This is a post about how to move to London in 2025.
I was about 15, 16 going to high school in Brazil when my best friend and I started talking about moving to London. In our Y2K teen minds all we needed to do was save up for a plane ticket and, once we got here, we’d get a job at a pub and all would be fine.
Well, it wasn’t a good move then (we didn’t do it!) and it’s definitely not a good move now! (She and I actually ended up moving to the US as au pairs! I then moved to Germany as an au pair too, then UK where I’ve been ever since).
Moving to London was a dream for me and is a dream for many. We grow up watching all those movies set in London and it looks like such a cool city… reader, it IS a cool city! There’s SO much going on, so many things to do, so much diversity (my favourite!). It is expensive. In fact, apparently it’s the most expensive city in Europe…but also the best.
The UK capital attracts people from all around the globe! And if you’re one of them, here’s your essential how to move to London in 2026 guide.
How to Move to London in 2026
Although this guide on how to move to London is tailored a lot to foreigners, if you’re in the UK or Ireland there are lots of tips for you too! Just skip the bits about visas and such.
Understand UK Visa Requirements
First things first: if you need, visas. Since Brexit, moving to the UK has become a bit trickier for non-UK nationals.
To legally live and work in London, you’ll typically need a visa such as:
- Skilled Worker Visa: If you have a job offer from an approved employer. Your role must meet salary requirements (usually at least £41,700 per year) and be eligible under the UK’s points-based system.
- Youth Mobility Scheme (Tier 5): For individuals aged 18–30 (or 35 depending on your nationality) from participating countries such as Andorra, Australia, Canada, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, Iceland, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay. This visa allows you to live and work freely for up to two years.
- Student Visa: If you’re enrolling in a university or approved educational institution. Not all student visas allow you to work so do check that. Short-term English language study, for example, doesn’t allow you to work, not even unpaid work experience!
Check your eligibility carefully on the UK government’s visa page, ensuring you start the application process early. This kind of information changes very often (I should know! Once I had to apply for a visa here that was about to be abolished, I think 4 days later or something like that… had to schlep all the way from London to Glasgow as that was the only place that had an appointment slot!). The best way to get THE most up-to-date and accurate information is from the government website.
There might be other options for you as well such as volunteer work visa, entrepreneurships, etc.
Budgeting and Costs: What to Expect
London is notorious for being expensive. Understanding your expected living costs beforehand can greatly improve your planning.
It’s hard to say how much money you need because it depends on your lifestyle. I had varying degrees of comfort since I moved here, many years of being a student when I was always broke (also because I used to spend money like there was no tomorrow) and I always just kind of adjusted my lifestyle to my budget.
According to Numbeo, this really cool platform where you can get an idea of costs around the world, a single person’s estimated monthly costs in London minus rent is about £1066.
- Rent: London rent is high. One-bedroom flats average around £1,800–£2,500 per month. Shared accommodation is the most common way of renting and living slightly outside central London can reduce your costs but it really depends. Affluent areas such as Hampstead and Richmond will be expensive regardless of proximity to the city centre.
- Transportation: Monthly Travelcards for zones 1-2 cost £171.70 at the moment (Dec/25). Cycling and walking are affordable alternatives if you live centrally. You can also just use your contactless card and the fare is capped daily or weekly. You don’t need a travel card if you’re not commuting daily.
- Utilities and Internet: Expect to pay approximately £100–£200 monthly.
- Food and Entertainment: Groceries average £200–£350 per month. Eating out ranges from affordable (£15 meals) to luxury (£100+).
- Simcard: you can literally order one for free from most if not all providers! Have a look at which ones offer the best cost benefit for you. You can look at the bigger providers such as O2, EE and Vodafone for a contract or simply get a pay-as-you-go from the likes of GiffGaff which are popular for their low cost plans without a lengthy contract. Don’t forget to check roaming fees! I haven’t upgraded my contract in years so I don’t lose my free roaming in the EU and many other countries.
