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Software Engineer Salary Comparison

Side-by-side evaluation of salaries, local taxes, monthly expenses, and real purchasing power

✓ Real-time Comparison
🔍 Change Comparison Cities
City 1:
VS
City 2:

💡 Smart Analysis

Comparing Manchester and Edinburgh: Average gross pay is 7% higher in Edinburgh. Cost of living is 11% cheaper in Manchester. With higher take-home and lower expenses, Manchester is a more financially comfortable place to live with an affordability score of 7.1/10 compared to 7/10.

Category Comparison
🇬🇧
Manchester
🇬🇧
Edinburgh

💰 Gross Salaries & Ranges

Average Gross Salary (Annual)
The primary average salary across experience ranges
£60,000/yr
£64,000/yr
HIGHER
Junior Developer Pay
£31,000
£33,000
Mid-Level Developer Pay
£54,000
£57,000
Senior Developer Pay
£79,000
£83,000
Lead / Architect Pay
£99,000
£104,000

🏠 Monthly Cost of Living

Rent — City Center (1 Bed)
£1,200
£1,400
Rent — Suburbs (1 Bed)
£800
£920
Groceries (Monthly)
£360
£380
Public Transport Pass
£110
£120
Utilities (Electricity, Internet)
£168
£175
Estimated Cost of Living
Rent center, groceries, transport plans & hobbies included
£2,099/mo
CHEAPER
£2,362/mo

🧾 Tax rates & Take-home

Average Income Tax Rate
20%
20%
Social Security Deduction
12%
12%
Monthly Take-home (After Tax)
Estimated direct net monthly deposit based on mid-level pay
£3,150/mo
£3,325/mo

📊 Affordability & Savings

Affordability Index
Score out of 10 comparing local net pay to costs
7.1
MORE AFFORDABLE
7
Monthly Savings Potential
Money left over after all standard cost of living expenses
£1,051/mo
£963/mo
Months to Save £10,000
~10 months
~10 months
🇬🇧 Complete Manchester Breakdown & Charts → 🇬🇧 Complete Edinburgh Breakdown & Charts →