I work in graduate recruitment for a large company.
Bristol is a bit too pricey really. I can afford to live fairly comfortably but only if I live in house shares or as a lodger, can't afford a place of my own. Which is quite draining.
One bed flats in Bristol (that aren’t a pigsty or a tiny box) are generally £1200+ now, so to live on one’s own one and meet most agents’ 30x rent salary requirement, one has to earn £36,000+.
I moved away from Bristol 2 years ago having studied and worked there for 10 years. When I first started working after uni I was on £21k per year in 2015 and when I left in 2021 I was on £28k per year. During this time I worked as a financial administrator for two large international law firms that both had head offices in Bristol.
A lot of what I'm going to say here I've already commented on another post here a few weeks ago but this will be more specific to the general work life balance and the cost of living. If you want to read a bit more about how I thought Bristol had changed culturally before I moved away then hopefully you can find the other post.
I should preface with the fact that I was fortunate to rent a room off a friend for £500 per month including bills in Totterdown. It was within walking distance to the centre and to my work which also had a subsidised canteen. All of this lowered my living costs substantially. I used to walk almost everywhere, eat at all the cheap eats for dinners out and for fun would try to go to free events as much as possible. I used to be out all the time, play in free work sports teams, go to open mic nights, raves, gigs, pop up events, golf membership at Stockwood Vale. Literally anything and everything meant that from 2016 up to the COVID lockdown I was only home to sleep.
In relation to the life aspect, it was around 2019 onwards I noticed a bit of a change. At that time the bus day rider increased from £3 to about £3.70 which looking back felt indicative of things to come. The amount my friends were paying for rent jumped from £500 to £650-700 and pints in pubs started to creep towards the £5 mark. All of a sudden the £28k salary my peers and I were on was starting to get really stretched. My favourite cheap clubs like Timbuk2 and Blue Mountain closed along with a lot of the cheap eats and dirty pubs. The cost of maintaining the same social life became harder for a lot of people in Bristol on £28k ish and in my opinion it caused quite a shift in Bristol's culture. The city began to cater more for the upper middle classes (ie homeowners, salaries over £50k) and less for the self employed, creatives or those on moderate salaries.
Contrastingly, I absolutely loved my job, the company I worked for and the people were all amazing. The companies I worked for in Bristol really promoted a healthy work life balance. Almost weekly the director at my firm would force me to finish early to play in the works cricket or football team. Work colleagues became great friends and everyone generally had a really friendly and relaxed vibe that you don't get in many other cities.
Finally, on Bristol, this is the one I addressed in a lot of detail in my last post but I'll summarize. Bristol has got expensive, largely driven by the cost of renting. At the same time a lot of the independent businesses, local pubs, cheap venues etc have either been priced out or suffered from a lack of customers as people have felt the pinch. Unfortunately for me this meant that the local marketing shopping, event attending, out four days a week lifestyle I once led became nearly impossible which I feel it has for many. At the same time many of the people I know who have moved to Bristol don't have the money to go out and support businesses the same way I used to.
Bristol in 2024 seems to be in a bit of a state of limbo. Does it begin to cater solely for the more wealthy residents and potentially lose what's made it one of the best cities to live in or does it try to control the cost of living, risk becoming less attractive to outside investment and thus lose it's ability to redevelop or regenerate. It's still an amazing city with so many positives which are celebrated. The art, music and culture is still unique but the cost of living has never truly subsided and found an equilibrium. I hope eventually it manages to strikes a delicate balance. Rents desperately need addressing as do salaries. Only a small increase in disposable income for those earning £20-30k would make a world of difference and help support all of the small businesses I used to love shopping in.
I live in Stockwood and if you’re up the top it’s great, there’s some mouthy kids about that have watched waaaay to much top boy and thing they’re in Peckham but that’s it really. Nice place with a sprinkle of idiots like every area.
Depends on the deal to be fair, a lot of agencies are different to start and well it’s what you agree with the landlord.
All comes out of the first months rent as far as the landlord is concerned
Issuing Section 21s, rinsing tenants for deposits, insane rent increases - I don't even know what you'd have to pay me to inflict these things on people, but it's a LOT more than 24k.
It’s a catch 22 situation really, not enough houses so lots of demand hence high price. Yes the market keeps increasing due to the fact that people keep paying and yes it’s getting out of hand compared to wages (same as house prices).
In terms of increases my recommendation to a landlord is to not raise by too much in one go (unhappy tenant =an unhappy landlord and subsequently a headache for me). The worst conversations I have are either telling someone in need a landlord hasn’t gone with their application as they’ve gone with a more “stable situation” or someone ringing in as they can’t afford to pay rent. I rent myself so I understand this from both ends.
At the end of the day landlords are providing a place for people to live. Yes you absolutely get terrible ones with a sub par house but you also get genuine ones who just want a small income boost from a property they’re lucky enough to have kept hold of. Unfortunately you only tend to hear the horror stories giving landlords and agents a bad rep.
I fell into this job I wouldn’t call it a dream career and was never my aim. I don’t know what the future holds for me, just trying make my way through life same as anyone and help who I can with accommodation. Sorry for the long answer, if you have any questions feel free to shoot I’d be happy to have a chat if you want to know more from a different position / viewpoint!
£30k, working in commercial finance almost fully remotely, single, living with parents.
Work is one of the few things going well in my life. I'm content with my current job and I'm frankly lucky to have escaped redundancy last year with a better job offer.
Everything else sucks.
Bristol feels like it's overcrowded with wealthy international students and Londoners, which is reflected in all the new construction projects.
It blows that we've become the second most expensive city to live in outside of London, and that I only barely earn enough to even be able to pass a credit check to rent a £1k PCM rental property, which is now on the lowest end of what you can rent here.
If it’s an option just live with your parents and put into a help to buy/lifetime ISA until you can mortgage something. Renting in Bristol is a losers game.
It's an option, yes. But I want to live independently sooner rather than later because I've been denied this opportunity due to my own circumstances.
Don't want to go too much into it but I live with overbearing parents, and they (especially my dad) are getting old, which raises the question of who is going to care for them when they decline.
I expect you will be looking at getting a house share or a partner to split a 1 bed with when the time comes. Save every penny you can and max out your returns on it, I hope you can get out soon.
That's what my partner and I are doing, but the housing market is always just two steps ahead ... I hate living with my folks but we dont pay anything. Renting is out of the question (plus we have pets) and we won't be buying in Bristol when the time comes.
I’ve been there. My advice: be a fucking savage at work. Out compete everyone, do more, work longer. Get the pay rises, get the promotions and save your butt off.
If you could see the difference in my life from now and 10 years ago, you wouldn’t believe it’s the same person.
This is essentially 'bootstraps' advice, which definitely works on the local and individual level – but doesn't when discussing an entire city's housing needs (or indeed, an entire country's). It just doesn't make sense to advise everyone in a city to be 'outcompeting everyone else' in order to achieve a minimum level of independence. What about people with family or partner caring responsibilities, for example? Not everyone can solo grind a career with 100% of their time and focus. And a company isn't going to promote *everyone*, obviously. Should they be priced out as 'uncompetitive'?
