The richest workers in Britain — and they're not Londoners
Professionals working in Aberdeen, Hull and Edinburgh are officially the richest workers in Britain in 2019, new data shows.
Those working in London, Manchester and Bristol are the poorest, with the lowest rates of disposable income, according to the research from job board CV-Library.
The study compared the same basic living costs against average salaries in 18 of the UK’s biggest cities.
Employees living and working in London come in at the bottom of the rich list, despite earning the second highest average salary in the UK. This is due to high living costs in the capital where disposable income is down 42% from last year to an average of just £221.16 per month.
It’s good news for Scotland as Scottish workers have the highest disposable income, with Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow all appearing in the top four. Workers in Aberdeen also clock up the highest monthly salaries in the UK.
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At the other end, the lowest monthly salaries are in Sheffield, Leicester and Liverpool. But in some cases this is balanced by lower living costs in northern cities, as Leicester and Sheffield are the second and third cheapest cities to rent in, closely following Hull which is the cheapest.
London, Brighton and Bristol are the most expensive places to rent, driving up living costs for UK workers in these cities.
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library said: “It’s clear from our findings that the North/South divide still very much remains here in the UK; particularly when it comes to pay and living costs.
“Companies are certainly under pressure to offer fair salaries that reflect the cost of living in their location and that’s why it’s important to factor this in when negotiating on pay with an existing or future employer. Living beyond your means can be extremely stressful so stay in tune with average costs in the town or city that you live and work in.”
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Monthly disposable income of richest to poorest UK workers:
Aberdeen — £1,449.95
Hull — £1,238.58
Edinburgh — £1,116.39
Glasgow — £1,101.92
Newcastle — £1,039.54
Portsmouth — £1,024.96
Leicester — £1,007.14
Southampton — £997.50
Exeter — £991.93
Leeds — £940.88
Cardiff — £938.96
Sheffield — £924.08
Liverpool — £918.31
Brighton — £911.16
Birmingham — £896.22
Bristol — £849.09
Manchester — £833.54
London — £221.16
