marry someone else who also has a good salary, then it might just make it possible to be more financially comfortable, but it's still not easy.
I was born and bred in east London, lived there for 35 years then moved out a few years ago. Rent, council tax, lekky and gas bills take the absolute piss. What you gotta do is live just outside London but work there to get that London rate. I think it's exciting for young and foreign people, but the longer you're there, the more you see it's turned into an overpriced shithole. Only people that'll be living there in a few years will be, flat sharers, big earners and claimants on the sausage, most original Londoners will agree im sure.
new areas? restaurants, new coffee, new venues, new openings, yeah a lot of excitement in these =S and don't get me wrong London is such a beautiful city its just that the living cost compared to the wages and the crazy working pace docent seem to be outweight for the new restaurant, coffees, etc, etc
Bristol is NOT in London and it's actually quite far away but it is a city
very good use of "rough" there.
I love London but it is very expensive. Everything she has said is totes true. Renting is hard and buying is much much harder!!
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Anyone still love London after this video?? I do...
You should move to Paris it has plenty of outdoor markets and thrift shop
For cheap euros
Sorry I am not good English
Never seen a more honest video : London is a nice place to visit for a week or two but building a life is just impossible by the time you pay the mortgage on your house you will be around 60-70 years old is it worthy the stress? If you want to have best standard of living Germany is your place.
double necklace is my weakness xDD anyway, I'm glad you are able to enjoy the simple things in life, such as strolls through parks haha
You mean this is already upper class behavior?
what do you mean?
+comedyman112: Two necklaces are weared by snobs?
Deitsch fui Di: what does this have to do with my comment? I really like choker necklaces on a girl. i wasn't relating this to the second part of my comment.
well, it's one necklace and a choker really. And chokers, name aside, are classier.
London's traffic is the worst. I was impressed by Germany's transportation system with benefits of using Berlin and Frankfurt travel passes.
Not really my dear! First age is just a number but if the fact that time is passing by and you still don't own a flat or a house that's just not in London. Money isnt enough no matter where you go. Here in Brazil people in early 30s also dont own their own place, most still live with their parentes and Im talking about São Paulo, which is similar to London. That's where everything happens, however it's wicked expensive so renting or sharing is a normal thing as well. Sad but facts!
Brixton isn't really that bad anymore because of tourism etc. Same as Hackney...although there are still parts of Hackney that are bad. In general London is safe but I would avoid places like Willesden, Harlesden, Peckham etc. Nice vids by the way :) Übrigens die mieten in Berlin werden auch langsam teurer. Gentrification :( Lg. Ein Londoner in Berlin
Back in the early 90's you could buy a nice 2 bed apartment in North/West London for around £60k!, salaries havent increased much in that time too yet look at property prices now!, Infact when i started working in the City in 1991, i knew guys earning over £100k back then!...So tough now to get on the property ladder for first time buyers.
what is the school system like in london when you were going back in the days?
Thanks for the advise. I'm applying for a postgraduate course at the U.K., but not sure which place to chose between London and Glasgow. London looks pretty nice, yet I'm concerned about the cost of living there. However living in Costa Rica is freaking expensive nowadays so maybe London's just normal lol
I’m from Greece and I wanna move to a cheap town so I can work and make some money at first I thought London was a good idea but I realized that it isn’t that cheap any suggestions?
How are you doing now? Did you move? London is notorious as hella expensive city, so u know....don't bite off way too much than u can swallow..
Hello I’m watching your UA-cam video clips for the first time. It’s beneficial for me.
Come to Sheffield we actually have countryside. something uv probably not seen in 8 years
Heyy your video was verry helpfull! But i really want your help, in a few months i'm planning on moving to london by myself. For my gap year. And I really don't know what to do, who i need to call or ask.
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I'm live in Serbia and
London is my favorite town