Cost of Living In Bristol area??

[windofmysoul]

Hello! I am hoping to move to the Bristol area in the next year or two. I am American born, but have dual citizenship as a Swiss/American, which allows me EU privileges. I believe this will help me overstep the work permit part.
I will probably be working as an RN, my monthly income estimated to be about 1,700£ a month. Can a family of two live on that?? I've been looking at flats, will probably pay about 450-525£. What are the taxes and on what? How about a cheap car and insurance/taxes? How are utilities paid, monthly, every three months, are they included in rent? Any other expenses? Can anyone give me some idea?? Any help will be greatly appreciated!! Thank You!!

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by windofmysoul

Hello! I am hoping to move to the Bristol area in the next year or two. I am American born, but have dual citizenship as a Swiss/American, which allows me EU privileges. I believe this will help me overstep the work permit part.
I will probably be working as an RN, my monthly income estimated to be about 1,700£ a month. Can a family of two live on that?? I've been looking at flats, will probably pay about 450-525£. What are the taxes and on what? How about a cheap car and insurance/taxes? How are utilities paid, monthly, every three months, are they included in rent? Any other expenses? Can anyone give me some idea?? Any help will be greatly appreciated!! Thank You!!

Welcome to the forum!
You are correct about your Swiss citizenship. Because of billateral agreement, Swiss nationals enjoy full EU citizen status within EU, including freedom of movement and labour.There are no immigration formalities to go through - just present your Swiss passport on entry.
If RN means registered nurse, and your qualification is from US, you need to have it verified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and register as a qualified nurse, under various categories - adult, mental health, pediatric etc. Depending on your Band (registered nurse at Band 5, specialist nurse at Band 6, advanved nurse at Ban7 and matron/nurse consultant at Band 8a to 8c), your pay will vary from £20710 to £26839 for Band 5, depending on pay points (usually awarded according to experience and responsibility). If your monthly gross pay is £1700, you wiill be at the bottom scale of Band 5. Your take-home pay, after deductions, will be around £1350, without pension contributions. At that level you will really struggle to make ends meet with a child (how old?) - you will probably get some extra help from the government in the form of Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. A typical decent two-bedroom flat in Bristol outside the most expensive area like Clifton will be around £550 to £650 a month in rent. On top of that, you will have Council Tax (maybe around £70-£80 a month after discount for a single adult household), utilities around £70 - £100 a month (electricity, gas, water; you can pay monthly, quarterly or by pre-payment meter) and contents insurance around £20. Running a car, after you've paid for it, can be expensive. Insurance maybe £200-£300 a year (with full no claim bonus; will be more with a foreign licence and no UK driving record), tax around £100 to £150 a year, servicing and repairs around £200-£300. Fuel, at around £1.10 a litre for petrol or diesel, will come to around £1000 - £1200 a year for 10000 miles. Food bill can vary hugely, depending on your taste and preference, but allow around £300 a month to include some meals out and moderate alcohol intake. So you can see it will be really tight, with little left for other shopping, entertainment or holidays. It will be a bit better with £1700 net, but you still need to budget carefully.

[MaidenScotland]

Sorry I am wondering if part of this thread is missing to me, I cant see anything about a child or a one parent family, so I am wondering why tax credits and discounts on rates>
Maiden

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by MaidenScotland

Sorry I am wondering if part of this thread is missing to me, I cant see anything about a child or a one parent family, so I am wondering why tax credits and discounts on rates>
Maiden

The OP mentioned 'a family of two'. The other person could be a spouse/partner, but in that case you wouldn't use the word 'family' - you are a couple. So I made the assumption that the OP was a single parent family. I could be wrong, of course , but my main argument still stands, unless the other person, an adult, is able to bring in additional income.

