London vs Oxford: 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.
Oxford
You save approximately £487/month living in Oxford vs London — about £5,844 a year on essentials.
Where the money goes
Monthly spend per category. Cheaper bar is highlighted.
- RentΔ £350London£1,850Oxford£1,500
- BillsΔ £23London£370Oxford£393
- FoodΔ £25London£320Oxford£295
- TransportΔ £95London£180Oxford£85
Side-by-side monthly breakdown
London vs Oxford on the same salary, same household assumptions. The cheaper city in each row is highlighted.
| Category | London | Oxford |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay | £3,293 | £3,293 |
| Rent / housing | £1,850 | £1,500 |
| Bills | £370 | £393 |
| Food | £320 | £295 |
| Transport | £180 | £85 |
| Lifestyle & misc | £280 | £240 |
| Total essentials | £3,000 | £2,513 |
| Disposable left | £293 | £780 |
- Take-home payTied
- Rent / housing+£350Cheaper in Oxford
- Bills-£23Cheaper in London
- Food+£25Cheaper in Oxford
- Transport+£95Cheaper in Oxford
- Lifestyle & misc+£40Cheaper in Oxford
- Total essentials+£487Cheaper in Oxford
- Disposable left-£487More for Oxford
How London and Oxford stack up
London. London is the UK's most expensive city to live in, with rent typically the single biggest factor in any budget. Housing is the dominant pressure point — most other categories (food, bills, transport passes) sit only 10–20% above the UK average.
Oxford. Oxford has rents on par with parts of inner London, driven by a constrained housing market and strong demand from the universities and research sector. Housing dominates. Public transport is reasonable, but most budgets here are shaped almost entirely by rent.
Compare London 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
Stable. Your essentials are covered, with some room left over — though savings progress may be slow.
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
- London: Housing eats 56% of your take-home in London — well above the 30% healthy benchmark. A cheaper area or a flatmate would unlock real breathing room.
- Oxford: Housing eats 46% of your take-home in Oxford — well above the 30% healthy benchmark. A cheaper area or a flatmate would unlock real breathing room.
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: 51/100 — Stable
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