Can a Data Engineer afford to live in London?

Excellent48% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Data Engineer · London
$137,609
Income tax (~38% effective)
United Kingdom
– $51,621
Take-home pay
$7,166/mo
$85,988
Living costs (1 person)
$3,747/mo · curated
– $44,964
Savings potential
$3,419/mo · 48% of take-home
$41,024

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Monthly cost breakdown · London

Rent (1-bed)$2,286
Groceries$445
Dining out$381
Transport$229
Utilities$152
Entertainment$254

NHS eliminates healthcare cost. Transport expensive but comprehensive.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in London? →Compare London with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: OECD 2024 median for Data Engineer, adjusted for London.

• Tax: United Kingdom single-filer effective rate (~38%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: hand-curated local budget for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.