Costs and needs in London

Households in London face special challenges making ends meet. Costs such as housing, transport and childcare are different from the rest of the United Kingdom. This paper considers how the ability of Londoners to meet their minimum needs might differ from that of people living elsewhere in the UK. People’s ability to meet their needs depends on both the costs of meeting those needs and the financial resources available to them, so each of these are looked at in turn. Where possible, the paper also examines how the things that Londoners require, and not just their cost, might differ from elsewhere in the UK, but at present there is little evidence about this. The paper concludes by looking at existing evidence regarding the numbers and experiences of people unable to meet their minimum needs in London.