Aberdeen vs Cambridge
Aberdeen wins on purchasing power. Aberdeen devops engineers have £50/month more disposable income after rent than their Cambridge counterparts.
After paying rent, a devops engineer in Aberdeen retains £50/month more than in Cambridge — that's £600/year extra in purchasing power.
Aberdeen vs Cambridge: what the £50/month gap means for a devops engineer
On paper, Aberdeen devops engineer roles pay £5,000/year less than Cambridge. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Aberdeen workers keep £3,863/month versus £4,263/month in Cambridge.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average Aberdeen rent runs £1,050/month versus £1,500/month in Cambridge. Once housing costs are factored in, Aberdeen workers have £2,813/month disposable income versus £2,763/month in Cambridge — that is £600/year in real spending power.
Aberdeen's rent-to-income ratio of 27% compares favourably to Cambridge's 35%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 73 for Aberdeen and 87 for Cambridge, a salary of £65,000 in Aberdeen delivers equivalent purchasing power to £77,450 in Cambridge.
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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