sam60

I'm relocating to Lancashire at the end of March 2018 after 30 years in Switzerland. I have decided the best thing to do is to take a 6 month studio rental, while I learn how to stand on my own two feet and hopefully get a job. After initial expenses of buying a car, TV licence, tenants home insurance, car insurance, how much should I budget for household expenses and food for a single person after payment of rent and Council tax? Thanks.

morpeth

Depends on where you live and your lifestyle, but would guess if you are reasonable frugal, taking into account internet, cell phone, food , eating out once a week, household items, miscellaneous but excluding petrol, 400 to 650 pounds a month . Food costs I have found can vary a lot depending on the quality.

mikelincs

Glad I don't lead that sort of lifestyle, we, a couple, manage on half that, and we live in the South.

morpeth

As I said depends in your lifestyle. Petrol more expensive in UK so I don't know how much you would be driving for example. Cell phone, internet, cable all I find less expensive in UK than in Midwest, and compared to the area of Midwest I was living in heating cost is much less in UK. Food I find getting quality and variety of fruit and vegetables more expensive in the UK. Medical care costs a non-issue in UK, certainly I would guess you have some medical care costs that you woudn't have in the UK.

So I mentioned 400 pounds on the low end or $500, so if you can live on $250 for a family of 2 in the USA per month to pay for food, petrol, medical care, phone and internet, car maintenance, clothing, eating out occasionally, dental and eye care, you certainly are able to live frugally to be sure -in the Midwest where I was even living frugally $250 a month would be a bit challenging ( you mention you considered rent separate).

Also depends a bit on which part of UK, my knowledge is of a poorer area, London far more expensive.

christmasoompa

Sounds crazy expensive to me too, if it's excluding petrol. We probably spend about the higher end of that on the things mentioned and we're a family of 4 with numerous pets. I'd imagine a single person could live on half that easily, if not less, and not even being particularly frugal.

morpeth

interesting. half of 400 pounds is 200 pounds or roughly 250$ or $3000 a year. if phone, internet, electricity, water, garbage in Midwest in area I was in was only $100 a month combined, then that is $150 a month, for food, medical, car maintenance , car insurance,household supplies and everything else for a couple (OP said a couple). Now electricity/water was much higher than that but lets look at the $150 per month figure. We for family of 4 $100 a week on food but we didn't eat packaged or frozen foods and we liked to eat well and healthy, so perhaps for a couple instead of dividing that figure in 2, lets divide into 3, $33 a week or $143 a month. But lets say someone considers eating junk low quality food is acceptable and only $25 a week for food for 2. Or $108 per month.

So we arrive at ( and still excluding petrol) :

$100 for phone, electricity, water, garbage
$108 for food
-------
$208
$250 ( "one could live on half" that amount quoted -400 pounds - for a couple- and not being even frugal it is written or the figure is "crazy expensive")
-------
$42 The Difference- to cover car insurance, car maintenance, any clothing needs, any medical care premiums or prescriptions, toiletries. And then I didn't figure cable TV that some find a necessity.

I have to admit I find it hard to believe a couple could live like that in the USA (or UK) comfortably without being extremely frugal. I must be missing something. $42 a month left over for a couple doesn't sound a like very much to me. what am I missing ?

christmasoompa

You're including electricity, water etc, none of which I'd counted as the OP said he was renting a studio (so bills would be included). OP also said a single person, not sure where you've got a couple from?

I'll try and break down our expenditure excluding bills tomorrow and work out what figure I think a single person should budget for.

Shard

Groceries...about £200 pm (very frugal) to £400 pm (not frugal) above that, for a single person, would be expensive-tastes, I would say.

morpeth

As far as reference to couple, it was in reference to the poster form the South, and the more and more I think about it as I listed the expenses I had in Midwest I doubt they would be that much less in the South ( though I didn't include heating which I found quite expensive in Midwest area I was in).

I guess I assumed for a studio that such items would not be included in rent- but even if they were, I didn't estimate the council tax, so probably evens out.

I will be interested what figures you come up with-the other posters said that could live on 1/2 of figures I quoted : to live on 200 pounds a month in UK considering food, telephone and internet, some toiletries and household items (and surely most people need to get their hair cut, occasionally buy clothes, washing powder for laundry) even if utilities included in rent, is a frugal lifestyle.

I will be curious what your estimate of costs would be especially for food.

morpeth

I agree, 200 pounds a month equates to 46 pounds per week so not even 7 pounds per day. One could eat on that, but fairly frugal especially if one wants fruits and vegetables, which I find more expensive ( and less variety) than in the USA- on the other hand decent UK and European cheese ( hard to find at a reasonable price or even to find at all in most parts of USA) seems very reasonably priced to me.

Shard

Yes fruit and veg can increase the budget quickly. As do things like toiletries, detergents, batteries, and all those other consumables that are in a monthly spend.

morpeth

That is why I am so curious the 2 posters indicating in the USA that one could live on half the amount I quoted- or even if that was normally possible in Uk for average mode of living. Sure I could eat and survive on 7 pounds a day, but that doesn't leave much for anything else, nor very decent food. Also the discussion excluded car maintenance, I don't drive in Uk but there is the annual inspection, I don't know cost of that.

The OP moving from Switzerland so he will find everything less expensive anyway. I still think 400 a month for a reasonable frugal person for the expenses described a better figure than 200 pounds a month.

Shard

Government data seems to back that up.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulat...ndingmarch2016

sam60

Thanks for all the feedback, Infact I’m relocating to the Preston / Blackpool area so less expensive that the South. I suppose my question is now ....how much should I budget for electric/gas in a studio / one bedroom flat? Water rates?mobile/tv/internet package connection?

spouse of scouse

Not much use giving you my utilities costs as I'm in a 5 bedroom barn of a place (soon to change!). But I can tell you my communications costs, BT package, Wirral. I pay £111 per month, for the following:

Superfast fibre optic broadband, unlimited
Line rental, unlimited UK calls, unlimited international calls
Mobile, £100 calls and texts per month. Also has a data allowance which I don't use
Entertainment Max
Sky Sports
Sky Cinema
Netflix

TV licence is £145.50 per annum
Council tax - Wirral Council, Band C, around £1,600 per annum