Like any other place, there are factors that affect cost of living. UK is no exception and can be a huge shock specially if coming from the Philippines.
Accommodation
Of course, housing is top priority. Getting a rental home is not as straight forward as it is compared to Philippines. It is not the case that once you have cash for one month advance and two months deposit, you are good to go. Although a good amount of money helps, previous housing history is a big deciding factor; this means that if you have a good history with previous landlords and estate agents the better chance of getting on a rental property. But since most of you who are reading this are still overseas, there is no history to base your chance of rental agreement. And rental history is just the start of a long list of "requirements" to meet the discerning landlord. Aside from number of occupants, presence of children greatly affects the chances of finding a rental property.
That being said, it is not impossible to get one but if you have a choice definitely arrange accommodation with your employer or relative before coming here at least for a couple of months. That way, the cost of housing can be exactly calculated and included in your projected budget. Ideally, aim for accommodation to be max 30% of your net household monthly income. Realistically though, this can be as high as 40% of income as UK is in a cost of living crisis as of this writing.
We have an "extra" expense here that goes hand in hand with accommodation which is called council tax. Usually, it is not included with the agreed rental amount and it is a mandatory obligation to pay to the government by every household (in rare cases though it is shouldered by the landlord and must be explicitly mentioned in the rental contract). To check how much is to be paid, you will have to check to the council where the house falls under because the rate differs from city to city or borough to borough.
Utility bills is not just electricity and water like what we are used to in Philippines. A big chunk of expense is gas, with gas I do not mean the LPG blue tanks Filipinos are familiar with. It is supplied in pipes underground to each household. Gas is most expensive during cold winter season so bear in mind the season you are expected to arrive in UK to have a better estimate of this expense.
Clothes washing and drying can be additional expenses to consider if you will be staying in home without a washing machine which is a common situation when staying in a busy city like London.
Food
Food will be a big expense if repeatedly eating out, buying take aways or ready meals. Food shopping can be cheaper though compared to Philippines if you know from which supermarkets to buy and "at what time". (Frugal food tips though is for another article on its own).
Transportation
Depending on your accommodation's proximity to work, transportation is an essential expense. Owning a car is not so much a necessity because public transport here is quite reliable and generally safe.
Miscellaneous
I am sure you would agree that although smart mobile phones are not an essential bill, it is a must to make settling down less stressful and to fight homesickness. It is wise to just bring your "unlocked" Philippine cell phone and purchase a UK SIM card as monthly contracts for this would be difficult to avail in the first few months of living here.
Unless you are a fashionista, clothes can be affordable specially if you do not mind charity shops and hand-me-downs.
Cost of living in UK when with family
Childcare
This is really expensive if you have no extended family to rely on. Do extra research on how much childcare would cost in the area around your work, home and or school because it can easily equal the amount you pay for your monthly rent!
Education
This is particularly interesting if you have any bringing children. This is because public schools are free and can be of very high quality even tuition free. But most public schools expect some form of donation from parents may it be thru pledges or fund raising activities.
Healthcare
You will be relieved that this is not so much of a challenge because we have the National Health Service. Having said that, dental and optical service is not free for adults and can be very expensive so do your teeth and eye check-ups before living Philippines to avoid unnecessary tooth ache and eyeglasses expenses early on while still settling down in UK. For children though, they are generally free.
The most expensive cost of living in UK
Time. Arguably, time away from family in Philippines would be the biggest cost of living when working your way through in UK. Prepare yourself to be away from them at least on your first Christmas here because we are so far away from Asia, Air flights is out of budget for most of us on first year here.
Although this is not an exhaustive list of costs to consider when living in UK, this should be a good starting point for your preparations or decision making in whether or not to move to UK from Philippines. Good luck kabayan!
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