Prepare your budget realistically and have savings for at least 3 months upon arrival.
Finding Accommodation in London
Accommodation is competitive and moves quickly. Consider these tips to find your ideal home:
- Use trustworthy websites like Rightmove, Zoopla and SpareRoom
- Consider shared accommodation or house-shares to save money and build friendships quickly
- Visit multiple areas before settling; neighbourhoods differ greatly in price, crowds and lifestyle
- Expect landlords to request references, proof of income and deposits
As I said before, shared house/flat is the most common. A room in Zones 1 or 2 can cost £900 to £1,300 although prices vary wildly. Move one or two zones out and rent drops quite a bit. If you choose Zones 3 to 4 you’ll find rooms for £650 to £850 which is a huge difference especially when you are new and counting every pound.
Target areas that balance transport links with lower rent. Look into:
- East/Northeast: Walthamstow, Leyton, Forest Gate, Barking, Wembley Park
- South/Southeast: Catford, Streatham, Penge
These areas tend to be friendlier on your wallet, have great transport connections, lively communities and cheaper rents than central London.
SpareRoom is the main site Londoners use for flat shares. Consider paying for early access during your search because the best rooms are snapped up quickly. Always view in person and never send a deposit before you have physically seen the place. Landlords commonly ask for proof of income a reference and a deposit of five weeks rent.
Many newcomers stay in short-term rentals, hostels or use housesitting to reduce initial costs. Housesitting can sometimes give you free accommodation for weeks while you search for a long-term place.
Job Hunting and Employment Tips
Having employment secured before moving is beneficial but not always possible.
- Optimise your CV for the UK market and use platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, Reed and Totaljobs
- Networking is vital in London. Join professional groups and attend networking events
- Recruiters and agencies are common ways to secure employment, especially in finance, tech, creative industries and hospitality
If you struggle to find a job, if you’re studying or just need something temporary for any reason, you can try temping. There are lots of temping agencies around town! Some of the specialised in a particular role such as office work and executive support.
Roles in hospitality, retail, customer service, childcare, admin and temp office are usually the quickest to secure. Temp jobs in particular are incredibly common in London and recruiters often place people within days.
LinkedIn, Indeed, Reed, Totaljobs and Guardian Jobs are the most used platforms. Recruitment agencies like Reed, Adecco, Hays, Tate and Office Angels can speed things up as they often know which companies are hiring urgently.
The National Living Wage for 21+ from April 2026 is £12.71/hr (around £23,132/year for FT work). London also has the voluntary Real Living Wage for 18+ which is £14.80/hr (around £27,008/year), which reflects London’s higher costs but employers don’t have to pay that, they can choose to.
Entry-level roles usually pay between £23,000 and £28,000 depending on the field. Hospitality roles may pay less but come with the advantage of flexible hours and sometimes tips which can help during your first months.
Healthcare and Insurance
The UK has a National Health Service (NHS) available to residents. Here’s how it works:
- If your visa includes a health surcharge, you gain access to NHS services
- Register with a local GP once you have a permanent address in London
- Private healthcare is available, though most residents rely primarily on the NHS
Setting Up Banking and Finances
To manage your money efficiently:
- Open a UK bank account quickly upon arrival (Monzo, Starling, Revolut are digital-first banks popular with expats)*
- Obtain a National Insurance (NI) number to work legally and pay taxes – it’s really easy! Just head to the government website to apply for it
- Consider transferring money internationally via services like Wise for better exchange rates and lower fees
I LOVE Monzo! I’ve had it for years and it’s great for travelling, sending money to friends, paying people abroad, saving money for different things, etc.
These are some of the ways Monzo makes my life easier:
- paying my therapist in Brazil; it’s SO easy! It’s like making a local transfer
- paying for things abroad
- keeping track of my spending – I use it as my spending card so I only add to the account the amount of money I want to spend per month
- freezing/cancelling cards if lost of stolen (I had my stolen in Barcelona recently and they froze it and refunded me straight away when I saw someone used it!)
