How much I spend every month in the UK

This week I share the cost of living in England! These figures are based on living in Kent, England and the things I buy each month. I've broke it into the essentials, like rent, electricity and internet, but I've also included some figures for bonus stuff like pints at the pub.

Of course the cost of living in England varies. Obviously. You don't need to remind me in the comments lol but these are the costs I pay each month.

Here are the figures in case you want to add them to your living in England budget! The prices are already split in half as my partner and I share costs:

2 Bed flat, monthly rent in Kent: £550
Unlimited Internet: £15
Monthly bus ticket: £70
Water: £20
Electricity: £30
Groceries: £250
Prescriptions: £9.15
Council tax: £55
Mobile: £10
TV License: £6.60
Total of essentials = £1,015.75

Some extras to keep in mind:

3 Takeways: £37.50
Unlimited cinema card: £16.50
Coffee, 3 times a month: £8.40
Pint, twice a month: £7
Total cost of living including a few extras = £1,081.85

FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE

Music: Youtube Audio Library

Hey! I'm Alanna - a twenty-something documenting my life as a Canadian living in England.

I share the ups and downs of an expat living abroad and what it's really like living in the UK. It's not always easy, but there's been so many wonderful experiences, too. I post a Youtube video every Tuesday and an additional video every Saturday on my Patreon account. I also livestream every Wednesday and Sunday at 6:30pm GMT on Twitch.

Alanna x

[aab]

Amazing how I’ve lived in Britain my whole life but Alana has the rare skill of making things we already know still very interesting!

[Frank-mmyp]

Alanna's "real" monthly cost of living in England:
75% for cheese and cider
25% for everything else

[bewareofsnow]

If you don't mind living in Wales, you can rent a small village for £1100 a month.

[shearerslegs]

We’re quite friendly up north you know, you might like us if you tried. Also if you want to budget £250 for food then it’s your money and you shouldn’t be embarrassed. Hope you and your family are staying well, thank you for the video

[davidpowell]

That moment when you look at the rental prices in an estate agents in London and think 'that's not too bad', then notice it is per week, not per calendar month 😱

[mooghead]

Pub.. "Where are the toilets please? Just there Sir"

Wetherspoons.."Where's the bog? Half a mile down there, take a left, up 3 flights of stairs, past the lion cage, down the spiral staircase, double back on yourself, go right, bounce across the trampolines and click your heels 3 times"

[jacketrussell]

I'm retired.
Mortgage/rent - £0
Holidays - £8000
Pubs - £8000
got to have a hobby. 🤣

[waynekent]

I love your videos because they are so unprofessional.
I know that sounds like a diss but bare with me.
All the other comparison videos I watch are so polished and well presented with good production values and, well, fake.
Yours are lovely and genuine.

[watersideanimals]

My rent is £348.00 per month for a large 1 bedroom flat in a converted pottery factory, canal side and 5 minutes walk into the city centre. This is in the Midlands.

[andywest]

Love your ethos of avoiding big chains (Costa, Wetherspoons); I do so myself as much as I can to help the small independants and keep the high street going.

[nightwing]

Every Tuesday, when I hear the "Hi everyone! It's me" intro, it makes me happy - I love these videos and look forward to them 😊

[Phiyedough]

Thanks for making this video as it does help people who are considering going to work in UK. I've been away from UK for about 10 years and it is scary how much things have gone up in that time.

[jfergs.]

Wow, you didn't have to be so emphatic about not moving North, not ever, NEVER EVER! You could give us a complex :)

[gerrymccartney]

An excellent explanation. Excluding alchohol I spend about £200 a month on my supermarket shop. If your £250 per month includes alcohol then it is not so bad.

[janiceturton]

with prescriptions if you have more than one medication per month its cheaper to get pre pay certificate which is about £110 a year and really worth it. Also Orcado its really overpriced, but if you like it . they do sell some really nice food including Marks and Spencers so i see the attraction

[GemDotThirteen]

Don't forget that the unlimited card gets you discount on snacks too, definitely one of the best things I pay for each year!

[MarcusTDM]

I know what you are saying about Wetherspoons, but I live in Maldon in Essex, and before Wetherspoons came here, all the pubs were expensive and dirty. When Wetherspoons took over an existing pub the poured over a million pound into extending and improving it into a really nice pub. Then all the other pubs suddenly upped their game. Now all the pubs in Maldon are quite nice and we’ve got Wetherspoons to thank for that.

[barryirlandi]

I am British but living in Saudi Arabia for the past 23 years and these prices are eye watering and heart breaking... Looks like I'll never move back..

[catrinjones]

Very much enjoying the dry, self-deprecating, dare I say “very British” humour in these videos.

[guitarmatt]

Wow - some big costs there Alanna! I rent a similar-looking two bed flat up in Lancashire for £600 a month, so around half what yours costs. My monthly grocery shop is a measly £100 a month too - I'm an Aldi regular!