# Cost of Living - Central London vs. Reading



## Jss1ss (May 7, 2008)

I'm currently working in the Netherlands but will be moving to Reading for a short-term assignment. I think my contract does not properly reflect the difference in cost of living. However, I can only find comparisons between Amsterdam and London.

Can any of you help me determine the difference in cost of living between Reading vs. Amsterdam or Reading vs. London?


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Hi Jss1ss,

If you are looking to rent then you can check the differences in a property website such as Property to rent & property for rent in the UK. 

It's harder to find details for Reading but Central London will be a lot more expensive. So if they are giving you enough to live in London then you'll be okay for Reading  

Reading is so much smaller than London that you won't find much on the cost of living there on the internet (but I don't mind being proved wrong). I hope that someone on here can give you personal info from the area. 

Regards,
Karen


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

Although Reading is a lot smaller than London, it is situated in the Royal County of Berkshire, not far from London and very near Windsor, which means that the prices are generally the same. Have a look at this link for properties for rent in Reading - make sure you are sitting down.

UK Estate agents with homes, houses & property for sale on rightmove.co.uk.

Regards

Michelle


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## Loki117 (May 9, 2008)

Hi Jss1ss,

I actually stay in Reading at the moment and work in London (Liverpool st) Ok Reading house prices are much better for the money in terms of space I have a real top of the range flat 2 bedrooms large patio communal hottub and some other gubbins for £1000 per month. Now in London I had a one bedroom place with no room to get round the bed for £1200 granted that was in spitalfields so a costly area but London is much the same all over. A monthly peak rail card to London is £352 and it takes 25 minutes from Reading to London Paddington. The rail card also provides all zones on the London tube and is unlimited travel. The trains in the mornings and evenings are VERY busy dont expect a seat.

There are a good few pubs in Reading a great shopping centre (The oracle) and some lovely green villages near by.

Let me know if you need anymore info.


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

Does your rent include council tax? If not, how much do you pay a month?

Michelle



Loki117 said:


> Hi Jss1ss,
> 
> I actually stay in Reading at the moment and work in London (Liverpool st) Ok Reading house prices are much better for the money in terms of space I have a real top of the range flat 2 bedrooms large patio communal hottub and some other gubbins for £1000 per month. Now in London I had a one bedroom place with no room to get round the bed for £1200 granted that was in spitalfields so a costly area but London is much the same all over. A monthly peak rail card to London is £352 and it takes 25 minutes from Reading to London Paddington. The rail card also provides all zones on the London tube and is unlimited travel. The trains in the mornings and evenings are VERY busy dont expect a seat.shopping centre (The oracle) and some lovely green villages near by.


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## Loki117 (May 9, 2008)

No that doesn't include council tax none of my rents do. My current council tax is 146 per month. I think my case is a bit of an extreme one though you could get a high end 1 bedroom maybe even a 2 for about 850 check out an estate agent named Haslams they have a broad spec of apartment.


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

Loki117 said:


> No that doesn't include council tax none of my rents do. My current council tax is 146 per month. I think my case is a bit of an extreme one though you could get a high end 1 bedroom maybe even a 2 for about 850 check out an estate agent named Haslams they have a broad spec of apartment.


Commuting to and from London (without a seat) and council tax already sets you back 6000 pounds a year and these two costs are unavoidable. What a waste of money. No wonder more and more people want to leave.

Michelle


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## ronsolostar (May 9, 2008)

moving to england,forget it, if u r scint , no job & like yob culture GO


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

ronsolostar said:


> moving to england,forget it, if u r scint , no job & like yob culture GO


Hi Ronsolostar,

It really depends on where you are moving to in England since not everywhere is expensive, and not everywhere has yob culture. 

That's great coming from me who left in July 2007, but it's also true 

Regards,
Karen


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

iastaff said:


> Hi Guys, just wanted to say a quick hi to all and ask what a yob culture is. Never heard that particular expression before. Sorry if I sound like a fool, but just curious. Thank you.


See this report from the BBC - BBC News | UK | Life of Crime | Yob culture: Calling time on the lads?

Regards,
Karen


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

*Yob culture*



iastaff said:


> Hi Guys, just wanted to say a quick hi to all and ask what a yob culture is. Never heard that particular expression before. Sorry if I sound like a fool, but just curious. Thank you.


Yob is a term for an individual that is antisocial and commits petty crimes.

These crimes are a real nuisance for people that just want to lead a normal life. For example more town centres all around the country are no go areas Friday and Saturday nights, since yobs go to get drunk and make a very unpleasant environment, I have not seen anything comparable elsewhere.

Although this is a real nuisance, one just learns to avoid the problems and normally is ok (still sometimes the yobs are in your doorstep, which can complicate matters quite a bit).


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## sikand3 (Aug 19, 2008)

*living cost in Reading, UK*

Hi

Soon I am moving to Reading, Berkshire. In case anyone can help me in understanding about about living cost of this town, with all misc kind of expenses; it will be great.

Like: house rent, food, tax, avg exp @ pub for 2 person

Thanks


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## Loki117 (May 9, 2008)

sikand3 said:


> Hi
> 
> Soon I am moving to Reading, Berkshire. In case anyone can help me in understanding about about living cost of this town, with all misc kind of expenses; it will be great.
> 
> ...


Hi Sikand3,

Reading is a expensive Town. 

Rent for a 1 bedroom place close to the town centre starts at around £650 - £700. Eating out for 2 in a chain place like Zizzi would see you spend around £40 for a starter to share 2 mains and a bottle of wine. A monthly travel card to London is £320 a month the bus I think was £7.50 a week for most of Reading. 

