What is the cost of living and housing in London? Please share your experiences!

[M1mohammad]

Hello all,‎

I want to know that how much a student must pay for different things like dinner, hiring a ‎home , traveling and … in London . I'm a student in Asia and want to study broad but I ‎know nothing about the cost of living there.‎
‎ ‎
I will be most happy and thankful if anyone of you tells me how much money I need ‎there for ordinary costs each month.‎

How much a person should pay for a normal living each month?‎

Please tell me if I my words above need explanation.‎

Thanks in advance,‎
Nasr

[Jamie (K)]

I can't tell you much about the basic living expenses in London, but I did notice an odd phenomenon there. Everything costs the same number of pounds in London as it does dollars in the US. If a sandwich costs $5 in the US, exactly the same sandwich costs ?5 in London. If you can buy something at three for a dollar in the US, it's three for a pound in the UK. So the numbers are the same, but the cost is frequently 50% more. It was the oddest thing.

[Pamela]

Hi,m1mohammad

I think it will cost you a pretty penny if you don't have any grant.

[M1mohammad]

Hello Pamela,

Can you be more specific? Do you mean it costs a lot?

Thanks for your efforts!
Nasr

[Tamara]

It depends.

Have a look at some 'average' estimations for oversea UK students:
http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Prepare/Cost.htm

But London is very expensive for living in... Many London students can't afford accommodation in London.
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[Torsten]

I think a lot depends on how well you get on with people and if you are good at negotiating. Also, it's probably to find a student job that helps you cover your living costs...
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[Tamara]

…but don’t forget that foreign students are restricted by the law not to get more than 20 working hours a week. And that ?5-7 is an average hourly payment in the UK for unqualified jobs.
Just be realistic with your estimations.
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It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…

[Torsten]

That's right Tamara, but then again there is the Internet which gives you the opportunity to work with and for any person or company in the world.
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[Tamara]

Yeah, Torsten. So, it would be reasonable also to take into account the cost of a computer to be bought and broadband Internet to be used.
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It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…

[Torsten]

I think as a student you have lots of opportunities to get access to the Internet and use computer facilities. Most universities provide their students with free access to computer pools and you should also be able to establish a network of people who can provide you with Internet access. Also, if used properly your own laptop computer is a great investment rather than a 'cost factor'.
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[M1mohammad]

Hello Torsten,

Would you please tell me how I can find a job on the Internet? In other words, What kind of jobs I can do on the Internet?

Thanks a lot!
Nasr

[Torsten]

Hi Nasr,

This really depends on what kind of person you are. For example, do you like translating texts, writing articles, collecting information, creating databases, etc.? I'm asking because if you do want to work online you should concentrate on those activities and jobs than can be done partly of fully through the Internet. If you like, we can do some brainstorming to come up with such a list.
Let me know what you think.

Regards,
Torsten
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TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Tamara]

[M1mohammad]

Hello Tamara,‎
The link really helped me.‎
Thanks a lot,‎
Nasr

[M1mohammad]

Hello again,‎
Torsten, the fact is that I can translate articles into my first language and ‎it’s very hard for me to do the opposite. So, I think I can’t work with ‎English websites.‎
And what kind of information is usually collected on the Internet? Do ‎you have an English language background in your mind?‎
Actually, there aren’t so many website in my first language that I can ‎work with.‎
Thanks for spending your time to answer my questions.
Best,‎
Nasr