# Would 50k salary be enough?



## November7 (Jul 24, 2008)

My husband's got a job opportunity in London, however we are not sure the salary they offer is going to be enough for a family of three.. I'm currently on maternity leave with under one year old and am not planning to return to workforce for another half a year....
Cost of relocation would be covered. Office is not located in the city, so we potentially could rent an apartment nearby which would save us in traveling costs.


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## Lenna (Jun 20, 2011)

Hello and congratulations on the new job! It depends on your lifestyle, but I personally think that 50K (I suppose you are talking about british pounds?) is more than enough for a young family. The fact that you don't want to live in central London is also a plus, as life outside the city is cheaper. Generally speaking, accommodation will be your biggest expense (have a look at websites such as Rightmove and Findaproperty to get an idea about rents), everything else is fairly cheap in the UK. So yes I would think that 50 K is a fairly good income for a family.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Lenna said:


> Hello and congratulations on the new job! It depends on your lifestyle, but I personally think that 50K (I suppose you are talking about british pounds?) is more than enough for a young family. The fact that you don't want to live in central London is also a plus, as life outside the city is cheaper. Generally speaking, accommodation will be your biggest expense (have a look at websites such as Rightmove and Findaproperty to get an idea about rents), everything else is fairly cheap in the UK. So yes I would think that 50 K is a fairly good income for a family.


Everything else is fairly cheap? London is one of the most expensive cities in the world and unfortunately anything easily commutable to London is also expensive. Inflation is bad and things that cost £1 2 months ago now cost £1.50. Where do you live now and what kind of lifestyle do you have and what kind of income do you have to support that lifestyle? 

My advice is to never take a job, especially one that takes you away from your friends and family, that makes you worse off financially.


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## leapfrog (Jun 28, 2011)

Well personally I think 50k would be fine for living on in the UK for a family with one child, especially if you're not looking to rent in the inner city (it depends which suburb you're thinking about though, as some of the areas just outside London can be equally pricey). If you are keen for a life-changing move, then don't let the money put you off - yes the UK is a lot more expensive than a lot of other countries but not so much that you wouldn't be able to enjoy a good quality of life on that salary!


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## Stili (Nov 20, 2010)

Hi there,
I live in London and i can say your family will live good with 50k.It is higher than than the average salary.Rent and transport are the most expensive here. 
good luck!


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## Tiago (Apr 24, 2011)

How much is 50K in net terms? Does anyone know?
Cheers,
Tiago


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## sk2 (May 2, 2011)

£50,000 would be more than enough, yes. Ignore people on here that will say no and state that you will need to be spending £80 a month on a subscription television service and £1000 a month on food. £50,000 for a couple with a young child will go very far if you're living in the outskirts of London and you're sensible.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Tiago said:


> How much is 50K in net terms? Does anyone know?
> Cheers,
> Tiago


UK PAYE Income Tax Calculator 2011 salary calculator UK. Updated for 2011 / 2012 tax year. Calculate wages pension national insurance and student loan repayments online.


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## Gerrygw (Jun 22, 2011)

Are you guys talking about 50k post tax? I am moving to London in August and will be working in the Gherkin. I am looking at flats around city/ canary wharf. Do you know how much transport will be per week if I need to commute daily between zone 1 and 2?


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## jopeterson (Sep 14, 2009)

November7 said:


> My husband's got a job opportunity in London, however we are not sure the salary they offer is going to be enough for a family of three.. I'm currently on maternity leave with under one year old and am not planning to return to workforce for another half a year....
> Cost of relocation would be covered. Office is not located in the city, so we potentially could rent an apartment nearby which would save us in traveling costs.


Hello. We are a family of 3 and have an joint income of just about 50k. And although we don't live in London, we live in the Southern part of the UK which is more expensive to live than north of London. We have a good lifestyle on this income so that should be just fine for your family. If you are looking to live outside of London, look at Brighton, Crawley and Haywards Heath as those are good places to live and great for commuting into London - fast train links. 

Hope that helps. You might also be interested in a book i've written about expat parents raising children in Britain. Let me know if you want more info. It's available on amazon.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Gerrygw said:


> Are you guys talking about 50k post tax? I am moving to London in August and will be working in the Gherkin. I am looking at flats around city/ canary wharf. Do you know how much transport will be per week if I need to commute daily between zone 1 and 2?


Here is a link to Transport for London which will give you all the information you need on fare options:

Tickets | Transport for London


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## kayakersue (Mar 10, 2011)

We're in a very similar position. Family of 3, considering a position in Cambridge. Only one of us will be working. When we visited food seemed much more expensive than Canada (beer was cheaper!). We want to have enough money to travel to the continent a few times a year. Anyone with thoughts on Cambridge ?

Tx to whoever posted the tax calculator.


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## kayakersue (Mar 10, 2011)

Hey jopeterson - what is your book title?


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