Is 165 pounds a week a good price?

When i first get to london I was thinking about getting a single studio apartment or a double room in a shared house from accommodationlondon.net and staying there for about 3 months as i get somewhat settled and used to living in the UK and then near the end of the 3 months start looking for my own place.

The single studio apartments are really nice and i could live there for 3 months.   Its actually perfect for me as i would have my own bed, my own, bathroom and shower, closet, TV, and mini kitchen.  Its 165 pounds per week, but when i convert that to US money its $300 a week and thats expensive.  I know that i cant really do that b/c its different, but aside from the price...the studio looks nice, its close to my aunt, and close to a tube station.  And they both include all the bills.

And the double room is 130 pounds per week which is only 140 pounds a month cheaper...so should i suck it up and reserve the studio when i get enough money to pay the first months rent and get a place where i know ill be happy at and just take some jobs through a temp agency that i know i wouldnt normally take or reserve the double room and risk not being quite as happy?

I'm thinking I'll get the studio, but is 165 pounds a week a good price?

Thanks
Michelle

Michelle, it sounds high to me!!!!  Really high!  Can you keep looking!?  There is a Craigs list I'm pretty sure for London, check there!  And flatmate sites as well!

I was going to say it sounds really high to me as well- but then again the positive things you said could possibly sway you!

I have a friend who makes a fairly good salary (Publishing...about mid 20k I think?) and she pays about £90 a week on a double room in a shared house in North London. You're going to pay more for convenience and possibly even being close to people you know. Having bills included is great so you don't have to worry about charging up a meter, etc. keeps it simple. It might be worth contacting a few letting agencies too to get a feel for prices in the area you're looking- even if you don't use them! I'm not a huge fan of them, but in a new country, city, etc- you might want a middleman to do things the first time.

Best of luck!

Yes that will be a lot for you to pay on your own.  You mentioned in another post you'll be doing retail or clericial work - you might only be earning about £6 an hour before tax so £165 would be most of your weekly pay. You need to be looking for something for about half that much.

Actually a lot of studios are around that price if not higher!  In my area that I'm looking you can go up to £200 or more per week even for just a studio.  And one bedrooms that are decent are at least £220-250 per week.  Where are you looking?

If you are okay with sharing a place, I'd look into Loot.com or easyroommate or something like that...sometimes it is cheaper. 

In and around London, £165/week is definitely fair for a Studio, especially if it is nice.  I was looking at one's for £150 that I wouldn't have wanted to use the bathroom in they were that gross.  I can only really add that you may want to consider something a tad cheaper.  Even with a full time job and relocation money from my company, I found living in London very expensive.  Only now 4 months into this adventure am I getting a handle on my monthly budget. 

My last bedsit in Glasgow was £50/ week, which included council tax.
So that does sound high to me, but you know what they say:  location, location, location! 

It really depends on where you live if 165 is high or not but even in zone 1, you should be able to find a studio for less than 165 a week.  And I wouldn't suggest renting a place you haven't seen. 

It sounds like a flatshare may be your best option.  You would also have to pay for bills, food, clothes, transport, concil tax, and perhaps spme money for lesuire- I hear the clubs in London have a very expensive cover, etc.

Or maybe, become a student, and live in the dorms? Since your dad is from the UK, I wonder if you could get the ever-so-elusive home fees?

Okay. I kind of do not want to post this, but I will. I do not want to hurt anyone, I am honestly trying to help.

I post this, because I wonder sometimes if I am feeling like you seem to be, and it worries me...about myself. (I am trying hard to properly express myself in that sentence)

Have you lived independently in the US before? In particular, in a large city? I will not be working (I will have financial support from my parents and loans), but I am 21, and I have already begun my Independence lessons - I have bills (one due today infact...), and I have been my mother's caretaker for some time, so I have had to take care of myself, and be alone for long periods of time in the past, since I was way too young to do it.

I am wondering, if you are set on the UK, if maybe a smaller (but still very cosmopolitan) town would suit you - maybe like Glasgow, or Brighton where it is a bit more affordable?

I have worked retail here in the US at a bridal shop as a summer job, in a large city with a very good cost of living, and trust me, that money goes no where! And I had commission! Oh, I was so glad I quit. I just don't want you to be miserable.

By January, maybe you'll have tons of pence saved up, and you'll be way more ready than I could be. Good luck!

I am nowhere near London, so I couldn't give you an answer off the top of my head, but following up on Sprigg's advice, I think it would be a good idea to draw up a budget for yourself.

I guess that i should have mentioned this before.  I plan on having that money for that studio or room in a house saved up before i get to london.  So that way i wont have to worry about if ill be making enough money.  Yes, i will have to pay for food, transportation, clothes and what not, but some of that i wont really have to worry about as im pretty sure that I will be eating with my aunt alot once Im there and as for clothes, i intend on buying most of winter clothes here as it is cheaper.

Ive looked on gumtree.com and like what i see on there so when if i get that studio for my 1st 3 months then ill probably get my place from there.

Thanks.

Wow we must be getting ripped off because we're paying 275pw and I thought that was ok compared to some places we looked at. But we're paying for location; we're in a nice quiet neighborhood in Zone 1 just a few blocks from Angel station.