Originally Posted by
Raffles
Ignore everything else you read about London being 'expensive'. It doesn't matter if Starbucks is 10% more expensive here than Chicago or that a luxury restaurant meal costs 15% more. That isn't an issue on £70k. These sums are all totally irrelevant compared to your rental bill - focus on that and then don't fuss ever again over the price of anything else in London.
+1. In fact, so much of that is completely out of date. I find many things to be cheaper in London than in California (I have homes in both), sometimes significantly cheaper.
I also would agree wholeheartedly with the suggestions to live centrally - but keep it in a residential area, rather than in an area that is so commercial that it's dead at night. Part of the fun of London is about being able to do just about anything, every night of the week, and just jump on a bus and be home in 20 minutes - you can't do that if you are in the 'burbs.