One in three Londoners cannot afford a decent standard of living due to the soaring costs of housing and transport in the capital, a study has found.
The research by Loughborough University also found that 43 per cent of couples with children had insufficient income for a decent standard of living.
The minimum standard is measured by essentials such as food, shelter, clothing and the ability to buy a child's birthday present or go out for a cheap meal up to twice each month.
Matt Padley, senior research associate at Loughborough's Centre for Research in Social Policy, said: "This is the first piece of research that has asked Londoners to look in detail at what is needed to lead a decent life.
“The findings can help policymakers to explore in more depth the impact of particular costs in London.
"For example, people may say a rent is unaffordable to someone on a particular income but what does that mean? You need to know how much people require, after paying their rent, to afford the other basics of life. This research provides those figures.”
The research, funded by inequality charity Trust for London, found that while 33 per cent of Londoners lived below the decent standard, that figure dropped to 27 per cent for the rest of the UK.
Experts said the problems facing Londoners looking to make ends meet were the result of transport costs, housing, and childcare.
The research also found that costs were influenced by Londoners living in cramped conditions and spending more time doing things outside their homes.
The biggest difference in income required for a decent living standard as opposed to people living elsewhere in the UK was found to be for a single adult of working age.
For a single person adult living in inner London to have a decent standard of living, they would need to earn £27,100 to live in a studio flat, or £22,300 in shared accommodation.
Mubin Haq, Trust for London's director of policy and grants, said: "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?"
A spokesman for Mayor Boris Johnson said: “The Mayor has overseen record levels of employment, with faster economic growth in London than the UK as a whole.
"Nevertheless, he recognises the relatively high costs of living in the city and has introduced numerous policies to boost wages, help people into employment and reduce cost pressures.”