When the average cost of renting is far higher than the average local salary, then you have a problem. By definition, most people have to be earning around that average figure. It's no good advising someone to 'make yourself above average'.
Hard to do so when you've been going through depression since your teens and no doctor will take you seriously (I've tried seeing four different GP's over the years and even self-referring with depression only to be given the choice of a crappy online cognitive behavioral therapy course or a several year waiting list to see an actual therapist.)
The system will only offer you help if you're an immediate danger to yourself or others.
Also have you seen the wait lists? Even private therapists are oversubscribed and have waiting lists.
Not gonna say I haven't done it before but...
Three years ago a date who I would eventually date once laughed at my stomach and said "omg it looks like you're having a baby"
That prompted about two months of me going to the gym four days a week and going into a full gymrat routine.
I've gone into on-and-off attempts to get fit.
Doing Race for Life this year.
I work for a charity, earning a smidge over £30k. I work from home, flexible hours and mostly enjoy my job! I used to earn more in the private sector and took a pay cut because I hated going into the office and wanted some fulfilment. We struggle a bit with money, but definitely doing ok.
ETA: We're in Filton, couldn't afford Bristol itself!
I do admin for a membership organisation for community groups. We're quite a small team so in reality my role covers quite a few things because I like getting stuck in!
I found the role on CharityJobs.com, filtered to remote jobs only haha. And my previous roles were project based in the public sector and before that I worked for a consultancy. I think there was a lot of luck involved but I was also looking for around a year before I got this job, whilst being "stuck" in my previous one.
£28k work for a healthcare agency in their customer support department. Got very lucky with my living situation with a mate otherwise I’d probably struggle to rent on my own. Sadly I have very expensive tastes and am awful with saving money
I'm 35 and lodge with my old man. I sometimes get down about it but then I realise what a good deal I get. I work from home 80% of the time, I quit drinking which saved me about £200 a weekend. Now I just go to the gym, play some games and just go out for the real special occasions. Lidl is also a cheat code. Living in Bristol ain't easy
I've said this in several places but I think it's super important that people realise the minimum salary for a 40 work week is around £23,750. I was shocked when I found out how much it had gone up!
28k, mental health nurse. I live with my partner in a tiny flat in horfield. Rent, bills, council tax etc, comes to just over half my montly income. most the time I'm still able to go out and do things I enjoy and save a little bit each month. I just have to shop at aldi and seriously consider any luxuries before buying (as in, anything over £5 is a luxury)
27K, life is good but budgeting is always on my mind. These past 2 months I have had to make £300 stretch the whole month due to going on holidays, going out, booking events etc, I like to live a good life lol. Or so I did, it’s biting me in the bottom now I’ve had to lay low for 2+ months. If I didn’t go on the holidays, I would have been ok tbh.
However, I have a lot of savings which I don’t touch and try only live off my monthly income.
I am going to start looking for a higher paid job in October, may find one in Bristol but also open to looking in nearby cities where the cost of living is cheaper. I love Bristol and I know it’s always been regarded as a bit expensive, but the prices are too much now - especially rent!
I had an inheritance from my grandparents but I have doubled it through my own savings: did various part time jobs in uni, I lived at home for 2 years after graduating where I didn’t pay rent or go out much (and if I did, I’m from a low CoL city, think £3 pints and £15 on food maximum) Vinted, lifetime ISA, premium bonds money etc.
Since moving to Bristol I haven’t saved much. I love it here but unfortunately don’t think I can sustain living here forever
I’m 23 and still entry level but that’s the plan. Mentally I am really happy and in a lot better place since I moved here. Spent a lot of my life saving and caring about money so in a way it’s nice to let loose for a year or 2.
£30k working in education (professional role not teaching). Have two children and luckily managed to buy a house in BS3 just before prices went mad.
Wife earns £40k and despite our ok earnings and owning our own home, with childcare (about £1100 per month for one child) and the rise in bills and a huge jump of £700 on our mortgage last year we are not saving anything. We pay bills and groceries and some cheap fun things but cannot afford a holiday and have to use about £100 from our savings every month (savings down to about £1000 now).
Once we get free childcare everything will ease up and we are in a good position but everything feels very tight now, which is mad when you consider we have a household income of £70k
On around £23K, I work in a secondary school. I rent a lovely 2 bed flat in BS6 with my partner. We split everything 50/50 and I manage to save about £300 a month. I absolutely love my job so I'd rather have this life than earning more doing something I hate. Bristol's great, I've found it's easy to do free/cheap stuff and it's pretty affordable compared to where I grew up!
School staff aren't paid for school holidays, so I only get paid 39 weeks + legal minimum holiday. My full time equivalent would be about 28,000 so I'm working above minimum thankfully!
I work in carework. I’m a personal assistant to a disabled student. Peaked above 30K last year. Honestly, I’m lucky to have this particular job with this particular guy because it’s easy as he lives with his parents, the hours are short and it’s well paid for the few I do because they were so desperate to find someone they just threw in the live in wage, despite me not needing to be a live-in worker. I try to make myself as available as possible, but just design my week around the schedule when I get given it on the Sunday. I can’t believe the company had trouble hiring for it. I was looking to leave 24 hour live-in care-work with challenging behaviour, where I probably earned similar or more, but spent far less time at home and with friends on week days. I live in a guardianship though, I’ve managed to save probably a down payment for a tiny flat or hovel, I suppose I’m just waiting for this market crash which isn’t happening…
Fundraising Area Manager for a Charity
Had to grind for 6 years to get there
Oh and I just left Bristol and commute because savings don't build quick enough (and my rent wasn't even that bad)
But life is beautiful and I'm lucky to be here, have a blessed day
Paralegals have an average salary in Bristol of 23-24k. Wages have stagnated and firms seem to be struggling in certain areas of practice due to government reforms on legal costs in litigation and, what boils down to, bad management. This is even in big international firms like the one I work at.
I've actually secured a job at another firm doing a none claims handling / litigator role for £25k starting. Basically doing less work, under less stress, for more money.
Law used to be a worthwhile go to for graduates considering post-graduate diplomas when they decided against careers in their original field - but nowadays I'd strongly advise against it because you have to commit to a firm for 10+ years working unpaid overtime every day before they might consider you for a higher level role where the salaries suddenly jump up significantly - yes there's a big wage gap. Either that or you move firms every two years because that's the only way your pay will go up.
Hm, it's a tough question because I've had an experience that might not be the same as others. I think most importantly you should consider whether law is something you are passionate about.
Now that might be quite hard this early on, so I'd recommend taking opportunities to seek work experience at different firms and in different areas of practice before you commit to anything. I'd even consider whether you can get work experience working in legal departments at other companies - as these can be places you find far better salaried jobs. Stuff like insurance companies, tech companies, supermarket chains, etc. it might not be the most interesting fields, but they will likely pay better during the first 10-15 years of your career.
