Exeter vs London
London wins on purchasing power. London software engineers have £157/month more disposable income after rent than their Exeter counterparts.
After paying rent, a software engineer in London retains £157/month more than in Exeter — that's £1,884/year extra in purchasing power.
Exeter vs London: what the £157/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, Exeter software engineer roles pay £26,000/year less than London. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — Exeter workers keep £3,053/month versus £4,360/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 £2,210/month disposable income versus £2,053/month in Exeter — that is £1,884/year in real spending power.
London's rent-to-income ratio of 49% compares favourably to Exeter's 33%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 70 for Exeter and 100 for London, a salary of £46,000 in Exeter delivers equivalent purchasing power to £65,700 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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