Pros and Cons Of Living In London: A Local’s Honest Take
Thinking about moving to London but unsure if it’s your kind of city? Whether you’re relocating for work, study, or just craving a change of scene, this post offers an honest look at what day-to-day life here is really like.
I grew up in north London and have lived in the west and east of the city too. After years of working, commuting, and squeezing onto the Tube, I know it well – the good bits and the frustrating ones.
Personally, I think the pros outweigh the cons. But London isn’t for everyone, and some people realise that pretty quickly.
From housing and transport to social life, costs, and overall vibe, here’s a straightforward look at the ups and downs of London life – based on long-term local experience.
You’ll find all my London tips and guides in this London travel hub.
Pro: Public Transport Can Get You Everywhere
London’s transport network is one of the best in the world. Between the Tube, buses, trains, and even riverboats, it’s easy to get around without a car – and most Londoners do.
I used to commute daily on the Central and Jubilee lines, and still walk or take the Tube most places. The Elizabeth line was a major upgrade when it opened – fewer stations, but much more comfortable than older lines.
If you take the same route regularly, you soon know exactly where the Tube doors open and which section of the carriage is best. I always aim for the front or back – avoid the middle as it’s almost always the most crowded.
I didn’t get my driving licence until my mid-20s and lived here for years without needing one. Central London isn’t car-friendly anyway – parking is expensive, roads are narrow, and traffic is often a nightmare.
Ubers (or black cabs) tend to be more of a late-night or “can’t be bothered” option – not an everyday necessity.
Con: Crowded Commutes Make Peak Hours a Struggle
Because everyone uses the Tube to get around, it can be very crowded during peak commuting hours. As in, you have absolutely no hope of maintaining any personal space, packed in like sardines, crowded.
It’s particularly unpleasant in the summer (I’m looking at you, Central line), when you are squished up against strangers in the heat trying to get to work.
The Tube will get you anywhere, but it also serves everyone else. At the same time. It’s still an infinitely better way to get around the city than driving, but I recommend avoiding rush hour on the Tube if you can.
Pro: Historical and Cultural Sites
London has an incredible range of cultural highlights. Buildings such as the Tower of London are hundreds of years old, and museums like the National History Museum that are completely free to visit.
You can see a Roman wall, Victorian market and modern skyscraper all within a mile of each other. Few other cities have the variety that London can offer.
If you enjoy history, architecture and culture, London is a great place to live.
Con: Brexit
Brexit is still very contentious and probably will be for a long time to come. It made us even less popular at the Eurovision Song Contest than we already were!
Side note – If you’ve no idea what Eurovision is, take a detour to YouTube. It’s a bizarre European annual music contest, that for some inexplicable reason also includes Australia.
Each participating country submits an original song, from any genre they want. The entrant doesn’t even need to be from the country they are representing.
Most countries vote for their friendly neighbouring countries, even if the songs are terrible. It’s something of a cultural phenomenon.
Anyway, back to Brexit.
Londoners no longer talk about it every. single. day (and we only really stopped once the pandemic happened and became our replacement topic). But Brexit, and politics generally, is still a divisive issue.
For many years it was considered impolite to ask about people’s political leanings, but Brexit made political small talk much more common.
Pro: Healthcare
The NHS (National Health Service) is hugely important to UK residents, providing healthcare to everyone who lives here.
I’m a big fan. I’ve received regular treatment since childhood for epilepsy. My father has had several operations and hospital stays that would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the US. Neither of us have had to pay for it (well, we pay taxes but there aren’t any big hospital bills).
Unfortunately in recent years the NHS has struggled with funding and waiting times have significantly increased, but it is still a big pro to living in London, and more widely in the UK.
If you have a healthcare emergency, just go to the doctor or A&E. Ambulances don’t cost anything. Childbirth doesn’t cost anything.
Certain costs aren’t included, such as eye tests and prescriptions. But prescriptions are set so you pay a flat fee per item – £9.65. A two-week course of antibiotics? £9.65. A month’s worth of anti-depressants? £9.65.
Some long-term conditions such as epilepsy and diabetes are covered so prescriptions are completely free. The only money I’ve had to pay for my treatment is the cost of parking at the hospital car park.
Con: Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
If you apply for a visa to work in the UK for 6 months or more, you’ll probably have to pay an immigration health surcharge, currently £1035 per year.
So, technically for non-British citizens working and studying in the UK, healthcare isn’t free. But the IHS then gives you access to NHS services so you won’t incur further costs to see a doctor or access medication.
