I remember how I always wanted to live in London. Growing up, I spent most of my summer holidays in East London. And it was great for me back then. I was young and free, and found the city fun. There were no bills to pay. All I had to bother about was my shopping money for clothes and shoes to take back home. I had zero responsibility. But years later, after I have grown up a little and my family moved out of London into Essex, I discovered why I can never live in London.
However, when I first started blogging, I thought I had to live in London to be successful. Most of the bloggers I followed then were based in London. So I thought I had to be living in a city to make it BIG as a blogger. I was eager to get fashion week invites, meet London-based PRs, and get into the swing of things. Thankfully, I got the right information and saw the light. I didn’t need London or any city to make my blog successful.
Now don’t get me wrong, London is attractive. It is one of the greatest cities in the world. Which is why it attracts millions of tourists come in to discover London every year. It is a lovely place to holiday. There is a lot to see and the transport service is second to none. I live in Cheshire and the transport system here is shocking. Which is why I miss living in London sometimes. But that is the only thing I miss in London.
So why can’t I live in London? Here are the main reasons why.
London is too expensive
London is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. The “slums” in London are even very expensive. I get more value for money in the North West, and I won’t trade that luxury for any part of London.
Getting accommodation in London is super expensive. Properties for rent or for sale don’t cheap. Which is why many people barely survive from pay check to pay check in the city. Living in London could mean you saying goodbye to your disposable income.
London is congested
I find London crowded. I like to have a bigger house with a back garden. The small properties in London don’t work for me. I prefer the country life, where I get more space and not as many people around. The air feels different here.
High crime rate
There is a higher crime rate in London than in Cheshire where I stay. I like the peaceful steady life. So sometimes the madness in London gets to me. The hustle and bustle is a little too much. And the scary crime news I keep hearing worries me a lot.
Rude people everywhere
Londoners are popular for being very rude. In a day, you are sure to come across at least 1 rude person in the city of London. Either on the tube, on the bus, or even at the grocery stores. London is filled with rude and depressed people, and who can blame them. Life in the city can be very hard.
The only people who can live and enjoy London are those who are super rich. Everyone else is just in denial. There is no way out of the rat race in London, if you live in the city. What the smart ones do these days is to work in London and live outside the city, so Kent, Essex, Milton Keynes are popular options for those who want that sort of life. London is a commercial city, so it is filled up with job opportunities. It is easy to find a business in London, which is why many people relocate to London, but it usually doesn’t work out in reality.
They said never say never, but I know I can never live in London. Even if I was super rich, I would rather live somewhere else. The city has too many flaws. I can’t see myself raising a family there.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Please sound off in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading. Have a lovely weekend.
*Collaborative post.
It’s a wonderful place to visit. That’s it for me too.
London is too fast, cold and isolating for me. I lived there for a short period in 1984 and that was enough. It was like that then so it would be even worse now. Not for me either
Definitely too cold and isolating. Couldn’t cope at all.
I live in London and I agree with everything in this post, property prices are ridiculous, transport costs are insane, majorly over populated, and you can’t walk down the road without turning someones nose. I’m looking forward to moving away from London.
I glad I am not alone on this. Hope you get to move soon x
I live in London, I agree with this post but I have to be honest. I love living here, and I’m not super rich but there is a lot of community spirit once you get into the deeper areas of london. I can’t say I will live here all my life as I would want to move to Kent once finances are better but as I said….I do love London. Great post
I understand. Many Londoners I know love London.
I love visiting London but like you, I could not live there. I love having the sea and countryside on my doorstep
Having the sea by my doorstep would be so cool.
From your point of view, I can only say that London can be cool to visit but not to live in; especially that the place is too expensive and too congested. I think that the high crime rates is even due to the congestion in London,right?
Yes I think it is Dalene.
I have never been to London but have heard that the living standard is really high. I wonder how much rent is compared to other expensive cities like Hong Kong and Vancouver, BC.
I guess they are pretty much the same. Thanks Kaitlyn.
Oh really? I did not know London had such a bad reputation outside of the greater city! I live in London and love it everyday! i feel like every big cities would match those criteria. it is quite expensive though yes.
Yes most big cities are the same.
I grew up in the country and we now live in a small (ish) town. I can’t imagine life in a big city. So glad you found the right mix to make it work for you. xx
Yea. It works great for us. Thanks Ali.
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I like the old charm of the city, but I enjoy living in rural areas. I prefer the open natural space for my family. You really brought up some excellent points.
Yes same here. I love the rural life too much to live in the city.
I can understand you as I live in the country side up north in Israel and I keep a love and hate relationship with Tel Aviv, I could never live there but i have to go twice a week for my work, I guess as long as you are young and dont bother yourself with other people too much you can deal with the city much more easily
Yes I guess so. Thanks Inbar.
Aw! London is by far my favorite city! But I’ve only been a visitor – and for a short timeframe. I am so sure living there would be totally different.
Yea totally different.
I have been in London several times but, like you I could not see myself living there.But for me it has more to do with the cold and rainy weather then anyting else 🙂
Yea the weather is pretty miserable UK wide.
I love London as a tourist, but I’d much prefer to live in English countryside than the city. I’m just not a city gal 🙂
That is exactly the way I am too.
I think it’s the idea of living in London that people crave. The glam and beauty of London.
I agree. But the glam and beauty is not the reality for majority of them. Thanks Mimi.
I do agree with most of what you said, although of course it depends where in london you go like most cities.
Very true.
I always jump at the chance to visit London, but it’s far too big, noisy, crowded and expensive for me. I can manage it in small doses, and still get to enjoy all of the wonderful cosmopolitan things the city has to offer. Give me a smaller Northern city any day!
My thoughts exactly.
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