How To Move To London On A Budget [From Personal Experience]

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London is the thirteenth most expensive city in the world to live in, so you wouldn’t be wrong to ask how to move there on a budget!

After getting an infected foot hiking in Indonesia, I had to make a hard decision to leave my backpacking trip in Asia and move to England a month before I planned with no money in my purse.

The amount of money I would spend in Thailand in a week, could get used up in a day in London, so I knew that I had to make some changes in order to live frugally in this costly capital.

But, ever the grafter, I managed it, and I’m here to impart some of my wisdom to you here.

These are my top tips on how you can move to London on a budget!

Pick the right accommodation

I’m going to open with accommodation because this will be the vast majority of your expenses and will eat into your budget.

If you plan far enough in advance, you can get sub-lets on Spare Room for an affordable price, or find a house share option.

This will be a lot cheaper than booking an Airbnb or Hotel, and even a hostel which for some reason is ridiculously expensive in London and most hostels are not that nice.

Spare Room is the most used website for finding flat shares and sub lets (when you rent someone’s room while they are on holiday). You can post an advert on there as a tenant and promote yourself, or you can contact people directly.

Another great place to look is Gumtree, which is usually where you can contact private landlords and property management companies. Spare Room is usually where you speak with other housemates or people giving up their rooms.

Thing to consider when looking for accommodation:

• Does the rent price include utility bills? Gas, electric, WiFi, council tax – it all adds up.
  • Sometimes you can split utilities with the other tenants, so check how many other tenants there are to see how much the cost is being divided by.
• Consider the location. The most affordable neighborhoods are usually outside the city center in Zone 3-6. Consider staying in Leytonstone or by Stratford (East London), or Edmonton (North London). In South London, Croydon is cheap and reasonably safe. Hackney and Brixton are cheap, but have a dodgy reputation. Bethnal Green is popular for young professionals. Clapham is busy but it’s super central and easy to get to anywhere from, so is another good option. Be sure to check the safety index before you move.
• Stay within close proximity of amenities. Most places have a small Tesco, Sainsburys, or other supermarket chains nearby, but it’s worth double checking you can walk to your grocery store as you want to avoid public transport (more on this later).
• Look at the room first. If you can, view the room first. A lot of the cheap rooms are cheap for a reason. You may be sleeping with mould, dodgy tenants, or even a dodgy landlord.
• Speak to other tenants. It’s also a good idea to speak to other tenants about their experience with the landlord. If you allow yourself time, this shouldn’t be a problem.
• Set aside a deposit. Most rooms will require a deposit, usually a month’s rent up front + the first month’s rent. You will get this back, but it’s an upfront cost to be aware of.

Try housesitting

A great way to save money is to be a house sitter. This is when you look after someone’s house for them while they are abroad.

You may also have to look after pets, but the good thing about this is it’s usually free accommodation (sometimes you’re even paid) and it’s short term, allowing you to find somewhere long-term.

Avoid public transport, bike everywhere

The second biggest expense in London is getting around. One ride on the tube and you’ve cost yourself £5.

The bus is cheaper than the underground, but walking is cheaper than the bus.

If you can, use Gumtree or Freecycle and get yourself a bike for cheap and cycle everywhere.

Thanks to Boris Johnson, London has loads of cycle lanes and is bike friendly – but do keep an eye on traffic!

Find a part-time job

This may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but getting a part-time job is a great way to not fall into the black.

You will need to make sure you have the right type of visa to work, such as a skilled worker visa or student visa that allows you to work.

Be sure to go through the visa application before you arrive.

There are Facebook groups for expats and international students where you can find work opportunities in bars, restaurants or cafes.

You can also sign up for Pawshake and become a dog walker.

If you’re doing a working holiday, you may like Global Work and Travel to help you find a job.

Track your expenses

You need to know how much you have in your bank account, to know what you can afford without income and for how long.

I would average £10 a day on food and public transport and generally doing things, and try not to go over this.

You could live on less if you were really frugal.

Work out what you can afford as spending money each day and try not to deviate from this.

Only Do Free Things

The great thing about London is a lot of the attractions are free.

The museums are free, and so are the art galleries like the Tate Modern.

It’s also free to walk around Westminster and see Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye (from the ground).

Go to Hyde Park and read a book on the grass, or window shop in the Camden Markets.

You can do a lot without needing to spend money.

