UK taxes vs US taxes

[chloe 1]

What a load of claptrap!!

Maybe if you have champagne tastes, you need 75k!!

I lived a very comfortable life in Central London on half of that salary and supported my daughter alone, no problem.

London is a big city and theres a huge variation on rents.

Areas such as Kensington, Belgravia etc are going to be up there with Manhattan rents, though other

areas would easily compare rent-wise with Bum Creek, Tennessee.

[Heracles 417]

What a load of claptrap!!

Maybe if you have champagne tastes, you need 75k!!

I lived a very comfortable life in Central London on half of that salary and supported my daughter alone, no problem.

London is a big city and theres a huge variation on rents.

Areas such as Kensington, Belgravia etc are going to be up there with Manhattan rents, though other

areas would easily compare rent-wise with Bum Creek, Tennessee.

What about choice of lifestyle. To drive half as much as you do in the US or eat out as much you most definitely need a decent salary. Same goes with renting an equivalent size house.

Last time I was there 65 quid barely bought stuff at tesco. Whereas with that here you can comfortably buy food. Lets not even comapre it to AUS where you would buy two trolleys full of food.

PS The trolleys where also quite small in the UK..

Edited August 31, 2007 by Boo-Yah!

[no name 1]

What a load of claptrap!!

Maybe if you have champagne tastes, you need 75k!!

I lived a very comfortable life in Central London on half of that salary and supported my daughter alone, no problem.

London is a big city and theres a huge variation on rents.

Areas such as Kensington, Belgravia etc are going to be up there with Manhattan rents, though other

areas would easily compare rent-wise with Bum Creek, Tennessee.

I definately agree Chloe. However, we've been thru this before & even tho I lived in both NYC & London, my rents/salaries do not count. Same goes for Robinklake.

PS: I was a student in (Battersea) London on far less than 75K & I did just fine.

Edited August 31, 2007 by devilette

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I know someone who made exactly 33k in London last year. In her life of deprivation in the past year she:

pays a mortgage a 1 bedroom flat in Golders Green with a garden

took a trip to visit me in LA

took another 2 week holiday in Thailand

bought a pair of manolo blahnick shoes as a special treat for herself

had long weekends in Dublin, Barcelona and reykjavik

goes out to eat about once a week

Oh the struggle! the first world problems!

[no name 1]

I know someone who made exactly 33k in London last year. In her life of deprivation in the past year she:

pays a mortgage a 1 bedroom flat in Golders Green with a garden

took a trip to visit me in LA

took another 2 week holiday in Thailand

bought a pair of manolo blahnick shoes as a special treat for herself

had long weekends in Dublin, Barcelona and reykjavik

goes out to eat about once a week

Oh the struggle! the first world problems!

[mawilson 2,133]

I know someone who made exactly 33k in London last year. In her life of deprivation in the past year she:

pays a mortgage a 1 bedroom flat in Golders Green with a garden

took a trip to visit me in LA

took another 2 week holiday in Thailand

bought a pair of manolo blahnick shoes as a special treat for herself

had long weekends in Dublin, Barcelona and reykjavik

goes out to eat about once a week

Oh the struggle! the first world problems!

What a load of bollocks.

Your friend is either extremely frugal, or owes the GDP of a small country on her credit cards.

[no name 1]

I know someone who made exactly 33k in London last year. In her life of deprivation in the past year she:

pays a mortgage a 1 bedroom flat in Golders Green with a garden

took a trip to visit me in LA

took another 2 week holiday in Thailand

bought a pair of manolo blahnick shoes as a special treat for herself

had long weekends in Dublin, Barcelona and reykjavik

goes out to eat about once a week

Oh the struggle! the first world problems!

What a load of bollocks.

Your friend is either extremely frugal, or owes the GDP of a small country on her credit cards.

Shut up, you Mexican fighting chicken.

[mawilson 2,133]

I had a salary of about £60k and ended up with personal debt on a developing-world scale.

I guess we have different definitions of what it means to "live comfortably."

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Your friend is either extremely frugal, or owes the GDP of a small country on her credit cards.

Nope - she has a bit on her credit card, but she is largely debt free and is putting money away in her pension and ISA. In fact, she her financial advisor to me.

Also something you are not considering - most Americans pay at least $30,000-$40,000 for their BA. I know now that there are now (very minimal in comparison to the US) tuition fees in the UK and students accrue debt. But nowhere near what I and many others I know came out with. I have finally paid all mine off, but my friend graduated at a time when you still received a grant. She graduated debt free.

I had a salary of about £60k and ended up with personal debt on a developing-world scale.

I guess we have different definitions of what it means to "live comfortably."

You really need to learn to manage your finances better if that is the case.

[mawilson 2,133]

I had a salary of about £60k and ended up with personal debt on a developing-world scale.

I guess we have different definitions of what it means to "live comfortably."

You really need to learn to manage your finances better if that is the case.

I have a different approach which works for me.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I had a salary of about £60k and ended up with personal debt on a developing-world scale.

I guess we have different definitions of what it means to "live comfortably."

You really need to learn to manage your finances better if that is the case.

I have a different approach which works for me.

Then why so much debt?

[no name 1]

I had a salary of about £60k and ended up with personal debt on a developing-world scale.

I guess we have different definitions of what it means to "live comfortably."

You really need to learn to manage your finances better if that is the case.

I have a different approach which works for me.

Obviously it didn't tho, did it?

You claim you made 60K & paid 400pw. With 20,800 in annual rent - that left you with (roughly) 39,200 to 'play' with. That's plenty of money to entertain yourself in London & beyond.

Edited August 31, 2007 by devilette

[mawilson 2,133]

I had a salary of about £60k and ended up with personal debt on a developing-world scale.

I guess we have different definitions of what it means to "live comfortably."

You really need to learn to manage your finances better if that is the case.

I have a different approach which works for me.

Then why so much debt?

I don't have any debt now - so it obviously works.

[mawilson 2,133]

You claim you made 60K & paid 400pw. With 20,800 in annual rent - that left you with (roughly) 39,200 to 'play' with. That's plenty of money to entertain yourself in London & beyond.

Don't I wish. When your gross income is £60k, your net is only about £40k, which leaves

you with about £780 per week.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

You claim you made 60K & paid 400pw. With 20,800 in annual rent - that left you with (roughly) 39,200 to 'play' with. That's plenty of money to entertain yourself in London & beyond.

Don't I wish. When your gross income is £60k, your net is only about £40k, which leaves

you with about £780 per week.

So earning 60k we didn't buy and threw away 400 a week on rent because....?