I seem to have found myself in London a few times in the last three years, and I can vouch for that: it's incredibly expensive. But I have to wonder if it's just expensive to tourists. For the people who live in and around London, what are the things that we Yanks pay for as a matter of course that you don't? I remember spending three weeks in London in the late 80s when I worked on the $treet, and all the guys in the office had cars and 'lunch vouchers' ostensibly as a tax dodge (as I understood it, wages were taxed, but these perks weren't, so it was a "package" ...). I guess I'd buy a lot more 5# pints if I didn't have to pay for lunch.
/jordan