I'm coming home...hopefully....

[DickyHart]

ive Been follwing the thread,I hope your move goes well

[alexxe]

Thanks for the well wishes...I'm going to need them. So many things to figure out, health care, taxation, visas...good grief.

I don't have a proper Scots map yet, where is Antrim?

My relatives live in Bishopbriggs - does anyone know what it's like?

[crusty_bint]

erm... Antrim's in Ireland aint it???
Bishopbriggs is alright actually, its in the north of the city and has good transport links

[kn0wledge]

Transport OUT is exactly what you need if you live in Bishopbriggs.

h0h0h0...

[alexxe]

Okay, ouch. Why would I want transport out of Bishopbriggs so badly?

I'm not planning on settling there anyway, as I said before the West End looks good, probably some kind of flatshare.

[alexxe]

Wow...no responses for a while. Maybe I should be more specific.

I'm trying to get a handle on the cost of living in Glasgow.

For instance, if you earn 12 000GBP/yr, how much of that is taxed away at source? Also, are there hidden costs in renting? Taxes or other?

How much does food cost? For example, 4 litres of milk, bread, a pound of hamburger, toiletries - what should I expect to pay for groceries in a month for one person?

Thanks in advance...

[Fossil]

Ah yes the cost of living... £12000 you should, after tax and national insurance, take home £850 roughly per month.

You do have a wide choice of super markets Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Safeway, and M&S

here's some links:
http://www.tesco.com/
http://www.asda.co.uk
http://www.safeway.co.uk/
http://www.marksandspencer.com
http://www.sainsbury.co.uk/
http://www.boots.com/index.jsp?dwlc=
http://www.superdrug.com/

cheers

[duncan]

you'd also have Council Tax to pay. this is based on the value of the property you're staying in, and I'd guess you'll be in Band D or E on this chart:
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/html/council/ ... harges.htm

getting a bit political, it's probably going to be phased out in the next few years due to growing opposition, and replaced with some kind of taxation based on income:
http://www.scrapthecounciltax.com/
http://www.axethetax.org.uk/
http://www.isitfair.co.uk/

[alexxe]

Thank you for the links to the grocery stores, I've got a better idea how much things cost now - beef is very expensive!

Okay, national insurance - what is that? Is that health insurance?

And this council tax thing, ouch! I find it confusing though, the socialists are opposing taxation? Here, we use taxes to pay for social programs so the socialists find it a necessary evil. And how does one go about paying it? Is it automatically taken off your paycheque, or do you go to an office to pay it like your phone bill?

And speaking of phone bills, is having a cellphone costly in the UK?

Thanks to all of you for answering all of my annoying little questions. I'm finding out that the UK is more of a different culture than I realized.

[Fossil]

Mobile Phone companys
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/Dispatcher
http://www.phones4u.co.uk/
http://www.vodafone.co.uk
http://www.dialaphone.co.uk
http://www.orange.co.uk

You have two types of payment options: contract and pay as you go.

Stores
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-Home
you can also get phones from local outlets, shops and supermarkets

[stinkpad]

Okay, national insurance - what is that? Is that health insurance?

It pays for things like statutory sick pay, unemployment benefit, and goes towards your state pension.

And this council tax thing, ouch! I find it confusing though, the socialists are opposing taxation? Here, we use taxes to pay for social programs so the socialists find it a necessary evil. And how does one go about paying it? Is it automatically taken off your paycheque, or do you go to an office to pay it like your phone bill?

The problem with the council tax is that it's based on the value of your house and not on your ability to pay. The socialists are proposing a fairer tax that is based on income so the rich pay more and the poor pay less which is a much better idea imho. At the moment you pay directly to the council, either by direct debit or in person at various "pay points" located in shops around the city.

stinkpad.

[alexxe]

So, national insurance is sort of like a deduction that works like our Canada Pension Plan deductions and Employment Insurance Deductions. Got it.

If council tax is based on the value of your house, how does that work if you're renting a flat in a building of flats or a flat in a house? Also, I guess you get a monthly bill?

Wow, how do you guys afford to live??

[allyharp]

Wow, how do you guys afford to live??

We live with our parents!!
Apparently the average age of a first time home buyer is now 34, and there's 6.8 million people over the age of 18 living with their parents.

[Fossil]

Wow, how do you guys afford to live??

We live with our parents!!
Apparently the average age of a first time home buyer is now 34, and there's 6.8 million people over the age of 18 living with their parents.

speak for yersel

[DMcNay]

Wow, how do you guys afford to live??

Live outside of Glasgow where it's a wee bit cheaper