The Real Cost of Working
Your payslip shows what lands in your account — not what it costs to stay employable. This simulator folds in rent, commute, debt, kids, and the subtle “maintenance” spends that come with holding your life together.
In under a minute, you’ll see how small changes in housing, commute, or hours worked can translate into more free time and financial breathing room.
See your hour of freedom after rent, commute, and the real cost of staying employable.
Used for your badge only.
Affects rent and commute estimates — choose where you mainly live.
Affects commute costs in baseline.
Basics of your month
£
If Gross selected, we estimate Net with a quick regional factor.
£
e.g. benefits, rental income, family support, interest, dividends
£
Typical for United Kingdom × City / metro: £1,440 ·
45 hours / week at work
Time spent commuting on a working day (there & back)60 min
≈ 5.0 h/week
This job takes about 50.0 h/week in total, combining work and commute.
Used to calculate how much of your time and money goes into the commute.
Commute est.: £198 / month
£
£150 / month
£0 / month
8% → £176 / month
🫶Belonging
Not being the ghost at work or with friends
Now: £140 / mo • Typical: £140 • Range: £0–£800
👔Identity
Looking like you belong where you work
Now: £110 / mo • Typical: £110 • Range: £0–£800
⏱️Time trade
When tired, you buy time (delivery, taxis)
Now: £120 / mo • Typical: £120 • Range: £0–£1200
🌙Comfort
Things that make life more pleasant or restorative (home upgrades, wine, spa day)
Now: £90 / mo • Typical: £90 • Range: £0–£600
💘Connection
Dating / keeping relationships alive
Now: £120 / mo • Typical: £120 • Range: £0–£1200
🎁Small treats
Subscriptions and little upgrades
Now: £45 / mo • Typical: £45 • Range: £0–£400
💸Money pressure
BNPL/overdraft to smooth the month
Now: £25 / mo • Typical: £25 • Range: £0–£300
🐾 Pet costs (food, insurance, sitter/boarding, horse, etc.)
Now: £0 / month (range £0–£2000)
Exclude fashion/grooming; include vet, insurance, daycare/boarding, horses.
🧠 Therapy / coaching / counselling
Now: £0 / month (range £0–£2000)
🤝 Support others (family remit, gifts, obligations)
Now: £0 / month (range £0–£3000)
💊 Health costs (meds, dental, vision, non-insurance)
Now: £0 / month (range £0–£2000)
Exclude insurance premiums; include meds, dental, vision, therapy not covered.
United Kingdom · City / metroYour month
Your month, in plain numbers
Anonymous analytics stored. Email optional and stored separately.
Real Cost Simulator
£0 kept over 215h
You’re effectively losing money for every hour worked — your costs of working (housing, transport, dependents, etc.) are higher than your take-home pay.
Calculated from your net discretionary pay ÷ actual hours (incl. commute).
Out of every £1 you earn, £1.00 goes to staying employable and functional.
If you do nothing, here’s where it goes
Housing £1,200
Commute £198
Dependents £0
Healthcare £0
Debt £150
Savings £176
Maintenance £780
Leftover £0
Estimates • Updated November 2025
🌍What if you lived somewhere cheaper?
We keep your income the same and swap in typical rent, childcare, and commute costs for another city. See how much your hour of freedom could change.
You now
Housing£1,200
Commute£198
Leftover£-304
Real hourly freedom pay£-1.41/hr
If you lived in Lisbon
Typical housing£1,100
Typical commute£70
Estimated leftover£-76
Estimated freedom pay£-0.35/hr
Monthly leftoverYou’d keep £228 more / month
Freedom pay per hour+1.06 £/hr
Housing difference+100 £ / mo
Commute cost difference+128 £ / mo
Roughly 4 fewer hours spent commuting each month, based on your commute vs typical for Lisbon.
Lifestyle★★★★★★★★☆☆
Remote-work friendly★★★★★★★★☆☆
Curious about actually making Lisbon work?
Life Efficiency Score
21/100
Based on your hour-of-freedom, leftover ratio, maintenance %, and hours worked.
🎯Try quick changes
Remote days / week0
Rent change (monthly)£0
Income change (monthly)£0
Before (baseline)£0 / mo · £-1.41/hr
After (with changes)£0 / mo · £-1.57/hr
Difference+£0 / mo · £-0.16/hr
Plain English: You’d keep £0 more each month with the sliders set above.
(Only the three sliders affect this. All your other inputs stay the same — including how you split work vs commute time.)
Your chosen month (with your commute & drivers)
Kept: £-304
You’re effectively losing money for every hour worked — your costs of working (housing, transport, dependents, etc.) are higher than your take-home pay.
Commute: public transport • Maintenance: 35% • Kids: £0
Commute estimate
£198 / month
Context: Mixed options • Area: City / metro.
Assuming about 5 days/week × 60 minutes/day ≈ 5.0 h/week spent commuting.
Maintenance totals
Drivers: £650 • Variable spends: £0 • Bills/utilities: £130
Savings / pension
£176 / month (8%)