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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in United Kingdom for 2026. Sheffield leads with a cost index of 91 and rent of £830/month.
Ranking of cities in United Kingdom for 2026. Sheffield leads with a cost index of 91 and rent of £830/month.
Sheffield: cost index 91 (-12 vs national avg 103), rent £830/month.
Yorkshire region average cost index: 101. Sheffield is -10 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 65/100 — safety 60, healthcare 72, walkability 65.
Safety score: 60/100 (crime rate 80.1/1k). National average: 61/100.
Let's cut to what actually matters here. Sheffield has a cost index of 91 — 12 points below the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £30,000 with rent at £830/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 33%. That gap is hard to ignore.
On quality of life, Sheffield scores a composite score of 65/100 — reflecting its safety (60), healthcare (72), and walkability (65) metrics. Layer in taxes, though, and the math changes. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Sheffield — cost index 91, rent £830/mo, income £30,000, QoL 65/100.
Edinburgh — cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000, QoL 65/100.
Sheffield has a cost index of 91 (national avg: 103), rent £830/mo, median income £30,000/yr, and a quality of life score of 65/100.
The Yorkshire region of average QoL score is 65/100. Sheffield leads with 65/100, 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.
Sheffield: cost index 91, rent £830/mo, income £30,000/yr, QoL 65/100. Edinburgh: cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000/yr, QoL 65/100.
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.