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I think Ariadne's got a point. So I'll put in an example that's somewhat dated now, and may not quite work as well as people want, but eh.
My experience with London, when I first moved was thus:
I was in Australia, earning something like $AU38,000. Which isn't huge, but it isn't bad. I got offered a job in London, and was offered 19.5k in GBP. Which, I figured, because of the exchange rate, was about $A60,000, which would be whack-o and excitement.
Until I moved there.
Basically, I found that everything I had to buy in London had the same numerical value as if I'd bought it in Australia. Only there was a pound symbol in front of it, rather than a dollar sign. IE: say it's two bucks for a serve of chips at a greasy takeaway in Sydney, it'd be two quid for the same thing (if not slightly more) at that greasy shithole up the end of Oxford St. So in effect, I'd essentially knocked a whole amount of cash off my wage, but still had to spend the same amount on living. Which ain't fun.
I guess this anecdote highlights the experience of living in the two, so comparison's possible. I don't know if you can particularly do it any other way.
But a couple of basic costs, now I'm back (all in the Aussie dollar - which is worth 76c US, 43p, .64 Euro and 12,086 Vietnamese dong today, according to xe.com):
Petrol's currently through the roof, at about $1.30 per litre.
Milk is about $1.70 per litre.
A loaf of bread, depending on fanciness, will cost between $2 and $4.
A schooner of beer costs $3.20 - $4.50, depending. A pint (slightly larger) begins at about $4.
600ml softdrink or water can cost up to $3, depending on where you get it.
Eating out, a reasonable main will cost about $15. The more ritzy you want to get, the higher it goes.
Rent for my place, which I share with my fiancee, is $330pw, though we pay per calendar month. I don't know the size of the house, but it's a terrace with two bedrooms, a study, a loungeroom, a dining room/kitchen and a nice backyard. (And a hedge, but I think they threw that one in for nix.)
My health insurance, which is single, relatively-healthy-bloke (ha!) stylee, costs about $40 per fortnight.
Mobile contract is about $50 per month, though I always go over.
My railcard, which gets me through a 45-minute journey daily, costs $28 per week. But if you buy a return ticket for the same journey for one day, curiously, it's $7.20.
Electricity is roughly $160 per quarter, depending on season.
And on it goes. If this helps. |
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