Exeter vs London
London wins on purchasing power. London devops engineers have £182/month more disposable income after rent than their Exeter counterparts.
After paying rent, a devops engineer in London retains £182/month more than in Exeter — that's £2,184/year extra in purchasing power.
Exeter vs London: what the £182/month gap means for a devops engineer
On paper, Exeter devops engineer roles pay £27,000/year less than London. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Exeter workers keep £3,173/month versus £4,505/month in London.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average Exeter rent runs £1,000/month versus £2,150/month in London. Once housing costs are factored in, London workers have £2,355/month disposable income versus £2,173/month in Exeter — that is £2,184/year in real spending power.
London's rent-to-income ratio of 48% compares favourably to Exeter's 32%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 70 for Exeter and 100 for London, a salary of £48,000 in Exeter delivers equivalent purchasing power to £68,550 in London.
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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