Spilling the Tea: 21 Pros and Cons of Living in London
Moving to London is a huge decision. How do you decide if living in London is worth it? Is the capital city better than the rest of the UK?
As an American who first moved to London 10 years ago, I’ve had more than my fair share of highs and lows.
What are the real pros and cons of living in London? As a Londoner, I’m here to tell all.
How Do You Decide Whether to Move to London?
Uprooting your life is a major event, and it’s not to be taken lightly. Everything will change in a flash: your home, your commute, your grocery stores, and even your friends.
If you’re moving with children it’s even more daunting, because you’re disrupting their whole lives.
Since I can’t make the decsion for you, the best I can do is tell you – from my perspective as an American expat – the major pros and cons of living in London.
London isn’t for everyone, and it’s better to know all of the good and bad first before you take the leap.
From my experience, here are the biggest advantages and disadvantages of living in London.
And warning: there is a gross but very real photo toward the end of what I found in our “professionally and thoroughly cleaned” flat upon move-in.
Pros of Living in London
As an American expat, here are some of the biggest advantages of living in this incredible city.
1. Pro: Amazing Culture
One of the biggest advantages of living in London is that this city is teeming with exciting things to do and see.
On a random Tuesday while your friends back home are at the movies, you could be seeing ancient Egyptian mummies and paintings by Van Gogh. The theatre and music scenes are incredible, too. And you’ll never run out of art galleries to visit.
The old quote “tired of London, tired of life?” It’s true. The only thing you’ll be tired of is choice.
2. Pro: Job Opportunities & Higher Wages than the Rest of the UK
London might be expensive, but one of the advantages of living in London vs. other cities in the UK is that salaries and jobs are better.
London is a major global hub for a huge number of industries. The sheer size and diversity of the city mean you can find a job in pretty much any sector if you put your mind to it, no matter if you’re entry-level or quite advanced in your career.
Plus, salaries are higher in London than in the rest of the UK, which is an advantage of living in London vs a different city.
3. Pro: Cultural Diversity
Walking down the street you’ll hear 10 different languages. Any culture you want to experience, you can find it here. People of all shapes, sizes and nationalities live in this fantastic melting pot.
Whomever you are and wherever you come from, you can find your people and feel at home. You can also make great English friends, too!
4. Pro: Excellent Public Transport
My favorite of the smaller advantages of living in London is car-less life! I don’t miss sitting in traffic one bit.
And it’s not just the iconic London Underground; London also has a vast network of buses and trains, and is also very, very walkable. Or you can grab a cheap bike and zoom off to Central London in a flash.
You definitely don’t need to own a car, nor should you.
5. Pro: Travel Anywhere
Want to pop over to Spain for the weekend? Or take in the epic sandy beach cliffs of Dorset? It’s all yours for the taking, and getting there is fast.
Inter-Europe plane tickets are cheap, and the UK’s vast network of trains can take you anywhere (even Paris and Brussels) without leaving the ground.
6. Pro: Healthcare: the National Health Service
The NHS is free, accessible healthcare for every UK resident, whether you’re here permanently or temporarily. See a doctor, get a prescription, get your teeth checked, and get glasses for low or no cost.
Ps…as an expat, you do have to pay for your health care up front with the NHS surcharge as part of your Visa. It’s not totally free.
7. Pro: You’ll Never be Bored
Even if you’re low on cash, there are a million things to do every day of the week. Going to free museums, parks, incredible street markets, and cultural events is always an option! Plus there’s an ever-rotating expanse of exhibitions and festivals. You’ll never do the same thing twice.
8. Pro: Incredible History
London is one of the oldest and most significant cities in the history of the world. If you’re into history and archeology, you can explore living remnants from the Roman to Victorian eras. I love casually walking down the street past pieces of history.
9. Pro: Lots of Green Spaces
For a large city, London has an incredible amount of parks and open spaces. You can find solace in the vast parks and gardens, and find little corners tucked away where you’re totally alone.
Plus, you can go to a different park or garden everyday and never run out of places to visit.
10. Pro: High Quality of Life
London generally has a great quality of life: good schools, medical care and green spaces are just the start.
