Bristol vs Edinburgh
Bristol wins on purchasing power. Bristol software engineers have £37/month more disposable income after rent than their Edinburgh counterparts.
After paying rent, a software engineer in Bristol retains £37/month more than in Edinburgh — that's £444/year extra in purchasing power.
Bristol vs Edinburgh: what the £37/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, Bristol software engineer roles pay £3,000/year more than Edinburgh. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Bristol workers keep £3,683/month versus £3,396/month in Edinburgh.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average Bristol rent runs £1,350/month versus £1,100/month in Edinburgh. Once housing costs are factored in, Bristol workers have £2,333/month disposable income versus £2,296/month in Edinburgh — that is £444/year in real spending power.
Bristol's rent-to-income ratio of 37% compares favourably to Edinburgh's 32%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 75 for Bristol and 72 for Edinburgh, a salary of £58,000 in Bristol delivers equivalent purchasing power to £55,700 in Edinburgh.
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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