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City Cost UK
Live UK affordability ranking

Where can you actually afford to live in the UK?

Enter your salary and see which cities give you the best lifestyle.

Annual salary

Household

Most people check £35k–£50k Try switching household type
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Very ComfortableComfortableTightStruggling

Top 5 cities for you

on £35k

Ranked by what's left after rent, bills, food and transport.

Click any city to load the full breakdown in your calculator.

Get your full personalised 12-month plan

See how to improve your affordability, reduce costs, and increase savings.

Where can your salary go further in the UK?

Living costs vary significantly across UK cities. While salaries may be similar, expenses like rent, transport, and everyday spending can dramatically affect how far your income goes.

City Cost UK helps you compare these differences by combining income estimates with realistic cost assumptions, so you can see which cities offer better affordability for your situation.

Methodology

How we calculate cost of living

We estimate the cost of living in each UK city using a combination of housing, utilities, transport, and lifestyle spending benchmarks.

Housing

Rent estimates are based on average market rates for each city, adjusted for typical living scenarios.

Utilities

We include estimated costs for electricity, gas, water, and internet based on UK averages.

Transport

Transport costs reflect a mix of public transport usage and typical commuting patterns.

Lifestyle spending

Spending assumptions include groceries, eating out, and general day-to-day costs, scaled by household type.

Income calculation

Take-home pay is estimated using UK tax and national insurance rules to give an indicative net monthly income.

All figures are indicative estimates designed to help you compare affordability across cities.

UK 2024/25 tax & cost data

Most people think their salary is enough — until they see this.

Enter your salary and city to see what you can actually afford after real costs.

City Cost UK helps you understand where your salary goes furthest across UK cities using cost of living benchmarks and affordability modelling.

  1. 1

    Enter your salary

    Add your gross pay and city.

  2. 2

    Compare cities

    See how affordability shifts.

  3. 3

    Get a personalised plan

    Actionable next steps.

Step 1 of 4

25%

Start with your income and location

We'll estimate your take-home pay and local cost base.

What is your annual salary before tax?We use this to estimate your monthly take-home pay.
£
Where do you live, or plan to live?

Example

Tight finances

Salary

£50,000

City

London

Result

Low disposable income

After tax, rent, bills and transport, very little is left to save or spend freely.

Popular scenarios

What others are checking right now

Tap any scenario for the full breakdown — net pay, rent, bills, and what's actually left over at the end of the month.

Compare two UK cities

See rent, bills and disposable income side-by-side on the same salary.

Compare London vs Manchester on the same salary.

Real UK tax math

Income tax and NI calculated against current 2024/25 bands — not a flat percentage guess.

City-level costs

Rent, bills, food and transport averages tailored to where you actually live.

A score, not a spreadsheet

One Reality Score from 0–100 tells you whether you're struggling, stable or comfortable.

Find your guide

Jump straight to your situation

Pick a city, salary, household type or compare two cities — we'll take you to the right cost-of-living guide.

Find your guide

Pick what you want to look up — every option opens a guide with the calculator already wired up.

See the cost of living in London.

How it works

Three inputs. One honest answer.

We blend HMRC tax bands with city-level cost averages and lifestyle multipliers to show you the number that matters: what's actually left over.

  1. 1

    Tell us your salary and city

    We start from your gross pay and the average cost of living where you live.

  2. 2

    Add your living situation

    Single, couple or family. Renting or owning. Car or no car. Each shifts the math.

  3. 3

    See your Reality Score

    A clear breakdown of where your money goes and what's truly left at month-end.

Last updated: April 2026See how we calculate this

These figures are estimates and may vary based on individual circumstances.