London is fairly safe (of course this depends on where you are), fairly clean (for a big European city), is cheap and easy to get around, and England has a good social safety net that aims to take care of everyone from pensioners to babies.
Cons of Living in London
For me, these are the biggest disadvantages of living in London. The first one is major, and it’s not to be taken lightly.
11. Con: High Cost of Living
Depending on where you’re coming from, the sticker-shock is a very real downside to life in London. Rent prices alone will knock the wind out of you, and that’s not including council tax and utilities.
Groceries are mostly cheap, but eating out is pricey, transport adds up, and, as the old saying goes: walk out your front door and spend £20.
Money (or lack of money) is one of the biggest disadvantages of living in London.
12. Con: It’s Crowded, Busy, and Space Comes at a Premium
It’s a big city, and as in most big cities, it can get claustrophobic.
Borough Market on the weekend is a crowd crush. Sometimes you’ll be squished on a rush hour tube between a sweaty armpit and a dude watching YouTube at full volume without headphones.
Your flat might be tiny and you’ll have too many roommates and too little space.
Big city life isn’t for everyone. Take stock of your personality and what you are and aren’t willing to put up with day to day. For people coming from smaller towns and cities, this is a big disadvantage to living in London.
13. Con: The Weather isn’t Ideal
The infamous British weather is…not great. There will be months when it doesn’t get light until 8am and gets dark at 4pm, and in between it’s grey and rainy. England is an island, so storms can blow through hard and fast.
As a native Seattleite it doesn’t bother me, but it plagues me to carry an umbrella. I do in the winter because it can rain pretty hard and you’ll get soaked.
Pro: when the weather is beautiful, and the autumn leaves are changing, there is no better place to be.
14. Con: It Can Be Mentally and Physically Exhausting
If you’re an introvert, or just need some personal space, London can be draining. If your flat is tiny, your office is tiny, and you’re constantly surrounded by people everywhere you go, it can be hard to find some solace.
It can be extra exhausting if you have any physical constraints. I can’t speak for those with physical disabilities, but from pushing a stroller (buggy) around with not enough lifts (elevators), I don’t think London is a great place for accessibility.
It’s probably not as bad as some major US cities like NYC, but not great, either.
15. Con: It Can Be Isolating and Hard to Meet People
The English are notoriously at arms-length emotionally with new people, and once you’re accepted into their life they will jokingly make fun of you, which takes some getting used to. This is just part of the deal.
One of my original London friends told me a secret: Londoners don’t invest in foreign friends because people are always coming and going. If you’re here for the long haul, let them know that and it’ll open doors.
Pro: there are a million groups online and IRL where you can meet like-minded people, and there are tons of friendly people to be found here.
16. Con: England Takes Awhile to Catch up to the Rest of the World
Coming from America, I found so many processes unnecessarily complicated and outdated. The English sensibility for everything seems to be ‘we’ve done it this way forever: it’s good enough.’
There’s too much physical paperwork and snail (Royal) mail, queries only by phone or in person with no electronic option, etc.
Cultural trends are also a bit behind, like the food scene (for example, Cronuts just became more mainstream here, after maybe a decade of popularity in NYC). I still see denim with rhinestones in the shops, and not in a cheeky nod to early 2000s fashion.
The Brits don’t adapt to new or different things very quickly. But it’s a 2,000 year-old city, so: benefit of the doubt.
17. Con: Restaurants are Great and Super Expensive, or Not Very Good and Also Pricey
London has a fantastic restaurant scene, but be prepared to pay for it if you want a really stellar meal that would be pretty average in America. This goes back to the sensibility of #6: ‘well, it’s good enough.’
I’ve ordered a £70 takeaway that made Olive Garden look like Michelin Star dining.
The good restaurants are there, they’re just very pricey and harder to find. Be careful of delivery apps: there are more bad restaurants than good.
18. Con: Choice Overload
There is so much to do in each and every borough, and so much to see, that it’s quickly overwhelming. The first time we moved here I wanted to see and do everything, and got discouraged when I realised that wasn’t possible in 2 years.
My best advice is just pick what makes you happy, and go and see or do that thing. You absolutely cannot see everything.
19. Con: It’s Touristy, Especially at Peak Times
Of all the disadvantages of living in London, this one is the most frustrating as a local. You want to get out and see and do things in your new city! But so do 2 million tourists.