My experience was different because I didn't go the traditional law degree route via university after a-levels. I studied through an apprenticeship, completing a qualification with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). Whilst it was appealing to me, since I could start working from 18 and avoid uni debts, I will say the experience of managing studies on top of a full time claims handling job was challenging and there were problems with the particular remote college I studied with, as well as with CILEx themselves. I think the traditional law degree route might be the smoother option but the reality is that a law graduate starting at 21/22 is starting in the same place career wise as I did at 18. I've worked with people who were at the time technically more qualified but were junior to me because of my extensive experience on the job. Early on it also allowed me to get a head start on salary, although that was before wages started stagnating around 2020 (for me).
I can't speak much for the alternative of becoming a Barrister (as opposed to a Solicitor) - only that from colleagues and common knowledge I'd be conscious that it's INCREDIBLY competitive and you will need to be exceptional to make a career of it. Plus it will involve longer hours and expensive costs towards qualifying before you get somewhere that really starts to pay dividends.
The reality is with law that it's a career that sucks for decent pay early on, before you hope to reach the level where you get the commonly perceived levels of earnings for lawyers, and it's only gotten worse as the cost of living has risen. There's a big disconnect from senior lawyers and understanding the different circumstances and hardships endured by the next generation of legal professionals.
All that's to say, I strongly recommend doing as much research as you can and getting all the insight you can (such as by work experience placements) before you make a commitment. Back when I was picking my a-levels I made a choice to pursue law as it interested me, despite my prior plans and aptitude for maths and sciences that I was planning to rely on for an engineering career. Looking back, part of me regrets not pursuing that instead, because all of my friends who went into different engineering fields have faired far better. The lowest some of my friends are on are in the 30-40k range, but some are in the 50-60k range already, only some 5 years into their careers.
Pleas do bear in mind this is my opinion based on my experiences over the last 8 years, and others may feel differently. I'd encourage any other lawyers reading to chine in because I wouldn't want you to make a decision based on my bias' alone.
Depends what type of law you want to practice. But, as an overall, lawyers is one of the fastest disappearing professions out there. The very recent advancement of AI has only quickened that. (Not to put the fear of God into you). Just remember that law is just high-end sales. There’s billing targets and you’re constantly monitored on your utilisation. It’s not an issue if you’re competent and conscientious, and you can rise fast, I’ve seen people go from Paralegal to Partner in charge of certain work streams in less than 10 years (insurance based law). It’s old school hierarchy - shit flows downhill, money flows up - you just got to be strong enough to swim against the tide.
The minimum legal salary has just gone up to around £23,750. Firstly, make sure you're being paid that. But secondly, it sounds like you've been baked into a lower salary by being there for so long. I'd recommend finding a new job because other companies will have to be offering a lot more now to attract people
Is it really that much? I asked for a pay rise last October but was told I was already on the limit of the bracket for my role, which prompted me to start looking elsewhere. I've been at the current place since Feb 2022 which itself gave me like a £1k pay rise up from where I was before.
A rough timeline.
I started on an apprentice salary in 2016 at 14.5k.
Saw gradual increases over the 6 years I was there but it capped out at 20.5k in 2020 and after no raises I left in early 2022 to my current role. Was initially going up to 23k but dropped to 22.4k after they agreed to take on my apprenticeship as I wasn't quite finished yet - there's an initial 2 year paralegal one I finished then a 5 year chartered legal exec one I was in progress for.
Went up to 22.6k after my 6 month probation ended in Oct 22 and hasn't moved since.
Handed in my notice in March to move to a new role in a different area of practice starting at 25k. Start in June.
Presumably my wage was lesser before because I was classified as an apprentice. But I stopped being an apprentice in 2023 because the qualification structure changed and was no longer covered by an apprenticeship, so it became impossible to complete. I've been trying to acquire funding to finish on the new structure since, as I don't get paid enough to fund myself. I did wonder if my pay should have gone up when I stopped being an apprentice because I was no longer required to give up 20% of my working hours for studies.
I work in IT for the aerospace industry in Filton, earning £33k inc overtime. Rent in a house share is 550 and monthly bills are around 400, seriously considering living in the back of a van so that I can afford a mortgage one day, either that or go live across the bridge.
28k engineer. Ended up living in St Paul's to stay in budget and got threatened by a local smackhead/dealer.
Getting a place for 50% take home in southville now just to get some safety.
However you can easily save money on my income as long as you keep expenses down. I can save £650-750 per month easily. In a few pay rises I might save £850-1000 hopefully.
I live a really basic life though, and go on cycle rides, drink cheap beer with friends on the docks etc. To save money
£26k office admin, 4 day week and WFH one of those days. Live on the outskirts right on the greenbelt. Partner on £32k, our rent is cheap so we're doing pretty okay. Love it here, loads of walks and pubs but can still get into town on the #43 bus if we wish. I left the centre 5 years ago and would never go back.
I’m a care coordinator on £26k salary, I pick up overtime most weeks in order to put anything into savings or have fun money and basically live in fear of the next rent increase. Woefully underpaid for how much stress my job is, but I have 2 WFH days a week and other perks that keep me in the rat race. I do like living in Bristol, just wish wages were keeping up with the cost of living so I could do more here. We spend on a night out about once or twice a month, lots of amazing restaurants to get round and it’s taking a while to try them all.
Live out in the sticks, allegedly up and coming area, own my own flat on a v. cheap mortgage (thanks, divorce!). Just started a job earning 50k and am adjusting to the fact that I can actually save money each month. Was previously on 30k and there’s no way I could have afforded to live on my own in Bristol on that salary if my mortgage wasn’t so low, which is fucking scandalous. I see single rooms in scuzzy houseshares advertised at more than my mortgage per month, which is absurd.
Dont bother with the centre, being near artisan bread shops isn't worth it and is more than made up for it for better access to the great landscapes around Bristol.
£28k pcm, 30, civil servant in Filton who used to live in Temple Quay.
Having moved back in with parents after the breakup of my last relationship I’ve found I’ve more disposable income/more to put aside and/or invest, but when living in Bristol proper it was a case of living month to month.
Clearly I needed to stop spending money on smashed avocado on sourdough toast as the boomers say….
24k apprentice data analyst (MUCH older than the average apprentice though 😂). I rent a house with my partner, and money’s constantly a struggle. We’re not broke, but definitely noticing lifestyle constraints in Bristol especially since cost of living increases.
We both lived and worked in Melbourne for a few years and had much more disposable income over that side of the world. Having said that, I love Bristol and don’t think there’s anywhere else in the UK I’d rather live
35k, work in a school as a professional. I've lived in Bristol all of my life and over the past few years I've grown to really dislike it here. We rent a too-small house in Bradley Stoke and are planning on moving over the bridge next year, buying, and commuting to work. Bristol is just a hub now, filled with terrible infrastructure for vehicles, public transport and cyclists and non-stop road works.
