UKC

Morning all,

Right then, we live on a boat and have long been toying with the idea of moving into a small property somewhere in the sticks.

I was looking to get a rough comparison in living costs so was wondering roughly what peoples average monthly total household costs are for all bills in a smallish house (Not including mortgage or rent, or vehicle related expenses).  Just wanted to get a rough comparison for total gas, electric, council tax etc. 

Averaged over a year we hit about £150 a month for everything household related. Now there are some benefits and some drawbacks to living on a boat and was wondering what the difference in cost may roughly be compared to the change in lifestyle. 

Thanks

Frank

We do about the following a month (not exact numbers):

Gas & Electric - £120 (with a bung back ever year as we end up in credit)
Water - £65
Council Tax - £153 (updated because I forgot about the month that we don't pay)
House Insurance - £20
Internet - £50

+ mortgage payments etc. This does remind me I need to look how much I am paying for internet but don't really want to risk having a issue swapping over as I am working from home. I am sure you will get people here are spend £2.50 on Gas & Electric and "Internet, I don't need that!". We are not frugal with using energy in the house either. 3 bedroom house (but old and draughty).

 

• Council Tax (Band B)  £128.98
• House Insurance  £17.00
• Broadband  £22.00
• Gas & Electricity  £65.00
• Water  £30.00

Total £262.98

For a two bed terrace:

Gas+elec - £40
Water - £20
Council tax - £80
Phone/internet - £20
Insurance - £35

So about £200 a month all in

£80 council tax?! Even Band A where I live is >£100 a month and I live in a "deprived area"

96 per month with single occupancy discount, but you only pay for 10 months so 80 per month averaged over all 12

Almost the same, bit less on water as now just the two.

If you look at the properties you’re interested in on Zoopla it will tell you what the estimated monthly running costs of that property are. 
 

Although it includes a mortgage payment in that figure (which it also gives separately). So you’d need to adjust down for whatever your mortgage would be. 

4 bed detached on the south coast. There's only two of us and the dog at the moment

Gas - £60

electric - £60

insurance - £20

Council tax - £150

internet - £32

water and sewage - £40

total - £362

monthly, detached house, Yorkshire Dales, 1 person working from home

• House insurance £19.68
• Gas & elec £93.94
• water £19.93
• Mobile £9.82
• Internet £25.50
• Burg Alarm £11.10
• TV licence £12.54
• Council tax £150.80 (Band E, £1810/year taken in 10 payments).

Total ~£343

Interesting variation in water rates. I pay less than £16 a month and kind of assumed this was normal and scaled according to house size. I have no garden and only one kitchen sink,  one bath/shower, one wash basin and one toilet, maybe that makes the difference? 

Peak District band G £270 per month 😖

Do people get angry about council tax because they object to it or because they don’t think the services are value for money?

My objection to council tax is the "extras" that are added onto it. This year the Police precept went up by 7% and the Fire Service by 20%. These extras are growing far faster than the council element of council tax, and we don't seem to have any say in the matter.

I'd love to see my annual income increase by 7%, never mind 20%!

I think a percentage of the water rate is calculated according to your roof area, our old house was a double garage and water was very expensive, but our house now has a single garage but one of those types where it is built into the actual house (so no roof) and water is half of what it was yet both houses are 4 bed detached. 

All to do with how much rain water a house collects and then goes into ‘their’ drains

20% percent is a lot, my salary is still decreased because of Covid, but I suspect not all has gone on salary increases. Did the Council provide any explanation of the increase?

Some big numbers from people below. I live in a smallish 2 bed flat in a city. Partner has been here since lockdown so utility usage is for 2 adults. 

Council tax is about £100 (with single-occupancy discount, so about £120 otherwise)

I pay about £60 a month for gas and leccy but account is always in the black and I sometimes take some money out of it so it's probably more like £50 a month. It was a lot less than this but since lockdown we have both been working from home and it's had a noticeable uplift. It may turn out that it is about £60 or more a month come winter. 

Water is about £25

Management charge is £48 but you wouldn't have to pay that on a freehold. It also covers insurance etc.

Internet is about £27

I think things like Council tax & water are a little bit lower because I'm in a townhouse converted to flats but I reckon for a smallish house around £250 a month is bang on.  

Thanks all, quite interesting figures.

Based on my last 9 years on the boat, my averaged out monthly costs were always between £150 and £200 total. 