You might not want to do anything near Leicester Square in the summer, because it’ll be absolutely packed with people who seem to do everything they can to block your path. Plus if you want to see the actual tourist attractions? Get in the queue.
Londoners are notoriously annoyed by tourists, and you will become one of them once you get into the quick pace of the city.
FYI: when a Londoner bumps into you and says “sorry,” it really means “get the f*** out of my way.”
20. Con: Wildlife & Poo
Yes, I said wildlife is a con of living in London. Our foxes are notorious trash bandits and will shred your bin bags and scatter the contents all over the street.
Their poo is really gross, too, and added to the fact that people don’t seem to be able to pick up their dog mess, you will constantly be dodging street poo.
P.s. The foxes also scream at night, and it’ll haunt your dreams.
21. Con: Terrible Landlords & Mould
Biggest disadvantages of living in London: your home is run on the whims of your landlord, who might not care about anything.
Our first landlord here was a hot mess. He didn’t care if things were broken or falling apart, but he sure cared if our rent was 15 minutes late. London is notorious for negligent landlords leaving properties to rot.
Mould is also huge problem in this wet climate, so inspect every inch of your potential home. If it’s been freshly painted, feel around for damp.
During your property search, ask all the questions you can and meet the current tenants to ask them, if possible. You don’t want to end up with a mouldy or unlivable flat. There is very little recourse once you sign a lease.
Be forewarned: there is a different definition of “clean” in the UK vs US. Don’t expect a deep clean upon move-in.
Leases are also much more strict on move-out than in the US: they will literally charge you £30 for each burned out light bulb, even if you can’t reach them to replace them. I learned this the hard way.
WARNING, REALLY GROSS PHOTO BELOW.
Prime example of the disadvantages of living in london: this shower drain. The flat (that we paid an arm and a leg for) was supposedly cleaned…but the shower didn’t drain at all. So how did they clean the shower?
Is Being an Expat in London Worth It?
That’s totally up to you. If you’ve read this list and you can live with the cons (even that hair-clogged drain…eew), then London really might be for you!
Take my “Should I move to London quiz” and see what result you get (the quiz includes all of the pros and cons I just talked about to see if you can really handle them).
If you can, I highly recommend taking a trip to London first, even if you’ve been here before. Seeing it with fresh eyes, and from a more permanent perspective, is important. It’s a very different experience to visit for a week than to live here for a year or two.
If you’re unsure of big city life specifically, check out some other smaller cities in the UK. There are so many beautiful and more affordable cities within commuting distance to London. Ireland, Scotland and Wales are also incredible, and have a very high quality of life.
The expat life is an adventure, to say the least, and you may have to be flexible and roll with the punches. There will be punches.
But there will also be sunsets on the Thames, and the British Museum, and afternoon tea, and life-long English friends.
Are you ready to make the leap?
More on Moving to London:
The Average Cost of Living in London: What’s the Real Price?
Where are the Best Primary Schools in London? Here’s What the Data Says
The Best Secondary Schools in London: 6 boroughs to Live In
The 5 Safest Areas in London (and 2 that are Totally Affordable!)
Should I Move to London? The Ultimate Compatibility Quiz
The Best Areas to Live in London for Singles, Couples and Families
Tips for finding Short Term Rentals in London
First time Renting in London: How to and tips
5 Types of UK Visas and how to get them
Living in London Pros and Cons: FAQ
Is London life stressful?
It can be, but life anywhere can be stressful. Most of the stressors Londoners experience come down to cost of living, which is rising everyday.
Are people in London happy?
Londoners aren’t what most would call a “happy” bunch – they are notoriously chilly and brusque. But the overall quality of life in London is good and you can be happy here – if you can afford it.
Why is it worth living in London?
Whether or not it’s worth living in London depends on you and what kind of life you want. For lots of expats, the quality of life and opportunities offered in London are better than in their home country. The standard of living is high, and there is lots to do and see.
Why do people like London so much?
The people who really love London all have one thing in common: they’re big city dwellers. The people who do well in London would feel bored and isolated in a smaller place. If you like the hustle and bustle of big city life, London is for you!
