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£18k/year in London, I suppose you didn't live alone, that's the only way to make ends meet on that budget.

I did live in London on my own, on a budget tighter than that. Admittedly, a few years ago

Rental prices have skyrocketed in the past few years:

https://s2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/626WvTKmFK2FRBFpBg9rNg--/...

This is for buyers but the rental market price rates have gone up in pretty much the same way.

Interesting, average rent in London is around £1000/month, plus £44 council tax (e.g. Wandsworth), plus monthly travelcard £120, gas and electricity £45, broadband/phone £16, mobile phone £15. Leaves about £60/week for food, clothes, etc. If you do manage to find a studio flat for £700/month then that brings it up to £130/week, so you could actually go to a pub sometimes.

I'd pay 65 quid for a mothly bus pass (I didn't have to use subway on a typical day), and the rent was £65 a week plus electricity (3rd zone just outside of the 2nd, Streatham Hill) - for a bedsit, kind of a shithole, but I've seen worse. It was around 2010.

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