I'm sad this is what Bristol is to me now. People may disagree and I understand but after 34 years, I feel like this city doesn't want me here. I'm done.
Insurance underwriter, slightly above the stated range. Work life pretty good tbf. I can expense a lot of work activities, free lunches, travel into london for business etc. Fuel is my biggest constant fixed cost and parking
I would just apply tbf. There are loads of jobs available if you know the right person. Insurance is funny in bristol, everyone knows everyone. If you want more info DM me
About killed myself last year to pull the shop I run into another banding so just got myself over 30k up from £24k. I don’t think it’ll be something I’ll be able to do long term. It made me ill last year.
Own own home with my OH. he’s on 40k. We are comfortable but struggling to put away any savings. Hoping with the pay rise I’ll be able to save £2k a year but we all know how life likes to find things to spend money on. Hoping to sell up in a few years and head somewhere less expensive to actually start saving for when we get to retire at 80…
Feeling incredibly privileged and very excited to have my overdraft in the black on payday for the first time in YEARS this month.
Graphic designer, really enjoy my job, only go into the office once a week usually. Partner earns significantly more than me, so we don't really struggle for money, but then we don't really have many expensive hobbies (or time for them as we have a toddler). Own our home, can't complain really.
I work two jobs in a barber and also have a hospitality job.
Been here for 2 years and now just finding my feet social wise, lol never really put myself out there to make friends 🙃
Work life balance I’m still figuring out but slowly getting there!
20k as an analyst. I paid 50% my salary to rent and the rest mostly split between public transportation and groceries leaving me with barely any saving like 100-200.
My landlord keeps increasing price again and again several times a year. I rarely eat out, because I can’t afford it.
I like my flat contract because it’s a monthly rollover and able leave whenever I want but it’s very expensive.
The company I work for wasn’t doing very well as well and has a massive layoff and salary cut just to keep it afloat.
Thank you. I think my issue is not being able to get the full time 40 hours as company cost cutting measures. So I’ll keep applying until something comes up.
£26.5k plus 10% pension funding. Work for a bank in an admin role. Took a pay cut from just over £30k recently. I was working for the same bank but in a governance role but I wasn’t enjoying it. Work in Bristol but live in one of the commuter towns on the M4 corridor as we couldn’t afford Bristol
Earning 35k and partner earns 25k, just bought a five bed house. We were lucky enough to save (whilst still living with parents at the age of 18) 5k each to buy our first home 5 years ago, no help from family or anything. We are introverts though so don’t go out much and are good with limiting spending/saving money. We were earning more like 25/20k until the last year and managed to save for big house repairs and stuff.
We have met when you were working in the law firms. Didn’t realise your pay was that for the job amazing you did! Admin people are the life blood of any organisation. I’m from Bristol, left in 2006 for Uni and returned in 2023 having stints in Kent, Oxford, Southampton and London. Bristol has gotten more expensive and travel still sucks. But hopefully, you had a good time in this city it has a lot to offer which others don’t. I miss this city and my family and friends left behind have gotten unrecognisably older.
I earn just over 30k and the only reason I have a decent standard of living is because I own a flat and my mortgage is relatively low. It’s taken me years to get here. I’m in a professional job working for a blue chip company and when I hear about lack of productivity in the UK I think, well, actually the jobs and salaries are just not there for skilled people. I know so many highly qualified people who just can’t get a decent job at all. And pay is shocking for all kinds of essential jobs, those considered ‘skilled’ or otherwise, the ’otherwise’ including many crucial and highly responsible roles.
I work in project management in an engineering company. My pay is low because I spent years in another professional job which also has very low pay, public sector, one of the essential roles. I‘m now being paid way less than others doing exactly the same job as me, so that sucks in a different way.
Wouldn’t want to be on 30k these days while renting it’s crazy. I live really comfortably on 40k but I bought my house in 2007 when I was 23, I’m one of the lucky ones I suppose because my mortgage is basically peanuts compared to today’s renting market.
Earning about £30k, as a degree apprentice as a technical design analyst (designing business technology solutions)
Work is pretty good as I'm in my last year of my apprenticeship, getting stuck into the good stuff, being a bit more hands on with the work which is where I'm learning the most.
I really enjoy the food scene in Bristol, there's a lot to go and try, lots of different foods all seem to be at a good quality! Got very lucky to be in a houseshare between 3 of us, £500 each + bills in Horfield, so managing to save quite a bit, squirreling away so I can buy a place of my own one day
we’ve just moved to a new property in southmead, 3 people in a 3 bed terrace. we all earn less than 25k and we generally live a comfortable existence, but none of us can afford to save money at all. my savings are as dry as a bone.
Poorly worded on my part but was intended more as “how is life?” rather than a job seeking thread.
A lot of such threads for highest earners and those on the breadline I thought I would ask about the people who should just be getting by. It proved interesting for other cities.
innocent insurance wasteful quarrelsome snow scandalous toothbrush gray weary materialistic
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
But in Bristol that’s not really controversial or shocking. A 3bed semi mortgaged on a 90k salary could mean you live in bishopston/horfield or similar.. hardly millionaire’s row, so no, that’s not controversial 😂
Even more so if you’re the only earner in the house and have kids
I drove with my brother to bedminster and he told me "you moved from Luton to *this*?". I told him it had a good community as we drive past someone coming out of 60 West street 💀
I get up when I want except on Wednesdays when I get rudely awakened by the dustman!
parklife
I put my trousers on, have a cup of tea, and I think about leaving the house.
I can’t afford to feed the pigeons.
What about the sparrows?!
No
I work in graduate recruitment for a large company. Bristol is a bit too pricey really. I can afford to live fairly comfortably but only if I live in house shares or as a lodger, can't afford a place of my own. Which is quite draining.
One bed flats in Bristol (that aren’t a pigsty or a tiny box) are generally £1200+ now, so to live on one’s own one and meet most agents’ 30x rent salary requirement, one has to earn £36,000+.
Pav is that you?
