There are plenty of one bedroomed flats in Watford for around ￡600. A season ticket from Watford into London including the tube is ￡3,268 per year.
The problem with moving further out will be travel costs and time.
￡24K is not 'a really low wage' for London (plenty of people have to live on the minimum wage). Your take home pay is likely to be around ￡1,600 a month, assuming you are on the standard tax code/have no other deductions. The 'rule of thumb' is that rent should be no more than a third of your take-home pay, but that certainly won't be enough to rent a place on your own, even a studio, in a reasonable area.
Do some googling on areas which appear on the rail/tube lines leading into Watford and see what sort of property is for rent in those areas.
Realistically you are looking at sharing, or paying quite a lot more in rent (around ￡850-￡900, plus bills).
If you move further out from London, what you save on rent is just about balanced out by the extra cost of commuting. Either accept that you will be renting a room in a shared house - or look for another job in the Manchester area.
24k is not worth in London what it is worth in Manchester.
What people usually do is to look to see what their salary will buy in London before accepting a job there.
If you move further out of London you will pay for more for your travel and this will balance out what you save in rent.
To get what you have in Manchester you would probably have to earn about twice as much as ￡24000. So work out what you could get in Manchester if you earned ￡12000 a year before tax and this will give you a good idea of what you can afford in London.
Well, the average rent in London is ￡1,400 a month , but you can get cheaper if you share and live in places on the outskirts such as Southall, Hanwell, Leytonstone, Bounds Green etc.
It'll be the agency fees that 'll cost the most...budget at least ￡2,000 for this as well as the month in advance and the deposit.
Become a lodger in Watford until you find somewhere more suitable.
Leave the more nickable stuff in storage somewhere.
I have to relocate from manchester as I have just got a new job, it is a really good opportunity but I will be getting 24k before tax. I'm not sure if this is a really low wage for London? I have to move around watford but I'm shocked by the prices! I currently pay ￡575 for my nice, modern flat in the centre of manchester but there is nothing for that in London or watford. I can only find rooms in shared accommodation but I've never done that before so not sure if it's a good idea.
My question is is there any other areas that are somewhat safe, maybe a bit further out, where I can get nicer accommodation on my own for cheaper? Please help as I don't know London at all ! :)
