We all know that London is ridiculously expensive, especially when it comes to renting, eating and, well, living. On average a one bedroom flat will currently cost you £1,211 per month and with the addition of a zone 1-4 travelcard (£177), it totals up to be £1,388 per month. That’s without food, gym membership and the regular monthly order to matchesfashion.com. Depressing, right?
Now a new European Commutability Index, created by the specialist relocation and shipping firm, Kiwi Movers, has finally proven that age-old commuter debate: that it is totally cheaper to live in Europe and commute into the UK capital than live in central London. And according to the index there’s 12 countries you can choose from.
For nearly half the money you spend living in London you could commute from Hague in the Netherlands and only have to travel 1.3 hours to and from work. If you’re more of the classic culture type you could live in Prague and only commute for two hours, saving yourself £977.
Czech Republic not doing it for you? Then you might want to consider Barcelona. For the same two hour commute you could live in the city of vibrant architecture and save £713. Tapas bar, anyone?
Of course, it goes without saying that you’d have to plant a lot of trees to make up for the massive carbon footprint (mainly down to all those flights) - but the results are still interesting.
Here are the 12 cities ranked by how much you would save compared to living in London:
1.Prague £977
2.Budapest £911
3.Warsaw £863
4.Berlin £725
5.Barcelona £713
6.Milan £638
7.Madrid £622
8.Vienna £588
9.Lisbon £560
10.Zagreb £550
11.Hague £547
12.Bruges £65
Words: Natalie Turco-Williams