London vs Aberdeen
London wins on purchasing power. London software engineers have £96/month more disposable income after rent than their Aberdeen counterparts.
After paying rent, a software engineer in London retains £96/month more than in Aberdeen — that's £1,152/year extra in purchasing power.
London vs Aberdeen: what the £96/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, London software engineer roles pay £22,000/year more than Aberdeen. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — London workers keep £4,360/month versus £3,164/month in Aberdeen.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average London rent runs £2,150/month versus £1,050/month in Aberdeen. Once housing costs are factored in, London workers have £2,210/month disposable income versus £2,114/month in Aberdeen — that is £1,152/year in real spending power.
London's rent-to-income ratio of 49% compares favourably to Aberdeen's 33%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 100 for London and 73 for Aberdeen, a salary of £72,000 in London delivers equivalent purchasing power to £52,550 in Aberdeen.
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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