Living In london | Imamother

amother

Saddlebrown

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 3:45 am

Hi OP

It seems you are getting agitated by not getting a straight answer, but all of us have different expenses so its hard to give you a straight answer without knowing more about you. You're asking for our personal info, without giving any of your own.

Perhaps if you list your current expenses list, age of kids, type of community you're looking into etc, we'd be able to chip in more.

I would not say £60k is living comfortably in Golders Green or Hendon for example. Sure, you could live with it but definitely not a luxury lifestyle and most probably no savings. But then I don't know what you generally spend your money on, so its all relative.

amother

Dimgray

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 3:59 am

Op, I gave you my breakdown before. With rent and all we need around 72k a year.

But I don’t know your circumstances.

We have one car. You said you want two.
I don’t have tuition. (Government school and a child home)

Expenses-
1,500 a month for food and household
1000 for clothes and extras
I pay 240 a month cleaner for 6 hrs a week but it depends on your needs
Healthcare isn’t great but it’s free

I also want to say, that we didn’t make a chesbon before moving here. Yes, our expenses went up significantly, but hashem helps. It doesn’t add up but we are living a comfortable life.

See if you can be eligible for any benefits. That can really help.

amother

Aqua

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 9:24 am

amother [ Dimgray ] wrote:

.
I don’t have tuition. (Government school and a child home)

.

This is vary rare in the UK, I think just Rimon and Etz Chaim primary school have no fees?

Otherwise, yes the state pays for the chol studies, but the kodesh is entirely funded by parents and donations. Legally any state school cannot demand you pay the kodesh costs, but not sure (assuming everything is normal) how you could have takeaways, foreign travel whilst not paying for your child?

So you would need to factor in at least £1500 per child per year. Probably more for a chareidi school that is entirely private.

amother

Saddlebrown

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 10:11 am

amother [ Aqua ] wrote:

So you would need to factor in at least £1500 per child per year. Probably more for a chareidi school that is entirely private.

For frum schools that are partly state aided (for chol), the voluntary fees (for kodesh) are nearer £3000 - £8000 per child per year depending on the age (from age 2). And they are not voluntary.

Like I said, we don't know the OP's status or affiliation, so it's difficult to give a straight answer.

Also, its not so easy to join the school you'd like. Most are at capacity.

amother

Dimgray

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:37 am

amother [ Aqua ] wrote:

The voluntary fees are very low. I believe £1500 per term.

amother

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 5:15 am

Hi! OK I have it a bit more clear now
I have one child who will be 3 soon so according to everyone's comments above it will be around 1500 a year as chol is government funded.
How much is playgroup for a 1 year old?
Then we would like to get a second hand carved at first start off with one.
How does medical insurance work? Can we get private? How much is it?
Now I wanna know how much one needs to live a month like how much on groceries etc? Bills? What's the normal average amount to say a couple with two kids needs to live a month let's say including rent and we talking all after tax??
Appreciate ppls input and those that have already given me some idea. Trying to gather as much info so I know if it's worth the move. And I don't know if I already mentioned it but we talking about golder green area if that makes a difference to the figures.

amother

Stonewash

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 9:17 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Okay, it sounds like you could do with someone you know irl who can guide you. Have you been to London at all to know what it would be like to live there?
Schools are very difficult to get into, so don't assume your child will get into school of choice. Also not sure about the schools that were mentioned, but my child is in a private school and we pay a lot more than that. It's only specific schools that are government assisted (which isn't many jewish schools) that won't have such high fees.
Playgroup isn't cheap either, it takes a large chunk of my paycheck. Will you be eligible for benefits? Many people I know are eligible for benefits which cover much of the childcare cost.
In terms of medical and dental, most people I know just rely on the NHS, which is free. Some people do have private medical and dental insurance but it would depend on circumstances and level of insurance as to the costs. There are websites that will take your details and provide comparisons. Also some places of work do offer it as well for a reasonable price.
Rent in Golders Green is a fortune. Look at £2500+ for a small place. the website everywherek can give you an idea of what people are asking in rent.
Tax will come directly off your paycheck-everyone's figures are probably after tax.
We live cheaply and spend £500-£1000 each month on food etc.
Why are you considering London? I'm not asking to be nosy, it just sounds like you are very unsure about coming and what it will be like. Also do you have jobs lined up? I would suggest you don't consider moving unless you have good jobs and are sure of a place in the correct school. You would need to already be applying for school now. Also point out if your child isn't 3 yet, they won't be in school for this year, but only start nursery in the coming September.
Hatzlacha