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Cost of living in Milton Keynes

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TS2019
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Cost of living in Milton Keynes

Post by TS2019 » Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:03 am

Hi,
I'll be immigrating from India to Milton Keynes, UK with my wife and two children of 3 years age. Can you guys please help me with the approximate figure for monthly expenses, including house rent (apartment near MK Central), utilities, groceries, transportation (do not intend to buy car), children's education, etc?

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CR001
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Re: Cost of living in Milton Keynes

Post by CR001 » Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:11 am

Education is free in state schools. Childcare for young children is expensive everywhere in the UK.

Rest, see link below. Note any accommodation near "central" town will be far more expensive than the outlying suburbs.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Milton-Keynes
Char (CR001 not Casa)
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Please DO NOT send me a PM for immigration advice. I reserve the right to ignore the PM and not respond.

secret.simon
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Re: Cost of living in Milton Keynes

Post by secret.simon » Sat Oct 26, 2019 8:40 am

Crucially, where will your wife and you be working? If you plan to live in Milton Keynes and commute to London, factor in the cost of public transport, which is expensive in the UK.

According to Trainline, a monthly season ticket from Milton Keynes Central to London would be £515, while an annual ticket would be £5300. And that may not include accessing the cost of local buses to get to the train station or your work place.

For the cost of renting and utilities, look up Zoopla.co.uk and Rightmove.co.uk, which typically list both the rent and approximate cost of utilities in houses. Keep in mind that utilities (including water) are privatised in the UK and the charges may vary by which companies provide services in the location that you are looking at. That is in addition to the local council tax, which can vary from £1100 to £3300 per year depending on the size and location of your house.

Assuming from your flag that you are both Indian citizens, remember to register to vote in the UK. Citizens of Commonwealth countries can vote in all elections in the UK. And even if you don't vote, being on the Electotal Register improves your credit rating.

Look at Listentotaxman to factor in the amount of income tax and National Insurance contributions that your wife and you will pay on your income. And you may also want to factor in a pension contribution of between 3% and 7%. Keep in mind that unlike in some parts of the world, savings and investments does not reduce the income tax burden. A general rule-of-thumb is that a person earning about £30,000 and with a 5% pension contribution will not see a quarter of their gross salary (that going to income tax, NI contributions and pension contributions).

Children's schooling is free, but the choice of schools depends upon whether you live in the catchment area and close enough to the schools. The websites listed above (Zoopla and Rightmove) will list the closest schools and you can look up the schools on the Ofsted (school inspectorate) website. You can also ask for more advice on schools on the Mumsnet forums.

Also be aware that childcare costs outside schools in the UK are very high, with an average of over £6,600 per year, for just a part-time nursery place.

I had done a general how to help a foreign spouse to settle in the UK thread a while back. You could pick up some tips from there on what to look out for.
I am not a lawyer or immigration advisor. My statements/comments do not constitute legal advice. E&OE. Please do not PM me for advice.

TS2019
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India

Re: Cost of living in Milton Keynes

Post by TS2019 » Sat Oct 26, 2019 7:19 pm

Thanks a lot to both of you for your responses. The links provided were really helpful. Cheers.

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