Leeds vs Sheffield: cost of living compared
On a £50k salary, the cheaper of the two saves you hundreds a month on essentials. Adjust the salary slider below to see how the gap shifts at your income — everything else (single renter, public transport, UK 2024/25 tax) is held constant.
Based on current UK tax rules and city cost benchmarks. Updated regularly.
Compare different cities
Pick another pair to jump straight to its breakdown.
Sheffield
You save approximately £140/month living in Sheffield vs Leeds — about £1,680 a year on essentials.
Where the money goes
Monthly spend per category. Cheaper bar is highlighted.
- RentΔ £100Leeds£950Sheffield£850
- BillsΔ £0Leeds£375Sheffield£375
- FoodΔ £15Leeds£270Sheffield£255
- TransportΔ £10Leeds£75Sheffield£65
Side-by-side monthly breakdown
Leeds vs Sheffield on the same salary, same household assumptions. The cheaper city in each row is highlighted.
| Category | Leeds | Sheffield |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £3,293 | £3,293 |
| Rent / housing | £950 | £850 |
| Bills | £375 | £375 |
| Food | £270 | £255 |
| Transport | £75 | £65 |
| Lifestyle & misc | £220 | £205 |
| Total essentials | £1,890 | £1,750 |
| Disposable left | £1,403 | £1,543 |
- Take-home payTied
- Rent / housing+£100Cheaper in Sheffield
- BillsTied
- Food+£15Cheaper in Sheffield
- Transport+£10Cheaper in Sheffield
- Lifestyle & misc+£15Cheaper in Sheffield
- Total essentials+£140Cheaper in Sheffield
- Disposable left-£140More for Sheffield
How Leeds and Sheffield stack up
Leeds. Leeds combines a strong professional services market with rent levels well below the UK average for a major city. A balanced cost profile — no single category dominates the budget, which gives more flexibility than London or the South East.
Sheffield. Sheffield is one of the cheapest major UK cities to rent in, with strong access to the Peak District for low-cost lifestyle. Low rent does most of the heavy lifting. Even modest salaries can leave meaningful disposable income here.
Compare Leeds with another city
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Comfortable. You can manage your expenses and maintain moderate savings.
Reality Score weighs take-home pay against essentials and any savings commitment to gauge how sustainable the setup is.
What this means
Comfortable. You can manage your expenses and maintain moderate savings.
What this actually means
- Leeds: You could realistically save around £702/month. Over 5 years that's £42,120 before any investment growth.
- Sheffield: You could realistically save around £772/month. Over 5 years that's £46,320 before any investment growth.
See your personalised affordability
Use your salary and lifestyle to see which UK cities work best for you.
Adjust the numbers
Tweak any field — your reality updates instantly.
Reality Score for this scenario: 93/100 — Comfortable
See full reportSee your personalised affordability
Use your salary and lifestyle to see which UK cities work best for you.
Related cost of living guides
Hand-picked pages that match this combination of city, salary and household — every link points to a real, published guide.
More guides
Popular scenarios
These figures are estimates and may vary based on individual circumstances.
- Based on UK cost benchmarks
- Updated regularly
- Indicative estimates, not financial advice