This varies slightly as some of the colder winters I may burn more coal, or maybe run the engine a little more for power in the darker times. Also some years had the boat blacking costs to add in

Overall though, not massively far off some of the cheaper property monthly costs quoted.

Also, I guess there's potentially hidden savings towards living in a house (time and financial) such as:

- Don't have to assign time to move it every two weeks (as I don't bother paying for a permanent mooring - they can be chuffing expensive)

- Don't lose a week of your life every couple of years to dry dock it

- Convenience of not having to trudge for half an hour down muddy towpaths every time you go to the car

- Getting post delivered to the front door (I'd save a fortune if I could shop online more)

- Also I like the idea of having a little more space and bring able to bulk buy food instead of every two or three days.

However, on the flip side I do like seeing different views out the window (when though they're small Windows).

Anyway, thanks for the replies, it's nice to be able to get an idea of the comparisons. 

Right, had chance to go through individual monthly cots and here goes:

Boat license: £75 / month

Gas: £16 / month - based on gas bottles

Electric £20 / month - based on running engine to charge batteries (and we are very frugal with power)

Insurance: £11.50 / month

Coal: £16 / month - total yearly spent averaged over year

Necessary maintenance: £50 / month - this is blacking, boat safety cert etc averaged.

That's about all the costs but we do live quite frugally.  And as I said, there is a time cost. I reckon we spend about 20 days of our life each year moving the boat, dry docking etc when necessary.

Councils have no control over the Fire and Police parts of the bill, they just act as the collection agent. That's my objection, it's no longer just a council tax, and in recent years most of the increases aren't due to councils but other services that we don't have a say in at local elections.

It's a regressive tax, and is no longer democratic.

You've mentioned maintenance costs for your boat, that none of us land lubbers provided for houses.

Obviously if you rent a house, it's the landlord's responsibility. If you're looking to buy then maintainance and improvement can be a significant time and financial commitment too. 

I'd balance this against the fact that a houseboat is a depreciating asset that you'll sell for less than you bought. With house purchases the opposite is usually the case.

Ultimately, the monthly costs of your boat vs a small property don't look to be miles apart. The lifestyle however is totally different, choose the one that will make you happiest.

Theres a lot of variation based on the area of the roof for example, if it's a combined drainage system (both surface water and waste water go to the same sewer so all the water needs treating) etc.

My water rates work out at £7 per month as I'm on a septic tank, which is about the only low cost utility I have.

Mine is quite high because I don't have a water meter. This thread has actually got me to sort some things out that I have been meaning to do for a while

Gas & Electric - £120 (switched tariff, DD down to £90 a month)
Water - £65 (applied for a meter 3 month wait est £34)
Council Tax - £153
House Insurance - £20
Internet - £50 (£23 from BT to Plusnet)
 

I cant comment on costs, but the lifestyle is completely different. We used to live on a converted wooden trawler. I loved the lifestyle and the maintenance etc. it was a full time job on top of my full time job and I miss it desperately (my partner doesn't, hence swallowing the anchor). 

From your comments you sound like the lifestyle isn't your thing (losing days to move the boat etc) if you class the this a "losing" then it seems you'd be better on land, it certainly isn't for everyone. As for  the "cheap living" myth it's not applicable. Boat maintenance is DIY (moderately expensive) or boatyard  (Break Out Another Thousand).

As also mentioned (assuming a canal boat) the re-sale prices are good at the moment but still a depreciating asset unlike a house.

Personally I would take the boat over a house any day of the week but I love being on/in and under the water.

We did buy a house near the coast as a compromise but not the same as life afloat ie very dull.

Forgot to add, for online orders there are various pubs etc that will take your delivery for you, our friends use it regularly

This thread has made me scared to look

That's paid for your UKC Support for the year!

Yeah, don't get me won't, I love living on water, have done for ten years and enjoy the lifestyle etc, but along with the glorious freedom and ever changing landscape does come limitations.

I guess it's a case of weighting up the pros and cons of both. There is a certain amount of convenience to living in a house but a great joy to be had on a boat with not necessarily being stuck in one place.

The other way to think of it is that you are privileged to live somewhere that nice and able to afford such a tax.

Feel the pain on this one. Just checked our bank account and council tax is £277 a month. There’s a reason I don’t look at these things!!