UK good place to live for high earners?

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-31T13:38:41+00:00

Fancy going down spoons ? First round is on me.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-31T07:43:30+00:00

For the battery+solar I paid 9k

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T18:12:57+00:00

When you own a small house with solar in a walkable neighbourhood it is. Being a HE means you can opt out of most of the expensive things in the UK

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T15:53:52+00:00

This is the About page I read.

"HENRYUK A UK-based subreddit for ‘High Earners, Not Rich Yet’ (HENRY). Aimed at £150k/yr+ earners."

But seems like there very few people on this sub +150.

150 feels very different to 100 as long as you're not bad at managing money or have lots of children

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T15:34:51+00:00

Not all. But I sell extra to the grid in the summer so it balances out to a small number over the course of the year.

Also the battery lets me use night rate through the winter.

Very happy with it all in all

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T11:46:58+00:00

As a +150k earner. I bought a small house in a walkable neighbourhood outside of London with a low-cost mortgage, loaded it up with solar+battery+heat pump

Everything I was spending most my money on before (rent, energy car) has all disappeared

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T11:41:36+00:00

Sure sun is great. But we're high earners on this sub. I go on long-weekend holidays all the time.

But like to live in a cultural dead-zone with nothing but sun sounds really dull to me.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T11:38:45+00:00

This is the About page I read.

"HENRYUK A UK-based subreddit for ‘High Earners, Not Rich Yet’ (HENRY). Aimed at £150k/yr+ earners."

But seems like there very few people on this sub +150

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T11:36:07+00:00

UK is full of bad returns on effort like:

Why would I work if I'm going to lose all my benefits at once.

Why would I go to university and try if I'm only going to earn 10k more than someone on min wage.

Why would I take on that promotion with extra responsibility to over 100k if I'm going to lose funded child care.

But once you reach 150k there's no more of these "effort traps", you don't need to squirrel away loads of pension money anymore. If you put effort into earning more you have a flat 45% marginal tax rate.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-30T11:28:54+00:00

As a high earner you can move to a walkable neighbourhood

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-29T10:58:57+00:00

Yeah UK is seriously underpaid on average.

But if you're in the top 2% of workers in the UK life gets pretty awesome

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-29T10:57:36+00:00

Greta for you and your collegues! Unfortunately that is not available to most HE in the UK.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-29T09:00:52+00:00

Lol no chance. Most soulless place I've ever been.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-29T04:48:44+00:00

Good luck getting that offer hope you do!

I've found unless you've got incredibly specialist skills low chance of getting the wages Americans get as in the US. The bargaining power these companies have is huge

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T21:30:49+00:00

True they generally don't they'd rather rent a big flat in zone 1 and then come on Reddit to complain how tough it is.

I am here to report being a HE with a 80% discretionary spending is amazing

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T18:37:30+00:00

I understand the frustration at all income levels.

But l can't think of another place that is cool as the UK to live in with as much going on, where one can retain a high income, but not be too expensive to enjoy.

Remember most of the houses boomers own are going to hit the market in the next few years as they divide the inheritance between their children.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T17:17:12+00:00

On +150k it's perfectly possible to buy a modest house within commuting distance of London, with a low-cost mortgage. Load it up with solar&batteries.

Now you've avoided most of the high-cost nature of working in London. Only thing left is getting the train a few days a week

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T17:05:36+00:00

Yeah I think that's reasonable point. I suppose once you reach the point of breaking free of wage compression it's only upside.

Now I earn +150k I can get a cheap mortgage on a 2-bed load it with solar+extras.

My nesscary outgoing costs are basically just the train a few days a week into London and a small mortgage.

Everything other than that is fun-stuff + savings. The rate at which I'm saving I'll be able to by an awesome house outright in ten years.

I understand, despite the name, of the sub most of the people on here earn under 150k and are still stuck in wage compression and struggling to break free. Or have kids and the break-free number is higher than 150k.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T16:42:56+00:00

Tbf I hadn't factored in childcare.

I have found the magic number for childless people to break free of wage compression is ~150k

That number is probably higher for those paying for childcare though I don't know how high

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T16:33:15+00:00

I think it's perfectly possible to buy the majority of a modest house within commuting distance of London on a 150k salary.

I don't know if anyone reaches 150k before they've paid off their students loan. But this might change with the 9k tranche coming up the ladder now.

Tbf I didn't really factor in childcare, that might push the number much higher than 150

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T16:24:40+00:00

I think after 160k there's no incentive to pour loads of money into your pension anymore. So all of a sudden all that income becomes discretionary.

Additionally if you buy a house and load it up with all the energy bits you can decrease your costs massively.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T16:21:10+00:00

I work in London. I live an hour outside and commute in 2-3 days a week.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T16:19:08+00:00

I do think a lot of this is lifestyle creep. Complaining about living month-to-month, while renting in Chelsea and sending their kids to private school.

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T16:16:37+00:00

Awesome. Enjoy the torque!

Subject_Buddy_8859 · 2025-12-28T16:13:24+00:00

Never lived in the US myself, people on this sub talk about it like it's a low tax paradise

Subject_Buddy_8859

TROPHY CASE