- easy savings – I like to have a couple of different savings account and, on Monzo, which is just my spending account, not main, I turned on the “round up” feature which means every time I spend with it, it rounds up and puts the change in my savings pot. Their savings pot also give me 3% interest.
- easily splitting bills with friends and family
- cashback at some of my favourite shops and restaurants
If you want to sign up for it, I’ve got a link here you can use and both of us get a mystery reward of £10, £20 or £50.
Connecting and Making Friends
London is diverse and welcoming but forming connections takes initiative. I’ve written a post just about how to make friends when moving to a new place if you want extra tips and details.
- Join expat groups on Facebook, Meetup and Internations
- Pursue hobbies and clubs aligned with your interests to meet like-minded people
- Volunteering can also help integrate you into local communities quickly
My favourites and most successful so far were Facebook, MeetUp and CouchSurfing. I did a one day trip to Austria once with two women I met on Facebook. We met at the airport for the first time and had the best day hiking around a lake before coming back to London in time for dinner!
Getting Around: Transportation Tips
London has one of the world’s best transport systems (sadly, also the most expensive). But again, you DO NOT need a travel card if you’re not commuting every day.
- Use an Oyster card or contactless payments for easy public transportation access (most people prefer contactless!)
- Cycling infrastructure is improving rapidly and bike-sharing schemes like Santander Cycles are popular.
- Download apps like Citymapper or TFL Go for navigating the city effectively. The Bus Times app is really good too! And one of the best things about Citymapper is that it’s available in loads of other cities in Europe and ROW so it’s very likely you’ll use it a lot.
- Bus is cheaper than trains/tube. You can actually get a bus pass for the week/month and that’s a lot cheaper and there’s no limit to what zone you can travel too. It does that longer, of course. The full travel card that includes train and tube gets more expensive the more zones you include with zone 1 being the pricier one.
Getting around London can be a bit overwhelming but it’s actually quite easy once you get used to it. Here’s a whole guide to how to get around London like a local to help you master it quickly.
Food Shopping in London
Supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl, Asda and Iceland are essential for budget living. Meal prepping will help you keep costs down but you can still enjoy London’s food scene by treating restaurant meals as a weekly rather than daily experience. Markets and street food stalls also have great affordable options. Personally, I LOVE food markets! I’ve got a whole post about them here if you want to know where to find the best food markets in London.
I also have a London food guide talking you through where to eat by budget.
Understanding Culture and Etiquette
London is multicultural and diverse. In fact, it’s probably what I most love about London! Embrace the city’s blend of traditional and modern lifestyles, remembering to:
- Respect queues: British people take queuing seriously!
- Use polite manners: “please”, “thank you” and “sorry” are frequently used
- Tipping is customary at restaurants (10–15%) but optional elsewhere. In fact, a 12.5% service fee is usually included in the bill to make things easier
- Respect people’s cultures, religions, etc.
Remember: it’s not because it’s different that it’s wrong. Differences are what make life so fun and colourful!
Embracing Your New Life
Moving to London on a budget in 2026 requires planning but it is absolutely doable. Focus on choosing the right visa, securing a room in an affordable neighbourhood, finding work quickly and keeping your early expenses minimal. London is a city that rewards persistence curiosity and flexibility. With a clear plan you can build a life here without needing huge savings. Besides, your first room/flat doesn’t have to be forever, your first job doesn’t have to be permanent. You just need the first step.
Finally, remember, moving abroad is challenging but rewarding. Be patient, curious and open-minded. Take time to explore, enjoy local life and embrace the uniqueness of living in London.
If you have any questions or anything you want to know that I didn’t cover in this “how to move to London” guide, let me know in the comments and I’ll try my best to answer.
This was a post about how to move to London in 2026.
