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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cost of living in Cambridge, United Kingdom (2026): cost index 129 (+26 vs national avg), rent £1,450/mo, median income £41,000/yr. Rent takes 42% of gross income. Full breakdown vs East of England peers below.
Cost of living in Cambridge, United Kingdom (2026): cost index 129 (+26 vs national avg), rent £1,450/mo, median income £41,000/yr. Rent takes 42% of gross income. Full breakdown vs East of England peers below.
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.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 |
| 2 | Sunderland | 83 | £660 | £28,400 |
| 3 | Swansea | 87 | £720 | £29,500 |
| 4 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
| 5 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 6 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 92 | £830 | £30,500 |
| 8 | Leicester | 93 | £860 | £30,000 |
| 9 | Coventry | 94 | £880 | £30,500 |
| 10 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 |
| 11 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 |
| 12 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 |
| 13 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 14 | Plymouth | 97 | £870 | £31,000 |
| 15 | Birmingham | 97 | £950 | £32,200 |
| 16 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 17 | Norwich | 99 | £920 | £32,000 |
| 18 | Manchester | 103 | £1,080 | £33,800 |
| 19 | Exeter | 106 | £1,020 | £32,600 |
| 20 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
This is the kind of finding that changes plans. 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.
What's equally notable: looking at East of England as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 13 points on the cost index. London sits at the other end with index 142 and rent of £2,000/mo. That's not a marginal difference — it reshapes your monthly budget.
On quality of life, Cambridge scores a composite score of 61/100 — reflecting its safety (74), healthcare (88), and walkability (82) metrics. And there's one more thing: 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.
Sunderland — cost index 83, rent £660/mo, income £28,400, QoL 59/100.
Swansea — cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500, QoL 66/100.
Newcastle upon Tyne — cost index 89, rent £800/mo, income £30,500, QoL 63/100.
Belfast — cost index 89, rent £780/mo, income £30,500, QoL 62/100.
Cambridge has a cost index of 129 (national avg: 103). Median rent is £1,450/month, median income £41,000/year, giving a rent-to-income ratio of 42%.
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. Sunderland: cost index 83, rent £660/mo, income £28,400/yr, QoL 59/100.
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.