What does that salary feel like in another UK city?
Enter a gross salary and a city. We solve for the equivalent gross in any other UK city that keeps your disposable income (take-home minus city baseline costs) the same.
Take-home figures use HMRC 2026/27 bands (Scottish rates auto-applied for Edinburgh and Glasgow). Cost baseline excludes Council Tax, childcare, lifestyle spend and savings — pair with our Council Tax and Cost of Living tools for a full picture.
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How it works
How equivalence is defined
We compute take-home in city A using HMRC 2026/27 bands, subtract the baseline monthly cost-of-living total, and find the gross in city B that delivers the same disposable amount. The reverse direction works too.
What's in "baseline cost"
One-bed rent, monthly transport pass, average grocery spend, and utilities + internet + mobile. Council Tax is excluded — see our Council Tax tool — as is lifestyle spend, savings and debt.
Why London needs so much more
Rent in London is 60-100% higher than most UK cities. Even though wages there are usually higher, the cost gap means a £60k Manchester salary often needs £85-95k London-side just to maintain the same lifestyle.
Scotland is different
Scottish income tax has more bands and higher top rates. Edinburgh or Glasgow comparisons toggle to Scottish rates automatically when selected.
Not modelled
Council Tax (highly variable), childcare, partner income, leisure budget, savings rate. A high earner with no kids in Manchester might be better off than the same gross in London even before this calc.
Sources
Tax: HMRC 2026/27 published bands. Cost-of-living baselines: ONS Private Rental Index + ONS Family Spending + transport authority published prices.