Brighton vs York
Brighton wins on purchasing power. Brighton software engineers have £60/month more disposable income after rent than their York counterparts.
After paying rent, a software engineer in Brighton retains £60/month more than in York — that's £720/year extra in purchasing power.
Brighton vs York: what the £60/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, Brighton software engineer roles pay £10,000/year more than York. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Brighton workers keep £3,683/month versus £3,173/month in York.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average Brighton rent runs £1,400/month versus £950/month in York. Once housing costs are factored in, Brighton workers have £2,283/month disposable income versus £2,223/month in York — that is £720/year in real spending power.
Brighton's rent-to-income ratio of 38% compares favourably to York's 30%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 82 for Brighton and 68 for York, a salary of £58,000 in Brighton delivers equivalent purchasing power to £48,100 in York.
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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