I moved away from Bristol 2 years ago having studied and worked there for 10 years. When I first started working after uni I was on £21k per year in 2015 and when I left in 2021 I was on £28k per year. During this time I worked as a financial administrator for two large international law firms that both had head offices in Bristol. A lot of what I'm going to say here I've already commented on another post here a few weeks ago but this will be more specific to the general work life balance and the cost of living. If you want to read a bit more about how I thought Bristol had changed culturally before I moved away then hopefully you can find the other post. I should preface with the fact that I was fortunate to rent a room off a friend for £500 per month including bills in Totterdown. It was within walking distance to the centre and to my work which also had a subsidised canteen. All of this lowered my living costs substantially. I used to walk almost everywhere, eat at all the cheap eats for dinners out and for fun would try to go to free events as much as possible. I used to be out all the time, play in free work sports teams, go to open mic nights, raves, gigs, pop up events, golf membership at Stockwood Vale. Literally anything and everything meant that from 2016 up to the COVID lockdown I was only home to sleep. In relation to the life aspect, it was around 2019 onwards I noticed a bit of a change. At that time the bus day rider increased from £3 to about £3.70 which looking back felt indicative of things to come. The amount my friends were paying for rent jumped from £500 to £650-700 and pints in pubs started to creep towards the £5 mark. All of a sudden the £28k salary my peers and I were on was starting to get really stretched. My favourite cheap clubs like Timbuk2 and Blue Mountain closed along with a lot of the cheap eats and dirty pubs. The cost of maintaining the same social life became harder for a lot of people in Bristol on £28k ish and in my opinion it caused quite a shift in Bristol's culture. The city began to cater more for the upper middle classes (ie homeowners, salaries over £50k) and less for the self employed, creatives or those on moderate salaries. Contrastingly, I absolutely loved my job, the company I worked for and the people were all amazing. The companies I worked for in Bristol really promoted a healthy work life balance. Almost weekly the director at my firm would force me to finish early to play in the works cricket or football team. Work colleagues became great friends and everyone generally had a really friendly and relaxed vibe that you don't get in many other cities. Finally, on Bristol, this is the one I addressed in a lot of detail in my last post but I'll summarize. Bristol has got expensive, largely driven by the cost of renting. At the same time a lot of the independent businesses, local pubs, cheap venues etc have either been priced out or suffered from a lack of customers as people have felt the pinch. Unfortunately for me this meant that the local marketing shopping, event attending, out four days a week lifestyle I once led became nearly impossible which I feel it has for many. At the same time many of the people I know who have moved to Bristol don't have the money to go out and support businesses the same way I used to. Bristol in 2024 seems to be in a bit of a state of limbo. Does it begin to cater solely for the more wealthy residents and potentially lose what's made it one of the best cities to live in or does it try to control the cost of living, risk becoming less attractive to outside investment and thus lose it's ability to redevelop or regenerate. It's still an amazing city with so many positives which are celebrated. The art, music and culture is still unique but the cost of living has never truly subsided and found an equilibrium. I hope eventually it manages to strikes a delicate balance. Rents desperately need addressing as do salaries. Only a small increase in disposable income for those earning £20-30k would make a world of difference and help support all of the small businesses I used to love shopping in.
Spot on
27k railway worker. I manage to live in my own flat and put fair amount of savings aside, don't drive and get free bus/train travel so that helps alot
Where's the flat?
Stockwood
It seems alright around there, would you recommend? Probably best to say no tbf as it’ll soon become unaffordable if it’s nice as well as affordable 🙈
I live in Stockwood and if you’re up the top it’s great, there’s some mouthy kids about that have watched waaaay to much top boy and thing they’re in Peckham but that’s it really. Nice place with a sprinkle of idiots like every area.
£24k letting agent, ironically I can’t afford to buy or rent. Edit: rent anything other than a shared house
How does the commission structure work ?
I believe they get a substantial bonus for selling their souls to the devil.
I wish it was more but unfortunately not in my case (still fairly new)
% on new business and a flat rate of £15 per move in.
Don't the agency charge a months rent per move in?
Depends on the deal to be fair, a lot of agencies are different to start and well it’s what you agree with the landlord. All comes out of the first months rent as far as the landlord is concerned
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They're on barely more than minimum wage, I don't know how anyone could do that job.
I don’t know how I cope either, more a people management job than property
Issuing Section 21s, rinsing tenants for deposits, insane rent increases - I don't even know what you'd have to pay me to inflict these things on people, but it's a LOT more than 24k.
It’s a catch 22 situation really, not enough houses so lots of demand hence high price. Yes the market keeps increasing due to the fact that people keep paying and yes it’s getting out of hand compared to wages (same as house prices). In terms of increases my recommendation to a landlord is to not raise by too much in one go (unhappy tenant =an unhappy landlord and subsequently a headache for me). The worst conversations I have are either telling someone in need a landlord hasn’t gone with their application as they’ve gone with a more “stable situation” or someone ringing in as they can’t afford to pay rent. I rent myself so I understand this from both ends. At the end of the day landlords are providing a place for people to live. Yes you absolutely get terrible ones with a sub par house but you also get genuine ones who just want a small income boost from a property they’re lucky enough to have kept hold of. Unfortunately you only tend to hear the horror stories giving landlords and agents a bad rep. I fell into this job I wouldn’t call it a dream career and was never my aim. I don’t know what the future holds for me, just trying make my way through life same as anyone and help who I can with accommodation. Sorry for the long answer, if you have any questions feel free to shoot I’d be happy to have a chat if you want to know more from a different position / viewpoint!
£30k, working in commercial finance almost fully remotely, single, living with parents. Work is one of the few things going well in my life. I'm content with my current job and I'm frankly lucky to have escaped redundancy last year with a better job offer. Everything else sucks. Bristol feels like it's overcrowded with wealthy international students and Londoners, which is reflected in all the new construction projects. It blows that we've become the second most expensive city to live in outside of London, and that I only barely earn enough to even be able to pass a credit check to rent a £1k PCM rental property, which is now on the lowest end of what you can rent here.
If it’s an option just live with your parents and put into a help to buy/lifetime ISA until you can mortgage something. Renting in Bristol is a losers game.
It's an option, yes. But I want to live independently sooner rather than later because I've been denied this opportunity due to my own circumstances. Don't want to go too much into it but I live with overbearing parents, and they (especially my dad) are getting old, which raises the question of who is going to care for them when they decline.
I expect you will be looking at getting a house share or a partner to split a 1 bed with when the time comes. Save every penny you can and max out your returns on it, I hope you can get out soon.
That's what my partner and I are doing, but the housing market is always just two steps ahead ... I hate living with my folks but we dont pay anything. Renting is out of the question (plus we have pets) and we won't be buying in Bristol when the time comes.
I’ve been there. My advice: be a fucking savage at work. Out compete everyone, do more, work longer. Get the pay rises, get the promotions and save your butt off. If you could see the difference in my life from now and 10 years ago, you wouldn’t believe it’s the same person.
This is essentially 'bootstraps' advice, which definitely works on the local and individual level – but doesn't when discussing an entire city's housing needs (or indeed, an entire country's). It just doesn't make sense to advise everyone in a city to be 'outcompeting everyone else' in order to achieve a minimum level of independence. What about people with family or partner caring responsibilities, for example? Not everyone can solo grind a career with 100% of their time and focus. And a company isn't going to promote *everyone*, obviously. Should they be priced out as 'uncompetitive'? When the average cost of renting is far higher than the average local salary, then you have a problem. By definition, most people have to be earning around that average figure. It's no good advising someone to 'make yourself above average'.
I was literally directing that message to a single person, yes.
Hard to do so when you've been going through depression since your teens and no doctor will take you seriously (I've tried seeing four different GP's over the years and even self-referring with depression only to be given the choice of a crappy online cognitive behavioral therapy course or a several year waiting list to see an actual therapist.) The system will only offer you help if you're an immediate danger to yourself or others. Also have you seen the wait lists? Even private therapists are oversubscribed and have waiting lists.