Council tax which is required to be paid on all property is around £90 - £100. A cinema ticket is £6.20 for an adult. A coffee from Starbucks is around £1.80

My Average shop from Online Grocery Shopping & Delivery Service - Tesco.com is around £70 a week.

hope this helps,


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

Loki117 said:


> Hi Sikand3,
> 
> Reading is a expensive Town.
> 
> ...


Use this link for properties Rightmove - UK's number one property website for properties for sale and to rent.

Just wanted to clarify that the council tax figure is monthly.

You say 70 pounds per week shopping - how many people? 

Michelle


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## Loki117 (May 9, 2008)

MichelleAlison said:


> Use this link for properties Rightmove - UK's number one property website for properties for sale and to rent.
> 
> Just wanted to clarify that the council tax figure is monthly.
> 
> ...



£70 is two of us, it includes alot of fresh goods though and can normaly stretch out to a week and a half at a push.

For property in reading you can use Davis Tate - Home and Haslams Estate Agents - The leading experts in buying, selling, renting, as well as right move. DT and Haslams are based in Reading.


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

Loki117 said:


> £70 is two of us, it includes alot of fresh goods though and can normaly stretch out to a week and a half at a push.
> 
> For property in reading you can use Davis Tate - Home and Haslams Estate Agents - The leading experts in buying, selling, renting, as well as right move. DT and Haslams are based in Reading.


You can imagine the difference in shopping costs if you are a family of five - which we are, when we lived in London. Certainly well over 100 pounds a week.


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## sikand3 (Aug 19, 2008)

Hi Loki117

Thanks for your response. I feel like as per your mail, 1500 pounds will be sufficent to 2 person for living in Reading. this will include all expenses, including unlimited travel to london in a month.

Thanks again.

sikand


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## Loki117 (May 9, 2008)

sikand3 said:


> Hi Loki117
> 
> Thanks for your response. I feel like as per your mail, 1500 pounds will be sufficent to 2 person for living in Reading. this will include all expenses, including unlimited travel to london in a month.
> 
> ...


Hi Sikand sorry but I dont think that is sufficent The £320 for travel to London is per person per month adn is discounted after your first month. Your first month would be £360 so for 2 people would be £720 rent at around £700 and you are almost on £1500 per month without council tax, electricity bill, water bill, gas bill, food, eating out, entertainment and incidentals. I would say to be 'ok' in Reading with travel to London would cost you around £2500 per month.


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## alaotunde (Sep 10, 2008)

I want to appreciate this forum. I am also considering living in Reading. I have found the information here very useful.
Thanks a lot, cheers and GOD bless


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## rosemadder (Jan 25, 2009)

Hi everyone,
I will have to choose between living in Reading or moving to London,I have been living and working in Reading for over a year and would like a change now and London seems quite appealing at the moment.What i cant decide on is whether to drive everyday from London to Reading or take the train.. i know the train fare is a minimum 335 per month but how expensive is it to maintain a car in london, i plan to go for a used 3dr 1.1 engine car, but i have a new lic meaning more insurance.


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## GVW (Jan 30, 2009)

Hi, 

I lived in Reading up until a year ago and was paying 850 pounds/month for a 2 bed apartment near the centre - this was similar to the rent I paid in London prior to moving to Reading but for that money I could live in the centre of Reading whereas in London I could only live on the outskirts. However, rents in Reading have gone up considerably in the last 6 months as the economic crisis means fewer people are buying and more are renting. rightmove.co.uk is a great site for rental price information and upmystreet.co.uk should give you some idea of what Reading is like.

Hope this is helpful.




Jss1ss said:


> I'm currently working in the Netherlands but will be moving to Reading for a short-term assignment. I think my contract does not properly reflect the difference in cost of living. However, I can only find comparisons between Amsterdam and London.
> 
> Can any of you help me determine the difference in cost of living between Reading vs. Amsterdam or Reading vs. London?


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## Swapna (Jul 4, 2010)

Loki117 said:


> Hi Jss1ss,
> 
> I actually stay in Reading at the moment and work in London (Liverpool st) Ok Reading house prices are much better for the money in terms of space I have a real top of the range flat 2 bedrooms large patio communal hottub and some other gubbins for £1000 per month. Now in London I had a one bedroom place with no room to get round the bed for £1200 granted that was in spitalfields so a costly area but London is much the same all over. A monthly peak rail card to London is £352 and it takes 25 minutes from Reading to London Paddington. The rail card also provides all zones on the London tube and is unlimited travel. The trains in the mornings and evenings are VERY busy dont expect a seat.
> 
> ...


hey

I am moving to Reading as a student by September. Could you please brief me on the cost of living and where could I get enough info about the travel discounts and also would it be better to stay at University accommodation or stay outside in the nearby places to Reading? Please let me know about asap!


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Swapna said:


> hey
> 
> I am moving to Reading as a student by September. Could you please brief me on the cost of living and where could I get enough info about the travel discounts and also would it be better to stay at University accommodation or stay outside in the nearby places to Reading? Please let me know about asap!


You have replied to a post that is over a year old so it's unlikely that you'll get a reply ASAP


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Swapna said:


> hey
> 
> I am moving to Reading as a student by September. Could you please brief me on the cost of living and where could I get enough info about the travel discounts and also would it be better to stay at University accommodation or stay outside in the nearby places to Reading? Please let me know about asap!


At this late date, I would go with the university accommodation, if it is still available. You can always find something after your arrival and move.

As far as travel discounts - it depends on your status. Check all the "usual suspects" (i.e. the online and nearby travel agencies) - but normally you want to book your travel as early as possible and August/September is still high tourist season.
Cheers,
Bev


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