[barrkel]

An average wage will leave you pretty unhappy in London. London has a lot of wealthy people, which is distinctly different to high income, and it has a fair number of high income people too.

I think being a big fish in a small pond has a lot to say for itself in terms of mental satisfaction about one's place in the world. It's relative, unfortunately: someone else must be worse off for you to feel relatively better off.

It takes a lot of income to make a meaningful dent in your self-perceived place on the ladder in London, if your ladder includes things like owning a home in a safe area within reasonable distance of transport.