Cost of living in U.K

My husband and I are considering moving back to the u.k, Can anyone help advise as to a liveable wage?  We will be living in the North west (low cost compared to South !) But we have 4 kids.  

Is £30K enough per yr or more?

Any general help would be great.

Also, my husband is a Sheet metal worker in the U.S, Installing hvca /hvac duct.  What would that be considered in the U.K?

Thanks

Julia

I guess you could be alright on £30k, but it really depends on what standard of living you require.

Most things in the UK seem to cost roughly as many pounds as they would dollars in the US, but salaries are broadly similar at the US/GBP exchange rate, perhaps even lower far away from London and the South East, so I'd say that you're likely to notice a drop in the standard of living you can afford.

Thanks for the info.  I get so many different answers from my family over there.  I've been told 30K for our family would be great, but then I've been told I'd need 50K - URHH.  We are trying to research jobs and expected salaries so that we can  cope financially once we make the move!  It will take so much effort to get my family moved and I don't want it to fail.  Thanks for the input  

I find this a good site for learning more about specific communities. All you do is enter the post code of the area you want to learn more about.
Neighbourhood Report
For instance, Bury is in the Northwest, just above Manchester. A postcode in that area is BL9 0BG.

Try out this site too. It compares UK salaries in various regions. It's more for managerial positions, but I would think it would give a general clue as to everyone's salary within construction, even though your husband's specific job isn't listed.
Regional comparisons of salaries in the Construction business
(You'll have to download a .pdf file to see it.)

I'm not familiar with hvca, but the industry here does seem to be active. Here's a link to a number of businesses that use it:
HVCA Members

Thanks for the reply - sorry I'm only just getting round to posting this.  The sites were a great help.  We are planning to be in the U.K by the end of summer