Take a look at the Gov.uk website to see if you would need to pay the IHS, as there are some exceptions.
Con: Tourism Crowds
To be clear, I welcome tourists to my home city. Tourism is a very important part of the economy. Diversity is always a positive, and I love that London is such a multi-cultural, international city.
But it still goes in the con category from the standpoint of daily life in London. It’s a busy city with just the residents, and adding in tourists makes the crowds in certain parts of the city even worse. Tips – avoid Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, and never go to Oxford Street on a Saturday.
You will inevitably find yourself occasionally frustrated by people who reach the top of an escalator and immediately stop while everyone piles up behind them.
Or annoyed with visitors who come to a sudden standstill in the middle of the street to check a map forcing you to veer wildly to avoid bumping into them. But that’s no different to any other major city.
As our famous phrase goes – Keep Calm and Carry On.
Pro: Proximity to Europe
At the risk of sounding hypocritical based on the previous con – proximity to mainland Europe is a big plus point to living in London. Whenever I am a tourist myself, I try to be as considerate as possible.
One major benefit of living in London is how easy it is to visit other countries, using London as a home base.
You can travel to France in just a few hours on the Eurostar. Some European cities can even be done as a day trip from London. There are regular cheap flights to other parts of Europe.
In roughly the same time it takes to drive across the widest point of Texas, you could drive from London to the southern border of Denmark, passing through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany on the way.
Location is a big plus point of expat life in London.
Pro: Higher Wages
London typically offers higher wages compared to other parts of the UK, making it an attractive destination for work. This financial benefit can offset expenses like the Immigration Health Surcharge, ensuring a better quality of life for workers in the city.
Additionally, London is a hub for industries such as finance, technology, and media, providing access to competitive job opportunities with higher salaries. This can be especially beneficial for international workers with specialized skills or qualifications.
Companies with offices around the country will often offer ‘London weighting’, a higher salary than a comparable role in another part of the country to account for a higher cost of living.
Con: High Cost of Living
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that London is an expensive city.
London has one of the highest costs of living in Europe, with rent prices being particularly steep. This means that even with a higher salary, you may have less disposable income compared to living in smaller cities.
I would also add that a superficial glance at salaries might make them seem very low, especially compared to the US. But you won’t need health insurance once you have access to the NHS.
There are also other savings – groceries tend to be cheaper, and using public transport instead of owning and insuring a car can cut costs. You don’t need to tip as much or as often, so the price on a menu is what you will pay.
Pros: Safe
London is generally a very safe city. I live alone and often end up walking around Central and East London on my own at night after seeing friends without any safety issues.
Public transport runs late, with night buses and a few 24-hour tube lines at weekends so you’ll never find yourself stuck and unable to get home.
Just like any other major city there are pickpockets in tourist areas, and a low-level terrorism threat. But by and large you can rest assured that you’ll be safe living and working in London.
Con: Weather
It’s not always terrible, but we have more than our fair share of grey, rainy days. Perhaps that’s why the weather is a fail-safe topic of conversation if you find yourself stuck trying to make small talk with someone.
It’s especially useful in taxis.
‘Isn’t the weather miserable/lovely/freezing/warm (delete as appropriate)’ will always help you seem polite without having to spend any mental effort on coming up with something to say!
Also, a rainy day is a perfect time to explore one of London’s many free museums and galleries.
On the other hand, you will also experience those magical summer days, when the weather is just right, people are extra friendly, and you can sit in your nearest park with a picnic and a drink.
Nevertheless, I’m not going to pretend that people come here for the sun!
Con: No Air Conditioning
Our houses are built to keep heat in, and workplaces aren’t routinely fitted with air con.
Generally we don’t need it (as per the previous con!), but heatwaves are becoming more common and we don’t really have the infrastructure to cope with it when they do occur. 2022 saw a heatwave with a few days at 40°C (104°F).
I was (thankfully) on a road trip in the US at the time and had to explain to a few people there why the Brits were making a big deal about it.
In the US, or other countries that are generally hotter than the UK, it’s fairly common to go from your air-conditioned home, to your air-conditioned car, to your air-conditioned workplace.
In the UK, you’ll be stuck in a hot home with just a couple of fans to make it bearable, then get onto hot public transport with lots of other people, and then into your workplace which may or may not have air-con.
Most of the year, the lack of air-con isn’t a big deal, but it’s becoming more common to have a few extremely unpleasant days without much to provide relief from the heat.
This year I caved and bought a portable air con for my bedroom – it’s not as good as the built in ones, but better than just fans.
