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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Belfast startup scene score: 48/100. Cost index 89, internet 55 Mbps, median income £30,500/yr. How does Belfast stack up for founders vs Northern Ireland peers?
Belfast startup scene score: 48/100. Cost index 89, internet 55 Mbps, median income £30,500/yr. How does Belfast stack up for founders vs Northern Ireland peers?
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 2 | London | 142 | £2,000 | £42,500 |
| 3 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 |
| 4 | Manchester | 103 | £1,080 | £33,800 |
| 5 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 |
| 6 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 |
| 7 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 |
| 8 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 |
| 9 | Reading | 124 | £1,300 | £40,000 |
| 10 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 |
| 11 | Birmingham | 97 | £950 | £32,200 |
| 12 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 |
| 13 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 14 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 |
| 15 | Liverpool | 92 | £830 | £30,500 |
| 16 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 17 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
| 18 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 19 | Southampton | 113 | £1,130 | £35,200 |
| 20 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
Belfast: cost index 89 (-14 vs national avg 103), rent £780/month.
Northern Ireland region average cost index: 103. Belfast is -14 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 62/100 — safety 60, healthcare 68, walkability 72.
Safety score: 60/100 (crime rate 75.8/1k). National average: 61/100.
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Belfast has a cost index of 89 — 14 points below the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £30,500 with rent at £780/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 31%. That ratio is hard to beat anywhere else.
But here's the flip side: looking at Northern Ireland as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 6 points on the cost index. Sunderland sits at the other end with index 83 and rent of £660/mo. This is an advantage that compounds over time.
On quality of life, Belfast scores a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (60), healthcare (68), and walkability (72) metrics. Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Belfast — cost index 89, rent £780/mo, income £30,500, QoL 62/100.
London — cost index 142, rent £2,000/mo, income £42,500, QoL 56/100.
Cambridge — cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo, income £41,000, QoL 61/100.
Manchester — cost index 103, rent £1,080/mo, income £33,800, QoL 56/100.
Oxford — cost index 132, rent £1,500/mo, income £39,000, QoL 58/100.
Belfast has a cost index of 89 (national avg: 103), rent £780/mo, median income £30,500/yr, and a quality of life score of 62/100.
The Northern Ireland region of average QoL score is 60/100. Belfast leads with 62/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ONS, Land Registry, HMRC.
Belfast: cost index 89, rent £780/mo, income £30,500/yr, QoL 62/100. London: cost index 142, rent £2,000/mo, income £42,500/yr, QoL 56/100.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.