Edinburgh vs Newcastle
Edinburgh wins on purchasing power. Edinburgh data scientists have £6/month more disposable income after rent than their Newcastle counterparts.
After paying rent, a data scientist in Edinburgh retains £6/month more than in Newcastle — that's £72/year extra in purchasing power.
Edinburgh vs Newcastle: what the £6/month gap means for a data scientist
On paper, Edinburgh data scientist roles pay £9,000/year more than Newcastle. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Edinburgh workers keep £3,349/month versus £2,993/month in Newcastle.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average Edinburgh rent runs £1,100/month versus £750/month in Newcastle. Once housing costs are factored in, Edinburgh workers have £2,249/month disposable income versus £2,243/month in Newcastle — that is £72/year in real spending power.
Edinburgh's rent-to-income ratio of 33% compares favourably to Newcastle's 25%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 72 for Edinburgh and 61 for Newcastle, a salary of £54,000 in Edinburgh delivers equivalent purchasing power to £45,750 in Newcastle.
Income retention after all essentials
% of net monthly pay remaining after rent, transport, council tax and groceries
Everyday costs
Estimated typical prices · scaled from Numbeo 2025
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