Money · Affordability check
Salary vs Cost of Living Calculator
Find out whether your pay actually covers where you live. Enter take-home, rent, bills, food, and transport to get a surplus or deficit verdict.
Instant result
Plain-English why
Copyable takeaway
What this means
This tool separates essential monthly outgoings from take-home pay to reveal the gap between what you earn and what your life costs.
Formula used
Surplus = take-home pay minus (rent + bills + food + transport)
Worked example
A take-home of £2,800 with rent £1,100, bills £200, food £300, and transport £150 leaves a monthly surplus of £1,050.
Common questions
What counts as essential costs?
Rent or mortgage, household bills and utilities, food spending, and transport. Use your actual average monthly figures rather than ideals.
Why does the city tier matter?
It gives context for what is typical in your area, since a surplus that looks comfortable in a small town may still be stretched in London.
Plain-English summary
Enter your figures to see whether your salary covers where you live and how much breathing room you actually have.
This section translates the result into a short, direct takeaway rather than leaving the page at a bare number.
Read the guide
Am I paid enough for where I live
A practical guide to testing whether your take-home pay actually covers your essential costs in your city or town.
Read the guideRelated instruments
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