How come people are Whining that UK is Expensive to Live in?
Discussion
When it's Actually one of the cheapest Countries in Europe...
-I do not know any single country in Europe which has Cheaper Groceries Overall. Cheap Healthy Basic Food & Great food selection with so many different shops everywhere.
-Used cars are Dirt Cheap & The cheapest in all Europe.
-You Probably have the Best 2nd hand Market in Europe for used goods.
-Need to furnish your Home but don't have any $? You can pickup Furniture & Other Items essentially for free!
-You have bootsales where people are giving away stuff again for almost free..
-Clothes,Electronics etc.. in general are way cheaper than anywhere else in Europe.
If you aren't earning much, the Tax System is again One of the best In Europe.
Can't forget Acceptable free healthcare & Subsidized dentists as well.
On top of it all there are So Many Opportunities if one isn't Lazy.
I'm not living in UK anymore, however, man... I'm really scratching my head whenever I see people from UK whining about this stuff...
-I do not know any single country in Europe which has Cheaper Groceries Overall. Cheap Healthy Basic Food & Great food selection with so many different shops everywhere.
-Used cars are Dirt Cheap & The cheapest in all Europe.
-You Probably have the Best 2nd hand Market in Europe for used goods.
-Need to furnish your Home but don't have any $? You can pickup Furniture & Other Items essentially for free!
-You have bootsales where people are giving away stuff again for almost free..
-Clothes,Electronics etc.. in general are way cheaper than anywhere else in Europe.
If you aren't earning much, the Tax System is again One of the best In Europe.
Can't forget Acceptable free healthcare & Subsidized dentists as well.
On top of it all there are So Many Opportunities if one isn't Lazy.
I'm not living in UK anymore, however, man... I'm really scratching my head whenever I see people from UK whining about this stuff...
Because they have never lived anywhere else
& because they dont know how to buy stuff for the right price
& because there is a culture of waste in the UK
people wont 'make do'
people dont seek items that stand the test of time and will buy cheap to save a few quid
wont use charity shops or small auctions for furniture - dont think we have ever in 30 years bought new apart from one Minty Sofa that we still have and have had covered a couple of times.
Having said all of that certain things have got pricey. Fresh fruit is an example of this I reckon we drop £30 a week on raspberries, strawberries and the like although we are on our own apples. Sack of spuds from the farmer round the corner is £7 so that offsets it a bit.
& because they dont know how to buy stuff for the right price
& because there is a culture of waste in the UK
people wont 'make do'
people dont seek items that stand the test of time and will buy cheap to save a few quid
wont use charity shops or small auctions for furniture - dont think we have ever in 30 years bought new apart from one Minty Sofa that we still have and have had covered a couple of times.
Having said all of that certain things have got pricey. Fresh fruit is an example of this I reckon we drop £30 a week on raspberries, strawberries and the like although we are on our own apples. Sack of spuds from the farmer round the corner is £7 so that offsets it a bit.
Jimjimhim said:
Presumably we have the most or some of the most expensive houses in Europe? Especially given the average wage and how much higher it is than that?
Three bedroom Victorian terrace house round here in East London £750k.Pint of beer £7.50.
Average wage something like £28-30k?
Nah, it's not expensive here.
Wages haven't really increased in real terms since 2008. Thats the problem.
Young couples who have good jobs can still live well. Once even high earning Gen Zs can't earn enough to buy housing, the social fabric starts to break. Look at what a mess hong kong and LA are as examples. We aren't there yet, but will be there in 10 years.
Young couples who have good jobs can still live well. Once even high earning Gen Zs can't earn enough to buy housing, the social fabric starts to break. Look at what a mess hong kong and LA are as examples. We aren't there yet, but will be there in 10 years.
Presumably most people complaining about the UK being expensive are doing so because the UK has got a lot more expensive in the last few years. I live in NL and 4 or 5 years ago used to think the UK was pretty cheap when I went back, nowadays its there's nowhere near as much in it, and things have got more expensive here too so the UK must have gone up a lot more.
I generally find Germany to be cheaper but was in Frankfurt last week and it didn't seem that cheap any more.
I generally find Germany to be cheaper but was in Frankfurt last week and it didn't seem that cheap any more.
Jimjimhim said:
Presumably we have the most or some of the most expensive houses in Europe? Especially given the average wage and how much higher it is than that?
In London maybe, but on average I doubt it. 1 room in a 3 person shared house over the road from me was advertised for €950/month recently, and every rental place has so many people applying for it apparently now you have submit something akin to a CV and a covering letter on why you should get it.vixen1700 said:
Three bedroom Victorian terrace house round here in East London £750k.
Pint of beer £7.50.
Average wage something like £28-30k?
Nah, it's not expensive here.
Keep in mind those buying the 750k houses aren't the local kids doing low skills jobs earning £28k and still living in their parents houses (who are likely single low income households). They are professional couples earning at a minimum 150k combined. This isn't unique to London, it's the same story across the world.Pint of beer £7.50.
Average wage something like £28-30k?
Nah, it's not expensive here.
Those local kids don't stand a chance, and will be renting forever until they inherit something, or will move to cheaper parts of the UK / get council houses.
RizzoTheRat said:
Presumably most people complaining about the UK being expensive are doing so because the UK has got a lot more expensive in the last few years. I live in NL and 4 or 5 years ago used to think the UK was pretty cheap when I went back, nowadays its there's nowhere near as much in it, and things have got more expensive here too so the UK must have gone up a lot more.
I generally find Germany to be cheaper but was in Frankfurt last week and it didn't seem that cheap any more.
I don't know where you live, but I would bet the average UK house price is one of the more expensive in Europe I generally find Germany to be cheaper but was in Frankfurt last week and it didn't seem that cheap any more.
Jimjimhim said:
Presumably we have the most or some of the most expensive houses in Europe? Especially given the average wage and how much higher it is than that?
In London maybe, but on average I doubt it. 1 room in a 3 person shared house over the road from me was advertised for €950/month recently, and every rental place has so many people applying for it apparently now you have submit something akin to a CV and a covering letter on why you should get it.Road2Ruin said:
Richard-390a0 said:
bagusbagus said:
Can't forget Acceptable free healthcare & Subsidized dentists as well...
& good luck getting an appointment with the first or even finding the second!!! Poor trolling O/P 3/10.
I would agree that the UK is pretty cheap for food and drink, I've just come back from Turkey where almost everything was the same price as here except public transport despite lower wages, and was in Amsterdam the week before that, which was almost universally more expensive than the UK, food and drink especially. Even in Romania a couple of months ago, eating out was the same price as here, obviously on much lower average salary.
So yeah, while housing in the UK is expensive (although there is a massive regional disparity skewed by the SE), food and drink is cheap. Public transport is also hugely expensive in the UK because it is less subsidised by the government than other countries.
Go back 10/15 years and abroad used to be cheap. Now abroad is as expensive, if not more so, than being here.
So yeah, while housing in the UK is expensive (although there is a massive regional disparity skewed by the SE), food and drink is cheap. Public transport is also hugely expensive in the UK because it is less subsidised by the government than other countries.
Go back 10/15 years and abroad used to be cheap. Now abroad is as expensive, if not more so, than being here.
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