Gas Prices.... Completely Outrageous!!! How Much Are They Where You Are???

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

(ETA: the price that Paula quoted, is that a purchase price for an Apartment? if so, that IS high...)

Yep

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by Gypsy-Rhiannon

Yep

I find it odd, the idea of buying an apartment....here, you rent an apartment. the rents are pretty high, but not quite that high....I'd have to see what the going rate is in the Bay Area so I could compare....

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

I find it odd, the idea of buying an apartment....here, you rent an apartment. the rents are pretty high, but not quite that high....I'd have to see what the going rate is in the Bay Area so I could compare....

I guess for some people that is all they can afford so they can get on the housing ladder. I know my sister in law wanted to live and work in London and all her and her partner could afford was an apartment. When they sold that and moved further up north they were able to afford a house

[Stew_Matthews]

UK house prices are terrible. For the last few years it has been impossible for younger people to buy. It would require two good wages and the ability to borrow three, four or five times your joint income. As as Pip indicated the mortgage repayments for most people are crippling.

When home, I'm in Holland Park, West London - in a Borough (area) called Hammersmith & Fulham. I inherited my home, a two bedroom flat - and not very big. For central Londoners, it is typical to pay an annual 'service charge' if you live in an apartment block. In theory it covers the cost of maintaining communal areas. My charge is £3500 per year. On top of that we all pay annual 'council tax' which is a local tax to pay for refuse collection, schools etc. Mine isn't too bad at £1500 per year. So people in my apartment block have to find £5,000/$10,000 each year even before they make their mortgage payments and pay their bills.

Of course the house price increases have driven up the cost of renting so it's a pretty dire situation. I just don't know how people manage, and as Bretonbanquet said, it isn't that UK wages are twice yours.

..............and don't get me onto the cost of jeans and cds....

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by Stew_Matthews

UK house prices are terrible. For the last few years it has been impossible for younger people to buy. It would require two good wages and the ability to borrow three, four or five times your joint income. As as Pip indicated the mortgage repayments for most people are crippling.

When home, I'm in Holland Park, West London - in a Borough (area) called Hammersmith & Fulham. I inherited my home, a two bedroom flat - and not very big. For central Londoners, it is typical to pay an annual 'service charge' if you live in an apartment block. In theory it covers the cost of maintaining communal areas. My charge is £3500 per year. On top of that we all pay annual 'council tax' which is a local tax to pay for refuse collection, schools etc. Mine isn't too bad at £1500 per year. So people in my apartment block have to find £5,000/$10,000 each year even before they make their mortgage payments and pay their bills.

Of course the house price increases have driven up the cost of renting so it's a pretty dire situation. I just don't know how people manage, and as Bretonbanquet said, it isn't that UK wages are twice yours.

..............and don't get me onto the cost of jeans and cds....

I think I may have not made myself clear re: the whole wage bit, all I was trying to say is that the value of the pound was twice that of the dollar. I dont know what wages are for different jobs over there, it would be interesting to find out...

I think the only REAL way to see the relative cost of gas there vs. here would be to compare what PERCENTAGE of your monthly outgo it represented when compared to what a person makes.

for example: if you were a single parent and if you only earned minimum wage in CA, (currently $6.75) and you worked a 40 hr week, you'd gross $270/week, x 4 = $1080/mo gross wages. tax represents about a third of that, leaving you with about $723.60 take home. If you rent an apartment in the Bay Area, thats your entire check. no money for bills. no money for gas. There are programs that subsidize housing costs if you are low income, but if you h ave to pay childcare on top of that, its just not do-able.

[Stew_Matthews]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

I think I may have not made myself clear re: the whole wage bit, all I was trying to say is that the value of the pound was twice that of the dollar. I dont know what wages are for different jobs over there, it would be interesting to find out...

I think the only REAL way to see the relative cost of gas there vs. here would be to compare what PERCENTAGE of your monthly outgo it represented when compared to what a person makes.

for example: if you were a single parent and if you only earned minimum wage in CA, (currently $6.75) and you worked a 40 hr week, you'd gross $270/week, x 4 = $1080/mo gross wages. tax represents about a third of that, leaving you with about $723.60 take home. If you rent an apartment in the Bay Area, thats your entire check. no money for bills. no money for gas. There are programs that subsidize housing costs if you are low income, but if you h ave to pay childcare on top of that, its just not do-able.

..........I couldn't re-live the petrol price debate ! It's not a definitive answer but I live in London and my brother lives in Monterey (CA) and we both agree that the UK is generally a more expensive place to live than the US.

Stew

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by Stew_Matthews

..........I couldn't re-live the petrol price debate ! It's not a definitive answer but I live in London and my brother lives in Monterey (CA) and we both agree that the UK is generally a more expensive place to live than the US.

Stew

Well, Breton said he paid $1.90 at the pump (US dollars) which translates to approx $7.60gal US.....without knowing what he earned in a month or what percentage of his take home gas represented, it really is hard to make a comparison....

I can say that for me, gas represents about one fifth of my take home. mortgage, a little more than one fourth. But I am lucky, I have a little home, in a pretty remote part of the state, so my home cost is not representative of what most californians pay. Gas, however is high throughout the state, and I do a fair bit of commuting, AND, my car is a gas hog.

And, California is generally more expensive than other states (please see my house price comparison chart a few posts back.)

ETA: Obviously, the cost of living in Europe is crazy. I dont see how people manage, really, unless there are programs there for people to take advantage of that help with costs...London is just beyond crazy. I guess there's even a new tax there because of congestion and whatnot, right? you have to pay just to enter London? Good Grief....

[strandinthewind]

I believe London is the most expensive city in the world to live in. If it is not still number one, it is up there.

Of course, I LOVE London But, the Cornish coast is dear to me as well as is Cardiff, which I hear is quite affordable.

[bretonbanquet]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

Well, Breton said he paid $1.90 at the pump (US dollars) which translates to approx $7.60gal US.....without knowing what he earned in a month or what percentage of his take home gas represented, it really is hard to make a comparison....

I can say that for me, gas represents about one fifth of my take home. mortgage, a little more than one fourth. But I am lucky, I have a little home, in a pretty remote part of the state, so my home cost is not representative of what most californians pay. Gas, however is high throughout the state, and I do a fair bit of commuting, AND, my car is a gas hog.

And, California is generally more expensive than other states (please see my house price comparison chart a few posts back.)

ETA: Obviously, the cost of living in Europe is crazy. I dont see how people manage, really, unless there are programs there for people to take advantage of that help with costs...London is just beyond crazy. I guess there's even a new tax there because of congestion and whatnot, right? you have to pay just to enter London? Good Grief....

What I earn in a month I'll keep to myself, but my finances aren't representative of anything because I drive for a living, and I use LPG in my work vehicle which is much cheaper than ordinary gas. I cover about 70,000 miles a year, fill up every day, and gas is my biggest outgoing, something like $800 a month.

The London congestion charge is £8 ($16) every day, but I am exempt from that because of my LPG vehicle.

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I believe London is the most expensive city in the world to live in. If it is not still number one, it is up there.

Of course, I LOVE London But, the Cornish coast is dear to me as well as is Cardiff, which I hear is quite affordable.

Cardiff is much cheaper than London, but houses on the Cornish coast are pretty much at London prices.. that's a whole new argument