Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
London vs Belfast in 2026: cost index 138 vs 85, rent £1,850 vs £700, income £40,300 vs £29,000, QoL 57 vs 63.
London vs Belfast in 2026: cost index 138 vs 85, rent £1,850 vs £700, income £40,300 vs £29,000, QoL 57 vs 63.
London ranks #1 with a cost index of 138 and rent of £1,850/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 112 (+13 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 60/100. Top: London at 57/100.
Safest city: Belfast (60/100 safety score).
Here's what the headline numbers don't tell you: London stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 138 and median income of £40,300, it offers competitive value despite costs slightly above the national median. This combination is rare — and valuable.
On quality of life, Belfast leads with a composite score of 63/100 — reflecting its safety (60), healthcare (68), and walkability (72) metrics. But here's the flip side: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
The country average QoL score is 61/100. London leads with 57/100, reflecting its 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.
London (ranked #1) has a cost index of 138 and rent of £1,850/mo. Belfast (#2) has index 85 and rent £700/mo — a 53-point gap.