Edinburgh vs York
Edinburgh wins on purchasing power. Edinburgh software engineers have £73/month more disposable income after rent than their York counterparts.
After paying rent, a software engineer in Edinburgh retains £73/month more than in York — that's £876/year extra in purchasing power.
Edinburgh vs York: what the £73/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, Edinburgh software engineer roles pay £7,000/year more than York. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Edinburgh workers keep £3,396/month versus £3,173/month in York.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average Edinburgh rent runs £1,100/month versus £950/month in York. Once housing costs are factored in, Edinburgh workers have £2,296/month disposable income versus £2,223/month in York — that is £876/year in real spending power.
Edinburgh's rent-to-income ratio of 32% compares favourably to York's 30%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 72 for Edinburgh and 68 for York, a salary of £55,000 in Edinburgh delivers equivalent purchasing power to £51,950 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
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