UK cost of working calculator
London rent, rail season tickets, childcare, student loans… the UK adds a lot of extra costs to your payslip. This page explains how to use the Real Cost Simulator to see the real cost of working in the UK.
1. Choose "United Kingdom" as your region
The simulator has UK‑specific defaults for rent, commute and childcare. Choose:
- "United Kingdom" in the country selector
- Your area type – city centre, urban/metro, suburban or rural
- Your commute context – transit‑efficient, mixed, or car‑dependent
2. Include your student loan and debt repayments
Many UK workers are still paying student loans alongside other debts. The simulator lets you:
- Set a monthly student loan payment
- Add other credit card, overdraft or loan repayments
- See how much of your income these eat each month
3. Capture UK commute realities
Whether you're squeezing onto the Tube or driving across a rural county, commute time and money add up. In the simulator you can:
- Enter your door‑to‑door commute time in minutes per day
- Let the tool estimate typical UK monthly commute costs
- Override it with your exact rail, bus or fuel spend
4. See what you really keep after UK living costs
Once your rent, commute, bills, kids and debts are in, the simulator shows how much you actually keep per month and per hour of life. That can help with decisions like:
- "Is moving closer to London for this role actually worth it?"
- "Would I keep more if I stayed in a cheaper UK city and earned less?"
- "Is this promotion worth the extra commute and hours?"