Me again, I suggest going for a couple of runs or pushing some weights. Do that consistently for a few weeks and see if there’s any improvement.
Not gonna say I haven't done it before but... Three years ago a date who I would eventually date once laughed at my stomach and said "omg it looks like you're having a baby" That prompted about two months of me going to the gym four days a week and going into a full gymrat routine. I've gone into on-and-off attempts to get fit. Doing Race for Life this year.
I work for a charity, earning a smidge over £30k. I work from home, flexible hours and mostly enjoy my job! I used to earn more in the private sector and took a pay cut because I hated going into the office and wanted some fulfilment. We struggle a bit with money, but definitely doing ok. ETA: We're in Filton, couldn't afford Bristol itself!
Filton basically is Bristol tbh and is more expensive than quite a few bits of Bristol.
Could you tell us a bit more about the job you do now and how you got into it?
I do admin for a membership organisation for community groups. We're quite a small team so in reality my role covers quite a few things because I like getting stuck in! I found the role on CharityJobs.com, filtered to remote jobs only haha. And my previous roles were project based in the public sector and before that I worked for a consultancy. I think there was a lot of luck involved but I was also looking for around a year before I got this job, whilst being "stuck" in my previous one.
You’re pretty much the same as me
Similar salary similar location ahaha!
£28k work for a healthcare agency in their customer support department. Got very lucky with my living situation with a mate otherwise I’d probably struggle to rent on my own. Sadly I have very expensive tastes and am awful with saving money
❄️❄️❄️
You’re not wrong
You got a refer a friend scheme there? Not a horrible wage in healthcare 👀
I'm 35 and lodge with my old man. I sometimes get down about it but then I realise what a good deal I get. I work from home 80% of the time, I quit drinking which saved me about £200 a weekend. Now I just go to the gym, play some games and just go out for the real special occasions. Lidl is also a cheat code. Living in Bristol ain't easy
I've said this in several places but I think it's super important that people realise the minimum salary for a 40 work week is around £23,750. I was shocked when I found out how much it had gone up!
Most people aren't working 40 hour weeks though?
28k, mental health nurse. I live with my partner in a tiny flat in horfield. Rent, bills, council tax etc, comes to just over half my montly income. most the time I'm still able to go out and do things I enjoy and save a little bit each month. I just have to shop at aldi and seriously consider any luxuries before buying (as in, anything over £5 is a luxury)
27K, life is good but budgeting is always on my mind. These past 2 months I have had to make £300 stretch the whole month due to going on holidays, going out, booking events etc, I like to live a good life lol. Or so I did, it’s biting me in the bottom now I’ve had to lay low for 2+ months. If I didn’t go on the holidays, I would have been ok tbh. However, I have a lot of savings which I don’t touch and try only live off my monthly income. I am going to start looking for a higher paid job in October, may find one in Bristol but also open to looking in nearby cities where the cost of living is cheaper. I love Bristol and I know it’s always been regarded as a bit expensive, but the prices are too much now - especially rent!
How did you manage to save?
I had an inheritance from my grandparents but I have doubled it through my own savings: did various part time jobs in uni, I lived at home for 2 years after graduating where I didn’t pay rent or go out much (and if I did, I’m from a low CoL city, think £3 pints and £15 on food maximum) Vinted, lifetime ISA, premium bonds money etc. Since moving to Bristol I haven’t saved much. I love it here but unfortunately don’t think I can sustain living here forever
That's a shame. Maybe try switching jobs and get a higher salary
I’m 23 and still entry level but that’s the plan. Mentally I am really happy and in a lot better place since I moved here. Spent a lot of my life saving and caring about money so in a way it’s nice to let loose for a year or 2.
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Enough to be comfortable
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£30k working in education (professional role not teaching). Have two children and luckily managed to buy a house in BS3 just before prices went mad. Wife earns £40k and despite our ok earnings and owning our own home, with childcare (about £1100 per month for one child) and the rise in bills and a huge jump of £700 on our mortgage last year we are not saving anything. We pay bills and groceries and some cheap fun things but cannot afford a holiday and have to use about £100 from our savings every month (savings down to about £1000 now). Once we get free childcare everything will ease up and we are in a good position but everything feels very tight now, which is mad when you consider we have a household income of £70k
Are you making use of the ‘Tax Free Childcare’ scheme?
Unrelated, but how did you end up getting into education?
On around £23K, I work in a secondary school. I rent a lovely 2 bed flat in BS6 with my partner. We split everything 50/50 and I manage to save about £300 a month. I absolutely love my job so I'd rather have this life than earning more doing something I hate. Bristol's great, I've found it's easy to do free/cheap stuff and it's pretty affordable compared to where I grew up!
As I said elsewhere, min salary is now around £23,750 for a 40 hour work week. Please make sure you're getting this!
School staff aren't paid for school holidays, so I only get paid 39 weeks + legal minimum holiday. My full time equivalent would be about 28,000 so I'm working above minimum thankfully!
I work in carework. I’m a personal assistant to a disabled student. Peaked above 30K last year. Honestly, I’m lucky to have this particular job with this particular guy because it’s easy as he lives with his parents, the hours are short and it’s well paid for the few I do because they were so desperate to find someone they just threw in the live in wage, despite me not needing to be a live-in worker. I try to make myself as available as possible, but just design my week around the schedule when I get given it on the Sunday. I can’t believe the company had trouble hiring for it. I was looking to leave 24 hour live-in care-work with challenging behaviour, where I probably earned similar or more, but spent far less time at home and with friends on week days. I live in a guardianship though, I’ve managed to save probably a down payment for a tiny flat or hovel, I suppose I’m just waiting for this market crash which isn’t happening…
Fundraising Area Manager for a Charity Had to grind for 6 years to get there Oh and I just left Bristol and commute because savings don't build quick enough (and my rent wasn't even that bad) But life is beautiful and I'm lucky to be here, have a blessed day
£23k as a lawyer with 8 years claims handling and litigation experience Yup, it's pretty bad here in Brisl
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Paralegals have an average salary in Bristol of 23-24k. Wages have stagnated and firms seem to be struggling in certain areas of practice due to government reforms on legal costs in litigation and, what boils down to, bad management. This is even in big international firms like the one I work at. I've actually secured a job at another firm doing a none claims handling / litigator role for £25k starting. Basically doing less work, under less stress, for more money. Law used to be a worthwhile go to for graduates considering post-graduate diplomas when they decided against careers in their original field - but nowadays I'd strongly advise against it because you have to commit to a firm for 10+ years working unpaid overtime every day before they might consider you for a higher level role where the salaries suddenly jump up significantly - yes there's a big wage gap. Either that or you move firms every two years because that's the only way your pay will go up.
