twright

Hi Annie Bit late coming to the party with my response, but my husband and I moved to London from Aus (Melbourne) two years ago. Our kids were 4 and 3 when we arrived. I think others have covered off expenses pretty well (but defo 3-4k on a 4 bed house in Peckham or East Dulwich for monthly rent if you want a garden. We decided to go for a smaller place with no garden for significantly less rent, which we've kind of been regretting in lockdown! The original plan was that we'd travel out of London most weekends but that hasn't quite panned out. That said, the South East has great parks and we've spent most weekends this year exploring local parkland). While living in inner Melbourne was expensive, we've found that London still feels like less value for money when it comes to rent, public transport and eating out. We decided not to buy a car because of the parking and transport hassles (extended ultra low emission zone charge comes into force in October 2021 so def worth keeping that in mind if planning to buy a car). We didn't encounter childcare costs as my 3 year old was offered a place at the local school nursery where my 4 year old started school in Reception (first year of school here). 3 year olds get 15 hours of free childcare and she attended during school hours on Mondays-Wednesdays (she even had to wear the school uniform and 3 definitely seemed far too young to be in school, but she loved it and it really helped her prepare for Reception). There's lots of lovely schools in East Dulwich - our girls are at Goose Green Primary School which is a 3-4 minute walk from the East Dulwich train station. If you're looking for a 45 minute commute to Old Street, I'd take a look at places on the Northern Line as a direct tube will be the quickest way to get there. Otherwise, maybe East Dulwich or Peckham Rye which take you into London Bridge fairly quickly and you can then connect to Old Street via the tube. Do feel free to PM me with any queries, but otherwise all the very best. Exciting times ahead!