UK City Cost of Living Overview 2026
The cost of living in the United Kingdom varies dramatically from city to city. London remains by far the most expensive place to live, with monthly outgoings for a single person comfortably exceeding £3,000 once rent, transport, food and utilities are factored in. By contrast, cities such as Leeds, Birmingham and Sheffield offer comparable employment opportunities at 25–30% lower overall cost, making them increasingly attractive to workers empowered by hybrid and remote working arrangements.
This guide uses a composite cost of living index where London scores 100. All cities are scored relative to London across the four key spending categories: housing, food, transport and utilities. The data is based on rental market surveys, ONS consumer price data, transport authority fares and utility industry averages for early 2026.
Cost of Living Index by City 2026
The index below benchmarks each city against London (= 100). A score of 75 means that overall cost of living is approximately 25% cheaper than London. The single biggest driver of the index is housing — rent or mortgage costs typically account for 35–50% of monthly expenditure and vary more than any other category.
| City | Index (London=100) | 1-Bed Rent/Month | Monthly Food | Monthly Transport | Monthly Utilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 100 | £2,000–2,500 | £350 | £170 | £160 |
| Bristol | 82 | £1,100–1,400 | £310 | £105 | £145 |
| Edinburgh | 80 | £950–1,200 | £300 | £110 | £150 |
| Manchester | 75 | £900–1,200 | £280 | £95 | £140 |
| Glasgow | 73 | £850–1,050 | £275 | £90 | £140 |
| Birmingham | 72 | £850–1,100 | £270 | £88 | £138 |
| Leeds | 70 | £800–1,050 | £265 | £85 | £135 |
| Cardiff | 70 | £750–950 | £260 | £80 | £135 |
| Sheffield | 68 | £700–900 | £255 | £78 | £132 |
| Newcastle | 67 | £700–850 | £250 | £80 | £130 |
| Liverpool | 67 | £700–900 | £255 | £80 | £130 |
| Nottingham | 68 | £700–900 | £255 | £78 | £130 |
City-to-City Cost Comparison Calculator
Select two UK cities to compare your estimated monthly costs and see what salary adjustment you would need when relocating.
Rent Costs by City 2026
Rent is the dominant variable in UK cost of living comparisons. London's private rental market has seen rents stabilise slightly in 2026 after the surge of 2022–2024, but remains brutally expensive by any measure. Bristol, Edinburgh and Cambridge — cities with strong graduate employment markets and constrained housing supply — remain substantially more expensive than other regional cities. Northern cities and Wales offer the most competitive rental markets.
1-Bedroom Flat Monthly Rent 2026
| City | Range | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| London | £2,000–2,500 | £2,250 |
| Bristol | £1,100–1,400 | £1,250 |
| Edinburgh | £950–1,200 | £1,075 |
| Manchester | £900–1,200 | £1,050 |
| Glasgow | £850–1,050 | £950 |
| Birmingham | £850–1,100 | £975 |
| Leeds | £800–1,050 | £925 |
| Cardiff | £750–950 | £850 |
| Sheffield | £700–900 | £800 |
2-Bedroom Flat Monthly Rent 2026
| City | Range | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| London | £2,800–3,500 | £3,150 |
| Bristol | £1,500–1,900 | £1,700 |
| Edinburgh | £1,300–1,700 | £1,500 |
| Manchester | £1,200–1,600 | £1,400 |
| Glasgow | £1,100–1,400 | £1,250 |
| Birmingham | £1,100–1,450 | £1,275 |
| Leeds | £1,050–1,350 | £1,200 |
| Cardiff | £950–1,250 | £1,100 |
| Sheffield | £900–1,150 | £1,025 |
Food, Transport and Utilities by City
Outside of rent, the cost of food, travel and utilities also varies across the UK though not as dramatically. Transport costs are highest in London due to Tube and Oyster fares, though London's transport network is also more extensive. Monthly travel card costs for London zones 1–2 are around £170, versus £80–110 for comparable city transport in Manchester (Metrolink), Edinburgh (buses and trams) or Birmingham (West Midlands Metro and buses).
Grocery costs are roughly 10–15% higher in London than in northern cities, largely reflecting higher costs for smaller convenience stores and upmarket supermarkets. Utility bills — gas, electricity and water — are relatively consistent across the UK (all subject to the same Ofgem energy price cap) but tend to be marginally lower in smaller, older housing stock in northern cities.
| Category | London | Manchester | Birmingham | Leeds | Edinburgh | Cardiff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly groceries (1 person) | £350 | £280 | £270 | £265 | £300 | £260 |
| Monthly transport pass | £170 | £95 | £88 | £85 | £110 | £80 |
| Monthly utilities (gas/elec/water) | £160 | £140 | £138 | £135 | £150 | £135 |
| Gym membership/month | £55 | £35 | £33 | £30 | £38 | £30 |
| Meal at mid-range restaurant (2) | £70 | £50 | £48 | £46 | £55 | £45 |
| Cinema ticket | £18 | £13 | £12 | £12 | £14 | £12 |
| Pint of beer (pub) | £7.00 | £5.20 | £5.00 | £4.80 | £5.50 | £4.80 |
| Total monthly (excl. rent) | ~£920 | ~£740 | ~£710 | ~£700 | ~£780 | ~£680 |
Salary Adjustment When Moving Between Cities
One of the most practical applications of cost of living data is calculating the salary increase or decrease needed when relocating. If you are offered a job in London after working in Manchester, for example, a nominal pay rise may still leave you worse off once higher London rents are accounted for. Conversely, leaving London for Leeds with a modest pay cut can dramatically improve your financial position and quality of life.
The key formula is: Required Salary = Current Salary × (Target City Index / Current City Index). This gives the salary needed to maintain exactly the same standard of living after accounting for all cost differences. In practice, you should negotiate at or above this figure when moving to a more expensive city.