So, I packed my bags, left Australia, and moved halfway across the globe.<\/p>\n
I landed in London, which seemed like a great home base for travel and a promising city for work opportunities. My background is in public relations, so I hoped that being in London could better connect me to the rest of the world and bigger clients.<\/p>\n
Although it’s taken me a while to adjust \u2014 especially financially \u2014 the move has already paid off. <\/p>\n
My living situation is quite different, but I’ve gotten used to it <\/p>\n
When I first moved to London, I went through two sublets before settling into the place I now call home. <\/p>\n
I have my own bedroom but share a bathroom and kitchen with two housemates \u2014 there’s no outdoor area or living room. I pay just under \u00a31,000 for monthly rent and bills, which is a pretty average rate for renting a room in my area.<\/p>\n
Back in Melbourne, after conversions, I was spending roughly the same amount on rent each month. However, it got me my own studio apartment with a kitchen, separate living and sleeping areas, an ensuite, and a small balcony. In London, that sort of arrangement would be at least double what I’m paying now.<\/p>\n
It’s still hard not to think about what I could have in Melbourne, where my money would go much further for rentals. <\/p>\n
However, being fairly centrally located in London has been worth the tradeoffs, and though I was reluctant to live with strangers, having housemates has brought two new friendships into my world.<\/p>\n
My access to easy, affordable travel has been the biggest perk of living in London<\/p>\n
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I’ve been able to see a lot of places now that I’m based in London.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CHUNYIP WONG\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
I’ve always loved traveling, and I’m grateful that living in London<\/a> has made it so much more accessible. <\/p>\n It was time-consuming and costly in Australia because the country is so far away from most places. Now that I’m here, I don’t have to save up for months, then fly for several hours just to reach a new country. <\/p>\n For example, I can take the Eurostar train<\/a> and be in Paris within a couple of hours for the same price as I’d pay to fly between Melbourne and Sydney. Recently, I bought a flight from London to Copenhagen for just \u00a320 \u2014 less than a nice dinner out.<\/p>\n I don’t have to take huge amounts of time off to justify traveling, either; instead, I can take a flight on a Friday night and be back Sunday evening. <\/p>\n Since living here, I have visited so many countries and cities. I’ve gone on weekend trips to Paris<\/a>, Lille, Malaga, and Marseille, and even weeklong stints to places I never thought I’d visit, like Lanzarote, one of Spain’s Canary Islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n The experiences and memories I’ve made on these trips have been invaluable. <\/p>\n Through pay cuts and career shifts, I’ve gotten savvier with my spending <\/p>\n I’ve been able to build community in London.\u00a0<\/p>\n Amanda Gunn<\/p>\n Months after moving to London<\/a>, I found a public-relations job. It didn’t pay as much as my previous role, yet my living expenses remained generally the same (if not a bit higher).<\/p>\n So, I pulled back on indulgent spending and made small lifestyle tweaks, such as preparing coffee at home<\/a> instead of routinely buying it out and getting my nails done less often.<\/p>\n I exchanged costly pilates classes for a cheaper monthly gym membership and started buying from charity shops instead of prioritizing brand-new finds. <\/p>\n In many ways, life in London has encouraged me to be more financially savvy, which I don’t think is a bad thing.<\/p>\n After nearly a year in that PR role, I decided to follow my passions and lean into freelance writing while working part-time in hospitality<\/a>. <\/p>\n Although this pivot meant another, bigger pay cut, I wasn’t as worried because I’d already been able to navigate living on less<\/a> in London.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n