I moved to London on April 20th to live for around six months. I followed a girl. My girlfriend moved from Colombia to study English in London for a year. As someone who can easily pick up and go, I was also ready live somewhere more sophisticated, like London. I hear it usually does not end well when a partner follows the other one but I gave it a shot anyway. As I write this we have been together in London for over three weeks. Seems like much longer when I consider how much I have already seen in London. And everyday tasks like grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, doctor appointments, and Sunday brunch with good friends make the time go by that much faster or slower, depending on your perspective.
I want to describe my daily life in London much like my daily life posts written about Medellin
and Tel Aviv
.
Living Situation
I independently subletted a small apartment for two months which set me back 600 pounds per month, with no deposit required. Th apartment is in a good zone 2 location with a bus stop outside the apartment, an eight minute walk to the White City tube station, and a ten minute walk to Europe’s biggest shopping mall. Central London is very close.
Posing at the bus stop in front of my apartment building.
Sample Daily Routine:
Below is sample of what I do on a typical weekday. Of course I don’t do these things every single day at the exact same time. Sometimes I stay in all day and other times I work more hours or completely skip a day of work.
- 8AM: Wake up naturally without an alarm
- 8:00AM-12:00: Shower/drink coffee/work
- 12:00-1:00: Cook/Eat lunch at home
- 1PM-4:30: Go siteseeing / meet a friend for a beer
- 4:30PM-6:00: Cook/eat dinner
- 6:00PM-10:00: Hang out with girlfriend
- 10:00PM-12:00: Surf the internet/watch TV
Costs for 2: US$
Rent (furnished bedroom, wifi, utilities, etc.): $1000/month
Cell Phone Contract: $25/month
Clothing: $138
Pharmacy: $37
Drinking: $100
Siteseeing: $110
Theater: $120
Taxi: $30
Groceries $400
Tube Transportation: $313
ATM: $1647
Like most places I pay by cash rather than incur fees each time I charge the money is. All I can tell you is how much money I have spent in total.
Total Costs $3,920 or $130/day
That is a of money. I am still saving a decent amount of earnings each month but its more than I would like to be spending. If I were here alone this figure would be much less. I’d estimate I would spend about $3,000. With the amount I spend now I do as I please for the most part. I don’t watch what I spend but I don’t spend without thinking, either.