Look for discounts

Use attraction passes like The London Pass or Discount London to find deals on things to do.

You can also book your ticket for attractions in advance and save.

Look on sights like TimeOut for low-cost events happening when you’re in London, and you can also find ads in the back of the Metro (the free newspaper on the underground).

Beware the Exchange Rate

Upon arrival at London Heathrow, my first stop was to change my money into British Pounds.

I went straight to the exchange counter and handed over my cash.

I sucked in my breath sharply when she handed me, not the thick wad of notes I had envisaged, but only two bills and a couple of coins.

“Excuse me? I think there’s been a mistake, I gave you a hundred.”

“That’s right, love and I gave you £33, look on your receipt, you’ll see the exchange rate quite clearly.”

I looked down, and clearly did see, that I was in a whole world of trouble.

An international border had just sucked up two thirds of my money.

Why didn’t anyone tell me London would steal what little I had left of my travel money on arrival?

I felt a sickening fear and dread in the pit of my stomach. As if I already didn’t have enough to try to come to terms with on my own.

Feeling the loneliness birds fluttering madly within me, I picked up my heavy bag, and with head down and eyes brimming over, hobbled off on my infected foot.

Had I waited and gone to a bank in the center, or simply used my credit card, I wouldn’t have lost out so much to the exchange rate.

The exchange rate at the airport is always higher than the city or the banks. Don’t fall into that trap!

Other Things To Do When Moving To London

If you are moving to London long-term, there are a few other things you need to do to set yourself up.

• Enroll on the National Health Service (NHS), England’s free healthcare system
• Get an Oyster card. This is the card you use to get around London’s transport system. If you have a contactless payment card you can use this, but there may be fees with the exchange rate.
• Open a UK bank account. There are many branches to choose from. HSBC and Barclays have expat accounts.
• Get a UK Sim Card. There are so many mobile networks in the UK that it’s hard to choose between them. A good flexible option that’s cheap and has decent coverage is GiffGaff, which you can use while you research a better monthly deal. They are contract-free so you can pay as you go and cancel anytime.
• Join a Meetup event. This is something most people don’t recommend enough. Meetup is a place where you can join groups and events and meet likeminded people. It’s a great way to make new friends in a city as big as London. Join language exchanges, go to horror movie nights, attend cocktail bars or speed dating. There’s a lot to choose from on there.

My Experience Moving To London With No Money

I was so terrified to be going to London on my own, especially with as little money as I had.

I had only just moved out of my parents home 3 months earlier when we departed for the beginning of our adventure in Indonesia, and as daunting as that was, at least I had two girlfriends for support and strength.

This was the first time I would ever be doing something so life-defining on my own.

The first time living out of home, the first full time job that I had yet to find, the first time without any friends or family for support.

I was turning up unannounced to this thriving metropolis, with no job, no friends, little money, and an infected foot.

In my journal I wrote my thoughts as we began to near London Heathrow Airport for landing.

“The flight has been a rather long one but manageable. I was able to sleep for most of the way, thank goodness. A couple of friendly people on the plane helped me to relax and let go of the fear and loneliness. Maybe England wouldn’t be so intimidating after all.

My foot blew up again due to the air pressure. It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen and embarrasses me a little. I can see people sneaking peaks at it from behind their airline magazines.

I am starting to feel a little less scared and my excitement is growing as we begin our descent into London. I can’t believe that my dream is now becoming a reality. Dreams really can come true if you want it bad enough and work hard to get it. I was now going to be living all those stories I had heard from other’s lives that inspired me to move here and live the dream.

I can now decide how to think, feel, and be. The exquisite taste of freedom burns within me just thinking about the joy of living life on my terms. I don’t feel so overwhelmed with fear anymore, more like I am now ready for my destiny.”

More London Travel Tips

Need more inspiration about visiting London? Start with these guides…

• Things to do in London
• Things to know before you go to London
• Thoughts on why we loved our trip to London (25 years later)
• Helpful guide to getting around London
• Is the London Eye Worth it?
• The best views in London
• Top Things to do in London for Teens
• The Ultimate Day in Camden Town (markets, canals, music and more)
• Places to visit in London

London Accommodation

You can find your accommodation in London using the map below. Or see some of our London hotel recommendations here.

Have you arrived in a foreign country on your own without any money before? How did you cope? Let us know in the comments.