What You Need to Know When Moving to London

London has so much to offer city dwellers. From world class restaurants and museums to a wide range of job opportunities for those in tech, media, finance, hospitality, and beyond, there’s a lot to love about England’s capital. But if you’re making the move there from the U.S., you’re going to have quite a few hurdles to jump over before you can truly call London home, especially if you don’t have an employer sponsoring you. Still, many people consider the hurdles to be worth it. So if you’re ready to say goodbye to the states and hello to Big Ben, make sure you know these fundamentals about moving to London before you hop on the plane.

It’s pretty tough to get a work visa

You’re going to need to set aside about three months to acquire a U.K. work visa (the documentation that allows you to stay and work in London), but there’s never a guarantee that you’ll succeed in getting one and they’re not cheap to apply for.

There are two types of U.K. work visas:

Tier 2 General visas are for those moving to London who have been offered a skilled position. For this visa, you will need a licensed sponsor to vouch for you and the job must meet certain salary requirements. You’ll also need to prove that you’ve had at least £945 in savings (about $1,210) for the past three months.

Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visas are for those moving to London as part of an internal transfer for a company they already work for. Once again, the job will need to meet certain salary requirements, and you may also have to prove that you have sufficient money in the bank.

The requirements are a bit more lax if you’re going in as a student. If you’re not a student and you don’t qualify for a work visa, your only other option would be a tier 1 visa, but you’ve got to have an extremely high amount of funds to qualify.

London rent is comparable to New York City or San Francisco

If you’re moving to London to escape the high rent prices in America’s most popular cities than you’re going to be out of luck. The average rental price in London is £665.87 a week (about $853), so unless you’ve got plenty of money to spare you’re likely going to have to reside pretty far outside of the city center or share a small flat with a lot of roommates. Fortunately, London has good public transportation, so if you do have to live slightly off the beaten path you’ll probably still have an easy enough commute into the city.

One good option while you wait to find an affordable apartment is to go the temporary route and rent out an Airbnb or a space in a hostel. You’ll save a bit of money and give yourself some time to do a full apartment search.

Don’t rent an apartment without visiting it

Rental scams aren’t just a U.S. thing. No matter where you’re moving to there are going to be people trying to pull one over on you in the rental market, and international movers are especially at risk because they’re often trying to rent a place before they arrive. To protect yourself, do research on available apartments but don’t make a commitment (and certainly don’t send any money!) before you’re in London. A good idea is to work with a local agent who can fill you in on different neighborhoods and help you find a good fit for where you want to live and how much you can spend.

London is an all-around expensive city to live in

Once again, if you’re on a tight budget it’s going to be hard to stretch your funds directly in the city itself. That’s because everything from groceries to entertainment to morning americanos are pricey in London. Just like any big city though, you can make it work if you know how to budget. Be conscious about your spending and try to move to London with as much in savings as you can.

Keep in mind that the exchange rate is currently about 0.78 pounds to one U.S. dollar, so you’re already going to be out a little bit of cash when you make your move. But living in London on a budget is possible—you just have to limit what you spend on non-essentials and make compromises where you can.

You can probably leave your car at home

If you’ve got a car in the U.S., consider selling it and using that money toward your life in London. As mentioned, London has excellent public transportation. It also has pretty limited parking options. You should have no trouble getting where you need to go on the tube, buses, or on a bicycle, so save yourself the headache and expense of a car.

Be proactive about meeting new friends

Any time you move internationally it can be a bit difficult to meet new people. Combine that with feeling like a cultural outsider and you can imagine how quickly you might start to feel lonely. Instead of feeling down and alone though, look at your move to London as an opportunity to expand your network in as many ways as you can. Thanks to apps and the internet, it’s easier than it’s ever been to meet people who share similar interests as you do. So even if you’re a homebody, resist the urge to wait around for new friends to come to you and be active about getting out there. You’ll enjoy the city a whole lot more with some friends by your side.

You’ll have to start from scratch with credit

All those years you’ve spent building up a strong U.S. credit score aren’t going to matter when you move to English soil. While there are a few credit cards that allow you to hold on to your existing credit score, most British banks aren’t going to consider your U.S. credit at all. Depending on your immediate plans this might not be a big deal, but do consider opening up a British credit card as soon as you move so that you can start building credit—even if you’d rather coast on cash for a little bit.

You can skip the tip

Things might be a little bit more expensive in London than they are in the states, but on the bright side you don’t have to add on a tip every time you order a drink at a pub or dine out at a restaurant. London culture dictates that while tips are appreciated, they aren’t necessary. So while it may be a small amount of money that you get to keep in your wallet every time you go out, you’ll be glad you have it when your rent check is due.

Moving to London doesn’t have to be an impossible to obtain dream, but be realistic in your expectations and your timing. It’s often recommended that you put in a couple years at the U.S. branch of a company with offices in London so that you can get the slightly easier to obtain Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa when the time comes. And of course, don’t wing it budget-wise—make sure you have the money to make it work in such an expensive city.

Ready to make your move to London? Use Moving.com to find an international mover.