London vs Cardiff
London wins on purchasing power. London software engineers have £57/month more disposable income after rent than their Cardiff counterparts.
After paying rent, a software engineer in London retains £57/month more than in Cardiff — that's £684/year extra in purchasing power.
London vs Cardiff: what the £57/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, London software engineer roles pay £26,000/year more than Cardiff. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — London workers keep £4,360/month versus £3,053/month in Cardiff.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average London rent runs £2,150/month versus £900/month in Cardiff. Once housing costs are factored in, London workers have £2,210/month disposable income versus £2,153/month in Cardiff — that is £684/year in real spending power.
London's rent-to-income ratio of 49% compares favourably to Cardiff's 29%.
Cost-of-living equivalence
Based on a cost-of-living index of 100 for London and 64 for Cardiff, a salary of £72,000 in London delivers equivalent purchasing power to £46,100 in Cardiff.
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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