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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cambridge startup scene score: 88/100. Cost index 129, internet 85 Mbps, median income £41,000/yr. How does Cambridge stack up for founders vs East of England peers?
Cambridge startup scene score: 88/100. Cost index 129, internet 85 Mbps, median income £41,000/yr. How does Cambridge stack up for founders vs East of England peers?
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 |
| 2 | London | 142 | £2,000 | £42,500 |
| 3 | Manchester | 103 | £1,080 | £33,800 |
| 4 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 |
| 5 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 |
| 6 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 |
| 7 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 |
| 8 | Reading | 124 | £1,300 | £40,000 |
| 9 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 |
| 10 | Birmingham | 97 | £950 | £32,200 |
| 11 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 |
| 12 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 13 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 |
| 14 | Liverpool | 92 | £830 | £30,500 |
| 15 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 16 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
| 17 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 18 | Southampton | 113 | £1,130 | £35,200 |
| 19 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 20 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
Cambridge: cost index 129 (+26 vs national avg 103), rent £1,450/month.
East of England region average cost index: 103. Cambridge is +26 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 61/100 — safety 74, healthcare 88, walkability 82.
Safety score: 74/100 (crime rate 44.8/1k). National average: 61/100.
The conventional wisdom says one thing. The data says another: Cambridge has a cost index of 129 — 26 points above the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £41,000 with rent at £1,450/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 42%. This combination is rare — and valuable.
Context matters here. looking at East of England as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 46 points on the cost index. Sunderland sits at the other end with index 83 and rent of £660/mo. Financially, that's significant.
On quality of life, Cambridge scores a composite score of 61/100 — reflecting its safety (74), healthcare (88), and walkability (82) metrics. Context matters here. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Cambridge — cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo, income £41,000, QoL 61/100.
London — cost index 142, rent £2,000/mo, income £42,500, QoL 56/100.
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.
Bristol — cost index 112, rent £1,200/mo, income £35,800, QoL 61/100.
Cambridge has a cost index of 129 (national avg: 103), rent £1,450/mo, median income £41,000/yr, and a quality of life score of 61/100.
The East of England region of average QoL score is 60/100. Cambridge leads with 61/100, 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.
Cambridge: cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo, income £41,000/yr, QoL 61/100. 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.