A third of Londoners cannot afford to live in the capital says new research

A third of Londoners cannot afford the extra costs of paying for housing and transport in the capital, according to a new report.

Research for the charity Trust for London and Loughborough University showed that for some Londoners it costs about 50% more to have a decent living standard compared with the rest of Britain.

The research suggested that food, travel and rent cost a single person £410 ($636) a week to live in the centre of London, £130 more than the UK average. These costs included housing and childcare

The study also found that housing, childcare and transport costs in London had risen sharply since 2008.

Trust director of policy and grants Mubin Haq said: "The very high costs of housing, transport and childcare mean one in three Londoners are struggling to live a decent life, especially families with children.

"This is not about just food, clothing and having a roof over your head. It's about the difference between people being able to participate in society or not.

"It raises important questions about whether London is for everyone or does it become a city for the wealthiest.

"To help more Londoners reach the minimum we need a two-pronged approach which tackles low incomes, particularly low wages, coupled with policies to bring down the costs of housing, transport and childcare."

Campbell Robb, chief executive of homelessness charity Shelter, told the Press Association: "All too often, we hear from families in the capital battling to keep up with their housing costs, so sadly it's no surprise that sky-high rents are leaving millions of Londoners are struggling to afford a decent standard of living.

"Soaring house prices and decades of not building enough homes has created an affordable housing drought in London, forcing more and more people into in expensive and unstable private renting while they watch huge chunks of their pay packets fly out the window every month."