Monday 10 June 2019

Pros Vs Cons Of Living In London*

The capital city of the UK, London, has a centrifugal force, an iconic draw that attracts a wide range of people to its bustling atmosphere and busy streets. And while there is no denying that it might be an exciting prospect for the young professional, there are certainly some growing negatives associated with living in the area, such as its extremely high living costs, that are making the dream of relocating and living in the southern city increasingly unfeasible. Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of living in London.
Covent Garden, London

Accessibility

London's vast network of trains and general transport, paired with plentiful job opportunity with many company headquarters residing (at least currently) in the capital, is definitely a positive. The city can feel huge and daunting at first, swallowing you up with its high-rise buildings and congested streets, but deciphering the London underground and its different rail lines lets you get about the city in a quick and inexpensive way. It also serves as a good jump off point to international travel, with links to Heathrow airport and the Eurostar trains for France and Belgium. London's job market similarly mirrors its busy nature. More than 400,000 people work in London everyday and there are thousands of small, medium and large-scale businesses looking for talent. These opportunities, however, may begin to dry up, when considering the living costs and practicality of comfortably living in the city.

Living Costs

Living comfortably in London is a difficult task. Compared to Liverpool, for example, rent prices are 184% higher, and the average house price in London is £872,007, compared to a much lower £172,867 rough figure, again around Liverpool. As a result of these worrying statistics, many burgeoning young businesses and startups are looking in other directions to move their talent, and many are 'north-shoring': shifting up north to a more affordable and subsequently appealing area. This has degraded the strength that London has as a cultural hive and has moved some of that energy into more viable cities. Property investment companies such as RW Invest are looking closely at these factors and planning accordingly, offering off-plan opportunities in these emerging markets. Liverpool, victorious in the recent Champions League final, and one of the northern destinations growing in popularity (with its Baltic triangle technology sector), seems to have a promising future ahead. City mayor Joe Anderson said that their success on the football front was worth £150 million to the city in brand value.

Tourism

London's tourism is a clear winner, and stands out above pretty much any other city in the county, attracting over 25 million visitors a year that spend approximately £15 million. Alongside the stalwart landmarks such as Big Ben and the London Eye, London also maintains a constant heatmap with exciting temporary events and attractions. One current limited event that local London film fanatics have access to is the Stanley Kubrick exhibition at the London Design Museum. Running until September and proving difficult to visit for those that haven't booked in advance (due to its popularity). The collection has 700 items to look over, and delves into the director's love of London and how it inspired him. 'Bond in motion' by Covent Garden is another must-see for film fans that London has access to. With over 100 vehicles from the famous 007 franchise, the exhibition in the London Film Museum is something that you simply can't find anywhere else. While this may also be true of other cities in the UK, an example being Liverpool which hosts an exclusive Beatles museum and tour that is impossible to experience anywhere else, it is difficult to deny that the capital city has a draw unlike any other. 

Weighing up these components makes it difficult to answer the question of whether London is somewhere you should try and work in and be part of, or just somewhere that you visit when you can to see the sights.

*This post is in collaboration with RW Invest

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4 comments

Joy said...

I think my biggest pro for London would be the amazing choice of food.

AlishaValerie said...

I love London, I visited there a few years ago when I was working at Tatler Magazine and it seems like such a lovely place. 💜

With love, Alisha Valerie x | www.alishavalerie.com

Tiffany Timms said...

Ooh definitely, so much choice xx

Tiffany Timms said...

It's my absolute favourite place xx

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