# Cost of living



## nolenurse2000 (Sep 24, 2010)

Can someone give me an idea of their monthly bills?
We are moving to Macclesfield, Cheshire. (can someone also tell me...Ches-sure...or Ches-shIer?)
2 adults, 2 sons (4and2)
one income initially

Trying to figure out what we Can/Should spend on rent. (perm move, but I think we will rent for a while or longer). we currently have a home in the US (which we will be selling)- we pay about $1500 usd a month in mortgage/insurance.

power
phone
internet
tv/cable
cell phones
water
trash
car insurance
food

thank you!!!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

nolenurse2000 said:


> Can someone give me an idea of their monthly bills?
> We are moving to Macclesfield, Cheshire. (can someone also tell me...Ches-sure...or Ches-shIer?)
> 2 adults, 2 sons (4and2)
> one income initially
> ...


It's Chésha, Ché as in Che Guevara.
We too are a family of four - older children (teens) and live in the North West (Lancashire).
Our average bills are:
*Gas and electricity*: £1200 a year or £100 a month
*Phone*: £300 a year
*Internet, satellite TV*: £1100 a year (but we have full package of sports, movies etc; you can get by with £800 a year). In addition you have to pay for TV Licence - £145.50. If you just want free channels, this is all you pay.
*Mobile phones*: each has a phone, adults on contract at £35-£45 a month and teens on payg - around £20 a month.
*Water*: we are metered (some older properties pay a fixed charge) - £650 a year
*Trash*: called refuge collection is included in Council Tax - £1852 a year (depends on location and property size; our house in Macclesfield would be £1744 - Cheshire East Council)
*Car insurance* - this varies widely depending on car type, location, occupation, age, driving record etc. Average premium is around £500 to £600. You may be quoted a very high rate if you don't have recent UK driving experience. Bring proof of no claim bonus as it may be honoured. Good companies to get a quote for recent arrivals is Direct Line and Aviva (don't use online quotation).
*Food* - This is difficult, as family needs and preferences differ. We spend on average £200 a week or £1000 a month on groceries and household essentials (i.e. supermarket bills), plus a few meals out. Yours may be a bit less as your children are young, but more for nappies (diapers) etc.
In addition, budget for
*Household insurance* - around £300 a year for contents
*Car maintenance and running *- petrol (gas) is very expensive at around £1.15 a litre or $6.83 a US gallon, but smaller cars here are more economical and distances are short. Parking is expensive, from £1 to £2 an hour in towns and cities. No road tolls in the North West or congestion charge as in Central London. You'll have to pay an annual car tax based on carbon emissions, from nil to £435.

On the plus side, if you opt for National Health Service, as most people do, you pay nothing for medical care or treatment - only for prescription (£7.20 an item) and optional extra like a private hospital room. It's common for employees in executive position to be offered private medical insurance. You'd still use NHS for routine care, but private insurance can get you quicker treatment/operations, care in a private hospital or room and specialist consultations. Except children, dental charges are payable.


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## nolenurse2000 (Sep 24, 2010)

Joppa- TY!!! That is a great help for looking at what we will need to start and expect monthly/yearly.
Dentist is payable for adults? children have free (paid by our taxes, I should say) dental? but adults pay? is that what I am reading? 
I know my hubands company has private health insurance while we are there that we have to partially pay.
Ah, another thing to obtain before we leave- letters from insurance companies re: safe driver status.
thanks for the help!!!! Hubby will love the info!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

nolenurse2000 said:


> Joppa- TY!!! That is a great help for looking at what we will need to start and expect monthly/yearly.
> Dentist is payable for adults? children have free (paid by our taxes, I should say) dental? but adults pay? is that what I am reading?
> I know my hubands company has private health insurance while we are there that we have to partially pay.
> Ah, another thing to obtain before we leave- letters from insurance companies re: safe driver status.
> thanks for the help!!!! Hubby will love the info!


Yes, for NHS dentistry (there is a shortage of dentists taking on new NHS patients, so you need to look over a wide area; contact the local Primary Care Trust for advice), children get free dental treatment while adults pay a fixed price set by the government. It works out at £16.50 for a check-up, up to £45.60 for simple fillings, and £198 for more complicated procedures. But for many treatments that are considered cosmetic or optional (e.g. implants, porcelain crowns and bridges), you will have to go private and fees can be high. You normally need a separate private dental insurance to pay towards private fees, but it rarely covers cosmetic dentistry.


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## george.kelly (Dec 6, 2010)

nolenurse2000 said:


> Can someone give me an idea of their monthly bills?
> We are moving to Macclesfield, Cheshire. (can someone also tell me...Ches-sure...or Ches-shIer?)
> 2 adults, 2 sons (4and2)
> one income initially
> ...


Yes in our day to day life these things are a must, I can't imagine life without these


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