London vs Exeter
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.
London vs Exeter: what the £157/month gap means for a software engineer
On paper, London software engineer roles pay £26,000/year more than Exeter. But take-home after tax and National Insurance tells a different story — London workers keep £4,360/month versus £3,053/month in Exeter.
The bigger picture is after rent. Average London rent runs £2,150/month versus £1,000/month in Exeter. 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 100 for London and 70 for Exeter, a salary of £72,000 in London delivers equivalent purchasing power to £50,400 in Exeter.
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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