Data reveals how much you need to work to afford an average lifestyle in the UK 

Living in a city can be exciting, but it also comes with the challenge of affording a comfortable lifestyle. To understand how many hours of work are needed to sustain an average lifestyle in the UK, our team analysed data from the top 45 cities across the country. 

We focused on key expenses that shape the cost of living in 2025, providing a realistic picture of what it takes to live comfortably. These expenses include: 

By analysing these costs, we provide a comprehensive insight into what it truly takes to maintain a comfortable standard of living in the UK’s major cities in 2025. Along with these living costs, we also looked at things like average salaries, how many hours people work each year, and how many hours they need to work to afford a basic lifestyle in each city. By looking at these factors, we can better understand how many hours people in the UK have to work just to afford an average lifestyle. 

The top ten most expensive cities – How many hours do I need to work? 

Living in the UK’s biggest cities comes at a high price. From rent to everyday expenses, certain cities demand significantly more of your time and paycheck just to afford an average lifestyle. In this section, we’ve analysed how many hours you’d need to work in the top ten most expensive cities to just afford an average lifestyle. Cities like London, Oxford and Birmingham come with a hefty price tag that requires a lot of hard work. Here's a breakdown of the top ten cities where living expenses take up the most of your time and income.  

1. London (2,394.51 hours per year) 

According to our research, London city and its surrounding boroughs are among the most expensive places in the UK when it comes to affording an average lifestyle. With a median net salary of £34,189.20, Londoners typically work an average of 1,934 hours per year. However, to cover basic expenses and live comfortably, you'd need to work an extra 460.51 hours. The main factor driving London’s high cost of living is housing. To afford rent on a median salary, you would need to work around 1,485 hours, making rent the most significant expense. In fact, 76.8% of all working hours go towards paying for rent alone, which is significantly higher than most other cities in the UK. 

2. Oxford (2,139.71 hours per year) 

Oxford ranks as the second most expensive city in the UK for maintaining an average lifestyle. On average, an Oxford worker puts in 1,950 hours per year, but to cover basic living costs and enjoy a comfortable standard of living, they would need to work an extra 189.71 hours. Rent is the largest expense, with residents requiring 1,179.6 hours of work annually to afford it on a median salary. Also, workers must dedicate 243.5 hours each year just to cover utilities such as electricity, mobile phone plans, and fast internet. 

3. Manchester (2,139.20 hours per year) 

While Manchester is more affordable than cities like London, it still presents significant financial challenges for its residents. The median annual salary for a Manchester worker is £26,586.48, but the high cost of living means that a large portion of their income goes toward basic essentials. Rent, utilities, food, transportation, and recreation expenses quickly add up. To cover these costs, residents would need to work approximately 2,139.20 hours per year—nearly 189.2 more hours than the 1,950 hours they currently work to maintain an average lifestyle. Even though Manchester is cheaper to live in than London, its residents still have a hard time making ends meet due to the increasing cost of everyday expenses. 

4. Bristol (2,135.02 hours per year) 

Bristol is famous for being the place where the world’s first bungee jump took place from the Clifton Suspension Bridge. But living in this exciting city can be tough on the wallet. Bristol workers earn a median salary of £30,548.40 per year. But a big chunk of that income goes toward paying for rent, utilities, food, transport, and council tax, which costs £2,460 a year. To cover all these essentials, workers in Bristol need to work 2,135.02 hours a year—more than the usual 2,080 hours currently worked.

5. Nottingham (2,033.14 hours per year) 

The average salary in Nottingham is around £24,867.36 a year. To cover basic living costs, residents would need to work about 2,033.14 hours annually—83 more hours than the 1,950 hours they currently work. On top of the basics, if they want to enjoy things like eating out, going to the gym, streaming Sky TV, and going on holidays, these extra costs can add up to £25,927.52 a year. With rent and council tax adding to the financial burden, Nottingham residents find themselves needing to work extra hours to keep up with the rising cost of living, even though it’s more affordable than cities like London. 

6. Birmingham (2,017.97 hours per year) 

Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city, has a median net salary of £27,377.04. However, a large portion of that income goes toward essential living costs. Rent alone is £985.29 per month, and when you add in expenses for utilities, transport, food, and council tax, the costs quickly add up. To cover these basics, residents need to work around 2,017 hours a year, which is about 97% of the average working hours. 

7. Norwich (1,981.45 hours per year) 

Norwich, a charming city known for its medieval architecture, offers a median net salary of £27,785.76 annually. Despite this, much of that income is absorbed by the cost of living. Rent costs £1,117.50 per month, and when you add in expenses for utilities, transport, food, and council tax, the total quickly adds up. To cover these essentials, residents need to work about 1,981 hours a year, which is 31.45 hours more than the usual work year. 

