Actually, I was just thinking that rates haven&#x27;t really changed much in the last 20 years. I was earning about 350GBP&#x2F;day in London, and 300GBP&#x2F;day in Belfast around 2000, with only a couple of years experience. That was for non-finance work. (Finance work paid 400-500GBP&#x2F;day).<p>Now the rates are about the same (maybe 50GBP&#x2F;day more at most), but the price of housing (both to buy and rent) is 50% to 100% higher than back then.<p>Still, the UK remains one of the best places in the world to be a contractor. Rates in USA and Canada are a lot lower for contract work, mainly because there isn&#x27;t as much contact work available.<p>Your best option is probably to live somewhere cheap on the outskirts of London, contract for a few years, and save as much as you can. (Try not to buy too many expensive toys :)