[windofmysoul]

Hello! Thank you so very much Joppa, your information was more than I could have hoped for...you're very knowledgable and kind!! Yes, I am a single parent of a 14 year old girl. At least I estimated low for my income and could maybe, with 5 years hospital experience, earn a bit more. I have sent my degree information to NARIC in hopes of an official comparision to ensure that I even meet the standards, it is possible that my two year assiciates degree won't. Then I would go on for my bachelors degree. Thank you, again, your information is the most throrough I have been able to obtain anywhere as of yet!! Wishing you Happy Holidays!! Most Kindly, Franzi

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by windofmysoul

Hello! Thank you so very much Joppa, your information was more than I could have hoped for...you're very knowledgable and kind!! Yes, I am a single parent of a 14 year old girl. At least I estimated low for my income and could maybe, with 5 years hospital experience, earn a bit more. I have sent my degree information to NARIC in hopes of an official comparision to ensure that I even meet the standards, it is possible that my two year assiciates degree won't. Then I would go on for my bachelors degree. Thank you, again, your information is the most throrough I have been able to obtain anywhere as of yet!! Wishing you Happy Holidays!! Most Kindly, Franzi

To work as a nurse in UK, you need to register with NMC, and non-EEA qualification must be verifed by them to be comparable. Check on their website for details. You may get recognition for clinical experience, but that depends on your employer - NHS hospital trust, nursing home, private hospital etc. You may have to start with an agency job until the right job comes up. While specialist nursing posts are fairy plentiful, you may struggle a bit for general nursing because of budget cuts and restructuring.
Think also about schooling for your daughter. She will soon be at a critical age for options - choosing subjects for GCSE, kind of school leaving certificates. Good GCSEs will lead to studying A levels for university entry, and there are other options for more vocational qualifications. As she will be entering school in mid-year, you'll have to phone schools in Bristol to find out about casual vacancies. Bristol City Council site Bristol City Council - Homepage will have details of secondary schools (high schools). Education in state schools is free - you just pay for uniform (yes, most schools have it!), lunch, trips etc.
If you go to the local newspaper site, Bristol news, Local news, Jobs, Cars, Sports | This is Bristol, it has links to jobs, housing, education, cars etc. If you want to find out what a particular area is like, enter post code into House Prices, Property, Crime - Local Neighbourhood | UpMyStreet for profile.

[windofmysoul]

Wow, you are amazing, what a wealth of knowledge...are you a career counselor?? How am I so lucky to have your kind and generous assistance!! Yes, a lot to think about, and you're right on!! Thank you for all the links, as well. Do agency nurses earn more?? Do schools provide counseling and assistance for children to help with adjusting and/or difficulting learning?? If I have further questions, would I be able to ask you in particular and how, if you don't mind?? Thank you, again, I'm storing all this information you've shared today onto a word document to continue to refer to!! With gratitude, Franzi

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by windofmysoul

Wow, you are amazing, what a wealth of knowledge...are you a career counselor?? How am I so lucky to have your kind and generous assistance!! Yes, a lot to think about, and you're right on!! Thank you for all the links, as well. Do agency nurses earn more?? Do schools provide counseling and assistance for children to help with adjusting and/or difficulting learning?? If I have further questions, would I be able to ask you in particular and how, if you don't mind?? Thank you, again, I'm storing all this information you've shared today onto a word document to continue to refer to!! With gratitude, Franzi

Agency nurses may earn more per hour, but their job is usually casual, temporary or part-time, so not a good basis for a steady career and promotion. It may suit those who need time for family responsibilities. Availability of help and counselling in school varies, but most do have a support system, and they can access more services provided by local authority, depending on pupil's needs. Special educational needs (SEN) provisions also vary, but a school has a statutory duty to support those with SEN. You need to weigh up these factors when choosing school for your daughter, but good, successful schools are likely to have no place and you may have to accept what's available or be willing to look further afield, or go private (expensive option).
I prefer to answer questions through this forum, as I may get flooded with requests, but one-off specific question you can put through private messaging.

[windofmysoul]

Once again, great advice...thank you!! And, of course, I understand about sticking with this forum! I will just try to figure out how to keep your name for future questions, I think I put you in favorites. For now, thank you and be well!!

[milner4660]

Price will depends on the type of house your like.

Pricing start from 550 a month

You could like outside the city like chippenham and pay 400 for a 2 bed house.

regards
Steve