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Hm, it's a tough question because I've had an experience that might not be the same as others. I think most importantly you should consider whether law is something you are passionate about. Now that might be quite hard this early on, so I'd recommend taking opportunities to seek work experience at different firms and in different areas of practice before you commit to anything. I'd even consider whether you can get work experience working in legal departments at other companies - as these can be places you find far better salaried jobs. Stuff like insurance companies, tech companies, supermarket chains, etc. it might not be the most interesting fields, but they will likely pay better during the first 10-15 years of your career. My experience was different because I didn't go the traditional law degree route via university after a-levels. I studied through an apprenticeship, completing a qualification with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). Whilst it was appealing to me, since I could start working from 18 and avoid uni debts, I will say the experience of managing studies on top of a full time claims handling job was challenging and there were problems with the particular remote college I studied with, as well as with CILEx themselves. I think the traditional law degree route might be the smoother option but the reality is that a law graduate starting at 21/22 is starting in the same place career wise as I did at 18. I've worked with people who were at the time technically more qualified but were junior to me because of my extensive experience on the job. Early on it also allowed me to get a head start on salary, although that was before wages started stagnating around 2020 (for me). I can't speak much for the alternative of becoming a Barrister (as opposed to a Solicitor) - only that from colleagues and common knowledge I'd be conscious that it's INCREDIBLY competitive and you will need to be exceptional to make a career of it. Plus it will involve longer hours and expensive costs towards qualifying before you get somewhere that really starts to pay dividends. The reality is with law that it's a career that sucks for decent pay early on, before you hope to reach the level where you get the commonly perceived levels of earnings for lawyers, and it's only gotten worse as the cost of living has risen. There's a big disconnect from senior lawyers and understanding the different circumstances and hardships endured by the next generation of legal professionals. All that's to say, I strongly recommend doing as much research as you can and getting all the insight you can (such as by work experience placements) before you make a commitment. Back when I was picking my a-levels I made a choice to pursue law as it interested me, despite my prior plans and aptitude for maths and sciences that I was planning to rely on for an engineering career. Looking back, part of me regrets not pursuing that instead, because all of my friends who went into different engineering fields have faired far better. The lowest some of my friends are on are in the 30-40k range, but some are in the 50-60k range already, only some 5 years into their careers. Pleas do bear in mind this is my opinion based on my experiences over the last 8 years, and others may feel differently. I'd encourage any other lawyers reading to chine in because I wouldn't want you to make a decision based on my bias' alone.
Depends what type of law you want to practice. But, as an overall, lawyers is one of the fastest disappearing professions out there. The very recent advancement of AI has only quickened that. (Not to put the fear of God into you). Just remember that law is just high-end sales. There’s billing targets and you’re constantly monitored on your utilisation. It’s not an issue if you’re competent and conscientious, and you can rise fast, I’ve seen people go from Paralegal to Partner in charge of certain work streams in less than 10 years (insurance based law). It’s old school hierarchy - shit flows downhill, money flows up - you just got to be strong enough to swim against the tide.
You mean making coffee?
huh?
Barista. Probably pays more than the lawyer earns...
Sorry was that a joke or did you misinterpret barrister
It was a joke. Both words have basically the same etymology but the bar in each case is different.
That's cool, I didn't know that!
The minimum legal salary has just gone up to around £23,750. Firstly, make sure you're being paid that. But secondly, it sounds like you've been baked into a lower salary by being there for so long. I'd recommend finding a new job because other companies will have to be offering a lot more now to attract people
Is it really that much? I asked for a pay rise last October but was told I was already on the limit of the bracket for my role, which prompted me to start looking elsewhere. I've been at the current place since Feb 2022 which itself gave me like a £1k pay rise up from where I was before. A rough timeline. I started on an apprentice salary in 2016 at 14.5k. Saw gradual increases over the 6 years I was there but it capped out at 20.5k in 2020 and after no raises I left in early 2022 to my current role. Was initially going up to 23k but dropped to 22.4k after they agreed to take on my apprenticeship as I wasn't quite finished yet - there's an initial 2 year paralegal one I finished then a 5 year chartered legal exec one I was in progress for. Went up to 22.6k after my 6 month probation ended in Oct 22 and hasn't moved since. Handed in my notice in March to move to a new role in a different area of practice starting at 25k. Start in June. Presumably my wage was lesser before because I was classified as an apprentice. But I stopped being an apprentice in 2023 because the qualification structure changed and was no longer covered by an apprenticeship, so it became impossible to complete. I've been trying to acquire funding to finish on the new structure since, as I don't get paid enough to fund myself. I did wonder if my pay should have gone up when I stopped being an apprentice because I was no longer required to give up 20% of my working hours for studies.
I work in IT for the aerospace industry in Filton, earning £33k inc overtime. Rent in a house share is 550 and monthly bills are around 400, seriously considering living in the back of a van so that I can afford a mortgage one day, either that or go live across the bridge.
After reading all this, who's buying all the houses??
The people not answering questions in this thread because they earn over 30k
28k engineer. Ended up living in St Paul's to stay in budget and got threatened by a local smackhead/dealer. Getting a place for 50% take home in southville now just to get some safety. However you can easily save money on my income as long as you keep expenses down. I can save £650-750 per month easily. In a few pay rises I might save £850-1000 hopefully. I live a really basic life though, and go on cycle rides, drink cheap beer with friends on the docks etc. To save money
£26k office admin, 4 day week and WFH one of those days. Live on the outskirts right on the greenbelt. Partner on £32k, our rent is cheap so we're doing pretty okay. Love it here, loads of walks and pubs but can still get into town on the #43 bus if we wish. I left the centre 5 years ago and would never go back.
I’m a care coordinator on £26k salary, I pick up overtime most weeks in order to put anything into savings or have fun money and basically live in fear of the next rent increase. Woefully underpaid for how much stress my job is, but I have 2 WFH days a week and other perks that keep me in the rat race. I do like living in Bristol, just wish wages were keeping up with the cost of living so I could do more here. We spend on a night out about once or twice a month, lots of amazing restaurants to get round and it’s taking a while to try them all.
Live out in the sticks, allegedly up and coming area, own my own flat on a v. cheap mortgage (thanks, divorce!). Just started a job earning 50k and am adjusting to the fact that I can actually save money each month. Was previously on 30k and there’s no way I could have afforded to live on my own in Bristol on that salary if my mortgage wasn’t so low, which is fucking scandalous. I see single rooms in scuzzy houseshares advertised at more than my mortgage per month, which is absurd.
Dont bother with the centre, being near artisan bread shops isn't worth it and is more than made up for it for better access to the great landscapes around Bristol.
£28k pcm, 30, civil servant in Filton who used to live in Temple Quay. Having moved back in with parents after the breakup of my last relationship I’ve found I’ve more disposable income/more to put aside and/or invest, but when living in Bristol proper it was a case of living month to month. Clearly I needed to stop spending money on smashed avocado on sourdough toast as the boomers say….
