Can a SOC Analyst afford to live in London?

Okay12% of take-home left to save โ€” you cover costs with a little left over.
Median salary (gross)
SOC Analyst ยท London
$72,994
Income tax (~30% effective)
United Kingdom
โ€“ $22,117
Take-home pay
$4,240/mo
$50,877
Living costs (1 person)
$3,747/mo ยท curated
โ€“ $44,964
Savings potential
$493/mo ยท 12% of take-home
$5,913

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

Monthly cost breakdown ยท 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.

How we calculated this

โ€ข Salary: OECD 2024 median for SOC Analyst, adjusted for London.

โ€ข Tax: United Kingdom single-filer effective rate (~30%). Official calculator.

โ€ข Living costs: hand-curated local budget for a single professional.

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