Cambridge vs Leeds
Cambridge wins on purchasing power. Cambridge devops engineers have £28/month more disposable income after rent than their Leeds counterparts.
After paying rent, a devops engineer in Cambridge retains £28/month more than in Leeds — that's £336/year extra in purchasing power.
Cambridge vs Leeds: what the £28/month gap means for a devops engineer
On paper, Cambridge devops engineer roles pay £13,000/year more than Leeds. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Cambridge workers keep £4,263/month versus £3,635/month in Leeds.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average Cambridge rent runs £1,500/month versus £900/month in Leeds. Once housing costs are factored in, Cambridge workers have £2,763/month disposable income versus £2,735/month in Leeds — that is £336/year in real spending power.
Cambridge's rent-to-income ratio of 35% compares favourably to Leeds's 25%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 87 for Cambridge and 66 for Leeds, a salary of £70,000 in Cambridge delivers equivalent purchasing power to £53,100 in Leeds.
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
Financial tools
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