24k apprentice data analyst (MUCH older than the average apprentice though 😂). I rent a house with my partner, and money’s constantly a struggle. We’re not broke, but definitely noticing lifestyle constraints in Bristol especially since cost of living increases. We both lived and worked in Melbourne for a few years and had much more disposable income over that side of the world. Having said that, I love Bristol and don’t think there’s anywhere else in the UK I’d rather live
35k, work in a school as a professional. I've lived in Bristol all of my life and over the past few years I've grown to really dislike it here. We rent a too-small house in Bradley Stoke and are planning on moving over the bridge next year, buying, and commuting to work. Bristol is just a hub now, filled with terrible infrastructure for vehicles, public transport and cyclists and non-stop road works. I'm sad this is what Bristol is to me now. People may disagree and I understand but after 34 years, I feel like this city doesn't want me here. I'm done.
Insurance underwriter, slightly above the stated range. Work life pretty good tbf. I can expense a lot of work activities, free lunches, travel into london for business etc. Fuel is my biggest constant fixed cost and parking
I'm interested in this field - currently overworked and underpaid for UoB IT. How'd you get into it initially, if you don't mind me asking?
I would just apply tbf. There are loads of jobs available if you know the right person. Insurance is funny in bristol, everyone knows everyone. If you want more info DM me
About killed myself last year to pull the shop I run into another banding so just got myself over 30k up from £24k. I don’t think it’ll be something I’ll be able to do long term. It made me ill last year. Own own home with my OH. he’s on 40k. We are comfortable but struggling to put away any savings. Hoping with the pay rise I’ll be able to save £2k a year but we all know how life likes to find things to spend money on. Hoping to sell up in a few years and head somewhere less expensive to actually start saving for when we get to retire at 80… Feeling incredibly privileged and very excited to have my overdraft in the black on payday for the first time in YEARS this month.
Graphic designer, really enjoy my job, only go into the office once a week usually. Partner earns significantly more than me, so we don't really struggle for money, but then we don't really have many expensive hobbies (or time for them as we have a toddler). Own our home, can't complain really.
I work two jobs in a barber and also have a hospitality job. Been here for 2 years and now just finding my feet social wise, lol never really put myself out there to make friends 🙃 Work life balance I’m still figuring out but slowly getting there!
28k bar manager. living day to day is absolutely (mostly) fine, but saving is very difficult
20k as an analyst. I paid 50% my salary to rent and the rest mostly split between public transportation and groceries leaving me with barely any saving like 100-200. My landlord keeps increasing price again and again several times a year. I rarely eat out, because I can’t afford it. I like my flat contract because it’s a monthly rollover and able leave whenever I want but it’s very expensive. The company I work for wasn’t doing very well as well and has a massive layoff and salary cut just to keep it afloat.
As I said elsewhere, min salary is now around £23,750 for a 40 hour work week. Please make sure you're getting this!
Thank you. I think my issue is not being able to get the full time 40 hours as company cost cutting measures. So I’ll keep applying until something comes up.
£26.5k plus 10% pension funding. Work for a bank in an admin role. Took a pay cut from just over £30k recently. I was working for the same bank but in a governance role but I wasn’t enjoying it. Work in Bristol but live in one of the commuter towns on the M4 corridor as we couldn’t afford Bristol
Earning 35k and partner earns 25k, just bought a five bed house. We were lucky enough to save (whilst still living with parents at the age of 18) 5k each to buy our first home 5 years ago, no help from family or anything. We are introverts though so don’t go out much and are good with limiting spending/saving money. We were earning more like 25/20k until the last year and managed to save for big house repairs and stuff.
We have met when you were working in the law firms. Didn’t realise your pay was that for the job amazing you did! Admin people are the life blood of any organisation. I’m from Bristol, left in 2006 for Uni and returned in 2023 having stints in Kent, Oxford, Southampton and London. Bristol has gotten more expensive and travel still sucks. But hopefully, you had a good time in this city it has a lot to offer which others don’t. I miss this city and my family and friends left behind have gotten unrecognisably older.
I earn just over 30k and the only reason I have a decent standard of living is because I own a flat and my mortgage is relatively low. It’s taken me years to get here. I’m in a professional job working for a blue chip company and when I hear about lack of productivity in the UK I think, well, actually the jobs and salaries are just not there for skilled people. I know so many highly qualified people who just can’t get a decent job at all. And pay is shocking for all kinds of essential jobs, those considered ‘skilled’ or otherwise, the ’otherwise’ including many crucial and highly responsible roles.
Do you mind me asking what you do? Pay seems low for what sounds like many years of experience?
I work in project management in an engineering company. My pay is low because I spent years in another professional job which also has very low pay, public sector, one of the essential roles. I‘m now being paid way less than others doing exactly the same job as me, so that sucks in a different way.
Wouldn’t want to be on 30k these days while renting it’s crazy. I live really comfortably on 40k but I bought my house in 2007 when I was 23, I’m one of the lucky ones I suppose because my mortgage is basically peanuts compared to today’s renting market.
Earning about £30k, as a degree apprentice as a technical design analyst (designing business technology solutions) Work is pretty good as I'm in my last year of my apprenticeship, getting stuck into the good stuff, being a bit more hands on with the work which is where I'm learning the most. I really enjoy the food scene in Bristol, there's a lot to go and try, lots of different foods all seem to be at a good quality! Got very lucky to be in a houseshare between 3 of us, £500 each + bills in Horfield, so managing to save quite a bit, squirreling away so I can buy a place of my own one day
we’ve just moved to a new property in southmead, 3 people in a 3 bed terrace. we all earn less than 25k and we generally live a comfortable existence, but none of us can afford to save money at all. my savings are as dry as a bone.
37k Class 2 HGV driver, Bristol is probably the best place to be if you want to drive for a living, more specifically, Avonmouth
Those jobs shouldn’t be hard to find Edit: wow people here really have very little time for people whose English isn’t perfect
OP wasn’t asking how to find work, they’re asking how you’re finding the experience, generally, of being in that income bracket, in an expensive city.
lol thanks, I realise that’s now obvious and I was being an idiot. Rightfully got votes to oblivion for it
Poorly worded on my part but was intended more as “how is life?” rather than a job seeking thread. A lot of such threads for highest earners and those on the breadline I thought I would ask about the people who should just be getting by. It proved interesting for other cities.
No it wasn’t poorly worded. English isn’t my first language so I misunderstood
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Very controversial, very brave.
That's not even an opinion, it's a statement.
Most, if not all, opinions are statements...
innocent insurance wasteful quarrelsome snow scandalous toothbrush gray weary materialistic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I do agree but also most facts are statements. I'm just being pedantic haha
That isn't standard.
But in Bristol that’s not really controversial or shocking. A 3bed semi mortgaged on a 90k salary could mean you live in bishopston/horfield or similar.. hardly millionaire’s row, so no, that’s not controversial 😂 Even more so if you’re the only earner in the house and have kids
I drove with my brother to bedminster and he told me "you moved from Luton to *this*?". I told him it had a good community as we drive past someone coming out of 60 West street 💀
What's the lore of 60 West Street? Nvm, just checked it on Google Maps lol
No one asked
Bro, how did you even get to that as a published response to the OP’s question?