Pro: Arts and Culture
Whatever kind of art or music you are into, London will have you covered.
Opera in Covent Garden. Live rock bands in Camden. Hit musicals on Shaftesbury Avenue. Live comedy in Soho. Modern art at the Tate Modern. Classical Art at the National Gallery. Ancient pottery at the British Museum. Sculpture and textiles at the V&A.
The list truly is endless. Plus, many of the best museums and galleries around the city are free. When it comes to live performances, you can often get last-minute cheap tickets.
London is a fantastic city for the arts, and unlike many other cities, getting involved doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
One thing I appreciate about London compared to other places I’ve lived is how easy it is to dip into art, food, or music here – even if you’re not trying. Whether it’s a quick visit to a gallery, live music at a pub, or food from just about anywhere in the world, it’s all there when you want it.
Pro: Parks
London has some spectacular pockets of greenery – Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Green Park, Victoria Park, Hampstead Heath… they are all over the place.
If the city ever feels too oppressive, you’ll always be a short Tube journey away from a large green space.
Con: Weird Water
The question of whether of not tap water is safe to drink comes up surprisingly often, and I think it’s largely to do with the fact that our water does taste a bit weird.
The water is very safe, but before entering the water system it runs through chalky limestone and picks up traces of calcium and magnesium. Hard water is common around the UK, and it is quite obvious in London.
It does alter the taste, which some people find unpleasant for the first few days.
Another unfortunate side effect is that it is harsher on your skin and hair, so you may find yourself needing more moisturiser and conditioner than at home.
Pros: Food!
The UK has something of a reputation for bad cuisine.
I’ll admit our own national dishes can be somewhat lacklustre (although there are notable exceptions such as the traditional roast dinner and afternoon tea).
However, this is less about British food and more about the international nature of London.
From Michelin-starred dining, to fancy doughnuts from a food truck, London has a huge range of food options. You can find virtually any type of cuisine somewhere in the city.
Cons: Social Isolation
Making friends in a new city can be tough, and it’s one of the reasons why people sometimes leave the city. It requires some effort and consistency to make friends in a city this big.
On the plus side there are a lot of expats in London. There are even Facebook groups and websites dedicated to specific nationalities in London – for example Kiwis in London and Americans in London.
I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on those groups to boost your social life – most Londoners are pretty friendly and worth getting to know.
Another aspect to this is how big London is. Even though you live in the same city, getting together can be tricky – it’s not unusual to be an hour away from friends. That said, you won’t run out of options. On nicer days, I’m a fan of park walks or checking out markets. When it’s grey or raining, museums, theatre, or a good pub usually do the trick.
Pros: Major Events
If you want to live in England, most of the major events and tours that come to the UK will make it to London.
Music tours by international stars will often be at Wembley or the O2. West End musicals will go to London first. Big sports events will generally be in London.
For access to as many different options as you can get, London is the place to be.
Your London Living Questions, Answered
Is London a good place to live in your 20s or 30s?
Yes – this is probably the best time to live in London, especially in central areas. There’s always something going on: pub nights, live music, museums, or weekend markets. It can be expensive and a bit tricky socially at first, but once you find your people, it’s a brilliant place to be. Most people I know start looking further out once they settle down or have kids.
Do you need a car to live in London?
Not at all. I didn’t get my driving licence until my mid-20s and lived car-free in London for years. The Tube, buses, and trains cover nearly everywhere you’d want to go. Driving and parking in central London is stressful, expensive, and unnecessary for most people. I don’t know a single Londoner who drives in central London.
Is London safe for solo living or walking at night?
Generally, yes. I’ve lived alone for years and often walk home at night through Central and East London without issues. Like any big city, some areas feel safer than others, and you do learn to stay aware. Public transport also runs late, which helps if you’re coming home after dark.
What’s the worst part about living in London?
Honestly, the crowds – particularly on the Tube at rush hour, or around central tourist areas like Oxford Street or Leicester Square. The grey, rainy winters can be a drag too. But once you find your own rhythm and routine, it becomes much more manageable.
Final Thoughts: Pros and Cons of Living in London
London isn’t a perfect city, but nowhere is. Some people find it overwhelming, but I still believe it’s one of the best cities in the world. Big enough that you can find anything you want, but still easy to get around.
In my opinion the pros to London outweigh the cons.
For more information about why London would be a good place to live, find out more about safety in London. To learn more about what makes London so iconic, check out these famous London landmarks.
🧳 Exploring more of the UK? You can browse my full collection of British travel guides here.
