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South: Southampton and Portsmouth workers 'richer' than Londoners

9 October 2017
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UK professionals working in the City of London are officially the poorest workers in Britain, according to research conducted by the UK’s leading independent job site, CV-Library. This is despite the fact that Londoners continue to earn the highest average salary in the UK.

Based on new roles advertised in Q3 2017, the job site revealed that the average annual salary in London is £37,335; a slight dip on the same period in 2016 and just 15.7% greater than the national average of £32,246 per year. However, further research revealed that premium costs in the capital drastically outweigh the slightly higher-than-average salaries, meaning Londoners have the least disposable income in the country.

Comparing the same basic living costs against average salaries in 16 of the UK’s key cities revealed how employees in Scotland and North England remain the richest in the UK:

Richest to poorest UK workers*:

 

Average monthly salary

Basic monthly costs

Remaining income

Aberdeen

£2,247.06

£1,074.08

£1,173

Glasgow

£2,097.01

£1,024.25

£1,073

Hull

£1,885.81

£820.80

£1,065

Sheffield

£1,979.48

£1,002.47

£977

Cardiff

£2,010.08

£1,044.68

£965

Birmingham

£2,038.42

£1,082.95

£955

Liverpool

£1,948.49

£1,029.76

£919

Portsmouth

£1,930.64

£1,050.23

£880

Leeds

£1,955.23

£1,077.09

£878

Southampton

£1,987.70

£1,119.42

£868

Edinburgh

£1,995.46

£1,133.60

£862

Bristol

£2,140.93

£1,289.55

£851

Manchester

£1,976.25

£1,142.99

£833

Exeter

£1,898.68

£1,120.55

£778

Brighton

£1,958.12

£1,341.80

£616.32

London

£2,388.96

£2,193.78

£195.18

*Basic monthly costs include rent (small, one-bed flat, located close to the city centre), relevant council tax, a local monthly travel card, basic utility bills and groceries.

The results suggest that a worker in London could end up in serious debt if they want the same living standards as anyone else in the country, despite holding senior, well-paid jobs.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, explained: “London continues to be an exciting city to live and work in. Attracting people of all ages and from all backgrounds, there are fantastic employment opportunities within the capital. That said, it’s very clear from our analysis that the majority of workers in London are in danger of being left high and dry after pay day, placing many in a compromising position.

“While salaries have fallen slightly year-on-year, living costs within the nation’s capital are clearly pushing people to breaking point and the government must work harder to address this. Otherwise, we could continue to see more people retreating from London, in search of areas which offer a better state of living.”

To delve even further, when comparing the purchase of a one-bed flat in London, to a similar one-bed flat in Glasgow, the difference is significant. Whilst the average cost of a one-bed flat in Glasgow is £75,413, the same flat in London would be £529,655; six times more expensive (602%). However, when comparing average salaries in both cities (£37,335 in London and £32,183 in Glasgow), Londoners only earn 16% more than workers in Glasgow.


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