London vs Brighton
Brighton wins on purchasing power. Brighton software engineers have £73/month more disposable income after rent than their London counterparts.
After paying rent, a software engineer in Brighton retains £73/month more than in London — that's £876/year extra in purchasing power.
London vs Brighton: what the £73/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, London software engineer roles pay £14,000/year more than Brighton. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — London workers keep £4,360/month versus £3,683/month in Brighton.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average London rent runs £2,150/month versus £1,400/month in Brighton. Once housing costs are factored in, Brighton workers have £2,283/month disposable income versus £2,210/month in London — that is £876/year in real spending power.
Brighton's rent-to-income ratio of 38% compares favourably to London's 49%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 100 for London and 82 for Brighton, a salary of £72,000 in London delivers equivalent purchasing power to £59,050 in Brighton.
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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