Cost of living in Scotland

Hello blista7 -> Can you please introduce yourself and be more explicit?

PS: To note that the thread title is Cost of living in Scotland.

Thank you,
Aurélie

hi, im fay from Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur). recently i got an offer to do a cross transfer to Aberdeen Scotland. Just wondering it's GBP50/day is enough for 3 times meals.

Faymeric
Do you mean £50 a day for meals or per month.
If you are a muslim there are 3 halal shops walking from central mosque.
3 small chickens £6 round about. You just budget.

First thing, I would like to apologize to Dave Scotland, I'm new and just starting to figure out how it works. Hello everyone. My story is my wife and I want to visit Edinburgh soon and if all goes well then we plan to move there, we're trying to get an understanding of the cost of living for a family of 3 adults and 3 children and 2 dogs to which one of the dogs is an American pitbull terrier. Does it change things if I keep my job in the states. We could use all the advice we can get. Thank you everyone.

I have only put on the list the items that I know for sure and those that I can easily estimate. These are for Glasgow, summer 2013.

> accommodation prices: £600 for a flat in the west end (studenty part of town) £500-ish on the south side

> public transportation fares: bus and subway ticket about £1.50 for a one way ticket. If you are travelling a lot, the SPT Zonecard allows unlimited travel by train, subway and bus within Glasgow City. It cost  £18/week or £65/month

> food prices: varies, there's a wide range of shops to chose from, from the really cheap (lidl) to the luxury groceries (peckham). say £100-ish/m

> health prices: a medicine that is prescribed by a GP is free of charge, GP consultation are free once you are registered and have a national insurance number.


> energy prices: electricity £30/m heating £30/m  for a flat. It is usually a little more than that during the cold season.

> common bills: Internet from £20/m, there's an annual fee of about £150 for the TV license,telephone would be £15/m and you can get a mobile phone subscription from about £15/m

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant: there again it varies wildly. Humble take away food like fish and chips or kebabs are around £5 and gourmet dining can be up to £50 for a 3 course meal, not counting drinks. I'll say in most restaurants or pubs, you'll get a very nice meal around £25 per person, drinks included

> prices of a beer or a coffee in a regular pub: pint of beer £4, coffee £2.5
Hope that helps

Try this site for cost of living numbeo.com

Hi there, everything I see is for a 1 bedroom flat, what about a 3-4 bedroom place to rent?  My husband and I have 3 kids.
Thanks

The best site for actual real estate price (to rent or to buy) throughout Scotland is s1homes.com

I am considering moving to Edinburgh.  I am retired and have some savings and retirement income.  Would be interested in all items in day to day llving (cost of renting, food utilites, etc.  I am not interested in schooling.  I have my own medical insurance through my retirement and medicare.

Please advise.

Hello vicki hagerty.

Welcome to Expat.com

Have you read the entire thread? There are lots of infos which may be helpful.

Thanks.

Karen

We (me, my husband, & our young son) are considering moving to Scotland in 2015.
Curious about a few things:
1) Can we bring our 75 lb dog with us? if so, what are the requirements/fees?
2) Suggestions of cities/towns where I could most likely set up my acupuncture practice?
3) What cities/towns have the most progressive education opportunities? for my son, and my husband, as a teacher.

Many thanks.

To bring a dog into the ukk, it will have to go into quarentine for 6 months i think, as the uk is rabies free.
Edinburgh is a good city to live, good schools

What if the dog has had her rabies shots?

I was wondering that too.
If the dog's been vaccinated, I don't see why it would need to be quarantined.
Another question along that line, how hard would it be to find housing that would allow a dog? I don't foresee our buying a home right away.

Im not sure about that.
There a flat end of my street on sale for £89,000. And the one next door to it for same i think

Jazzness, are you or your husband UK/EU citizens? If not have you looked into visa requirements? This could be your biggest obstacle.

I was doing some research about living in Scotland and I came across this website.  We have been talking about Scotland for several months now, but I understand we could only live there for six months.  I will read all the blogs to get more information, but if anyone has any pointers for us, I would sure love to hear them.

Hi dkhscotland,

Welcome to Expat.com

Please note that you can create a new discussion on the Scotland forum with all your questions.

You may also browse through the different threads on the forum and participate in the discussions.

Thank you

Hasnaa
Expat.com Team

flicMaker wrote:

Very active blog with lots of great information!  How is living in Scotland in terms of family life?  What are the schools like for the kids? Activities?

That National Insurance cost seems like a lot.  I assume it's similar to Social Security here in the states.  Is that money kept for the individual until retirement or is it thrown into a pool and divied out to everyone (like it is here )?

See you soon!
Scott

Hi Scott, Scotland is fab for family life, I live in Glasgow or just outside, I have 2 kids schools are brilliant, and medically its great, but you don't pay for it unless u go private which schooling wise can cost a bomb.
A 3 bed rental home costs around £600-£850 per month with council tax anywhere from £120 -£220 per month, gas and electric combined cost me around £180 per month and my usual food bill for a family of 4 is around £500 -£700.
Plenty of activities for the kids and adults.

feel free to mail me if u got any questions,

D

Hi,
I would goin Edimburgh to live with my son of 10 years old. Would pleas ask to you how has been your experience with your son for the schools...Tnks a lot

Great info. Thank you.

I have a question, is it possible if i come to scotland first then start looking opportunity to work there?

No, you must get a work visa from your local British consulate before you travel to the UK to work. But first you must find an employer to make you a definite job offer and sponsor you. Good luck.

I see from your profile that you intend to come to the UK in March. I think it best to cancel or pospone this. If the immigration officer at the UK airport does not believe that you are simply a tourist you will be sent back home on the next flight. You can find more information here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

Thank you for the adviced. 

Hi everybody,

Please note that the initial topic of this thread is Cost of living in Scotland !!
So avoid off topic posts here please.

Thank you

Priscilla
Expat.com team

Sorry

I would like to know what is the monthly cost of living in Ayr, or Glasgow :-)

The 6 month quarantine for dogs brought into the UK is no longer mandatory IF you are arriving from the list of approved countries, obtain a 'Pet Passport' and follow the proper procedures as set forth by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).  There are some specific requirements regarding method of travel and the dog must have a 'chip' implanted, but assuming all requirements are satisfied, you can avoid  the quarantine.

AdaAdamczak wrote:

I would like to know what is the monthly cost of living in Ayr, or Glasgow :-)

Welcome to the forum.

For cost of living try this site www.numbeo.com

Hi looking at moving to Inveness vicinity next year. Wanted to sort of compare cost of living between South Africa and there, especially fuel prices

Sounds awesome over there. Planning a trip in January (when it is really cold) and looking for a 2 bedroomed house for sale around Inverness, must be rural as I would like to keep a horse. The cost of living seems to be a lot cheaper than in South Africa, as well as distances to travel, there are more opportunities than driving like we have here or expensive flights.

In the UK, its against the law to own certain types of dog. These are the:

Pit Bull Terrier
Japanese Tosa
Dogo Argentino
Fila Braziliero
Its also against the law to:

sell
abandon
give away
breed from
a banned dog.

Whether your dog is a banned type depends on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name.

Example
If your dog matches many of the characteristics of a Pit Bull Terrier, it may be a banned type.

A thought before you try to bring your dog as we have an act in Scotland which includes Pit Bull Breeds.

What is a council tax?