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.

City name (optional)

Used for your badge only.

Country/Region

Area type

Affects rent and commute estimates — choose where you mainly live.

Commute context

Affects commute costs in baseline.

Basics of your month

Income per month is

If Gross selected, we estimate Net with a quick regional factor.

Other income (optional)

e.g. benefits, rental income, family support, interest, dividends

Your rent or mortgage each month (your share)

Typical for United Kingdom × City / metro: £1,440 ·

Bills included?

Hours you actually work each week (not counting commute)

45 hours / week at work

Getting to 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

If you know your real monthly commute cost, you can override it:

Home & kids

Debt repayments

£150 / month

Student loan

£0 / month

Savings / pension rate

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

🍽️ Food & groceries (including eating out, coffee, takeaways)

Now: £350 / month (range £0–£2000)

🐾 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.

Use typical transit costs in chart (auto unchecked if remote)Include “Other income” in chart totals

If you do nothing, here’s where it goes

Housing £1,200

Food £350

Commute £198

Dependents £0

Healthcare £0

Debt £150

Savings £176

Maintenance £1,130

Leftover £0

Estimates • Updated December 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.

Compare with

You now

Housing£1,200

Commute£198

Leftover£-654

Real hourly freedom pay£-3.04/hr

If you lived in Lisbon

Typical housing£1,100

Typical commute£70

Estimated leftover£-426

Estimated freedom pay£-1.98/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?

See long-stay rentals in Lisbon↗Open a multi-currency account↗

Life Efficiency Score

16/100

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 · £-3.04/hr

After (with changes)£0 / mo · £-3.37/hr

Difference+£0 / mo · £-0.33/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.)

📄Turn this into a Decision Pack

Get a printable, personalised PDF that turns this scenario into a clear decision document — including your real hourly wage, stress tests, city comparison and negotiation targets.

• Monthly money flow chart (where each £ actually goes)
• Real hourly wage after commute & “maintenance” costs
• Stress tests for rent, bills & job changes
• Comfort salary target & negotiation guidance

Get my Decision Pack (PDF) – £3

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