8. Southampton (1,978.35 hours per year) 

Southampton has a median net salary of £27,749.04 a year. Rent costs £1,010 a month, and when you add in other expenses like transport (£53 per month), utilities, food, council tax and other leisure activities the total cost of living comes to around £26,392.88 per year. To cover these basic costs, residents need to work about 1,978 hours a year, which is 95% of the usual 2,080 working hours. If they want to enjoy activities like going to the gym (£279.03 a year) or going on holidays (£1,753), the total cost of living increases. Even though salaries are fairly decent, people in Southampton still need to work extra hours to live comfortably. 

9. Glasgow (1,945.63 hours per year) 

Glasgow offers a median net salary of £29,019.27 per year. But, living expenses add up quickly, with rent costing £1,051.50 per month. Additional costs for utilities (£3,678.24 per year), transport (£61.80 per month), food (£2,810.60 per year), council tax (£1,499 per year), and other activities push the total cost of living higher. To cover these expenses, Glasgow workers need to work around 1,945 hours a year—134 hours more than they are already working.  

10. Newport (1,920.54 hours per year) 

Newport, located in South Wales, has a median net salary of £28,593.12 per year. Rent costs £1,200 a year, and other living expenses like utilities (£3,084.36), transport (£50 per month), groceries (£2,810.60 per year), and council tax (£1,856 per year) add up quickly. To cover these essentials, people in Newport need to work about 1,920 hours a year, which is the same as a full work year. Even though the salary is decent, the high cost of living means Newport residents have to spend almost all their working hours just to cover basic needs.  

The top five cities for work life balance 

If you're feeling burnt out and want a better work-life balance with more time to unwind, these UK cities could be the perfect place to start fresh. 

1. Southend-on-Sea (1,364.24 hours per year) 

Southend-on-Sea offers a median net salary of £32,642.40 per year. Rent is relatively affordable at £840.33 per month, and living expenses such as council tax, transport, and utilities are manageable. Residents typically need to work around 1,364 hours a year to cover basic expenses, which is just 70% of the average annual working hours. With lower living costs, there's more room for leisure activities like dining out and going on holidays. Southend-on-Sea is an ideal choice for those looking for a more relaxed lifestyle without the high cost of bigger cities. 

2. Aberdeen (1,479.98 hours per year) 

Rent costs around £641.67 per month, which is relatively affordable compared to many other cities in the UK. Overall, the cost of living is balanced, with transport (£84.50 per month) and utilities being reasonable (£383.59 per month), allowing residents to keep their expenses low. To cover essential expenses, workers in Aberdeen need to work about 1,479 hours annually, which is only 77% of the typical work year. This allows workers to have more free time for leisure activities, contributing to a better work-life balance. 

 3. Mansfield (1,509.80 hours per year) 

Rent is relatively affordable at £608 per month, meaning people need to only work about 27.2% of their annual hours just to cover rent. To cover all essential living expenses, they need to work 1,509 hours per year to afford an average lifestyle. People in London have to work nearly 885 more hours per year than those in Mansfield just to afford an average lifestyle. 

4. Northampton (1,562.30 hours per year) 

In Northampton, rent costs £725 per month, meaning residents need to work about 29.6% of their annual hours just to cover rent. When factoring in general utilities, which cost around £3,853.68 per year, the total hours needed increase significantly. To cover all basic expenses, residents must work approximately 1,562 hours annually, making Northampton a more affordable option compared to major UK cities.  

5. Bradford (1,575.65 hours per year) 

Bradford stands out as the most affordable city for renters, with the lowest rent cost across all 45 cities at just £6,600 per year (£550 per month). This means workers only need to work 24.5% of their annual hours just to cover rent, significantly lower than in most UK cities. With total annual expenses requiring 1,575 hours of work, Bradford offers one of the best opportunities for an affordable lifestyle. Lower costs on essentials like utilities and groceries make it an ideal choice for those looking to save money while maintaining a comfortable standard of living. 

To view the full dataset, click here. 

Methodology & Sources  

To figure out how many hours someone needs to work to afford an average lifestyle, we found the median net income for each city and divided it by the average hours worked in that city. This gave us the average hourly wage. 

We focused on essential expenses like rent, food, utilities, council tax, and transportation, using rent instead of mortgage payments since buying a home requires a deposit. To reflect a typical lifestyle, we also included costs for clothing, leisure activities, holidays, gym memberships, dining out, nightlife, and streaming services like Amazon Prime and Sky TV.  

We added up the average yearly cost for each expense and divided it by the hourly wage to see how many hours people need to work to pay for each one. 

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