moovelythe grass is greener
London (Average)London
ReadingSouth East

You'd be £4,761/year better off in Reading

Based on area median salaries. Personalise it to see YOUR numbers.

Over 5 years, that's £26,817 in your pocket
Moving costs (£3,000-£5,000) paid back in 8-13 months

Your Take-Home Pay

Based on area median salaries. Personalise above to see your own numbers.

London (Average)

Gross salary£44,000
Income tax-£6,286
National Insurance-£2,514
Take-home£35,200
Effective tax rate: 20%£2,933/mo

Reading

Gross salary£39,000
Income tax-£5,286
National Insurance-£2,114
Take-home£31,600
Effective tax rate: 19%£2,633/mo

You'd take home £3,600 less per year in Reading

Where Your Money Goes

Where Your Money Goes

How your monthly take-home splits between costs and what you keep.

London (Average)

Rent: £2,000Council Tax: £137Commute: £180Groceries: £325Energy: £135Lifestyle: £132Disposable: £125

Reading

Rent: £1,350Council Tax: £158Commute: £160Groceries: £312Energy: £125Lifestyle: £106Disposable: £498

London (Average) disposable

£125/mo

Reading disposable

£498/mo

London (Average)

Tight
TightManageableComfortable

£125/mo disposable

Reading

Manageable
TightManageableComfortable

£498/mo disposable

Living Costs

Salary (Area Median)

London (Average)

£44,000

Reading

£39,000

£5,000/yr worse off

Rent (2-bed)

London (Average)

£2,000/mo

Reading

£1,350/mo

£7,800/yr better off

Council Tax (Band D)

London (Average)

£1,640

Reading

£1,900

£260/yr worse off

Commute

London (Average)

£180/mo

Reading

£160/mo

£240/yr better off

Weekly Groceries

London (Average)

£75/wk

Reading

£72/wk

£156/yr better off

Energy Bills

London (Average)

£135/mo

Reading

£125/mo

£120/yr better off

Lifestyle (Pints, Cinema, Gym)

London (Average)

£132/mo

Reading

£106/mo

£305/yr better off
Property

If You're Buying

London (Average)

£530,000

Average house price

Reading

£370,000

Average house price

You could save £160,000 on a home in Reading. That's real money.

Price-to-income ratio

12.0x

London (Average) (median)

Price-to-income ratio

9.5x

Reading (median)

Lifestyle

Percentage of schools rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted (England), Education Scotland, Estyn (Wales), or ETI (Northern Ireland).

London (Average)

Good
Outstanding: 25%Good: 62%87% good+

3208 schools in area

Reading

Excellent
Outstanding: 18%Good: 62%80% good+

185 schools in area

London (Average) has better-rated schools overall (87% good or outstanding vs 80% in Reading). Always check individual schools for your specific area.

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Your Move Summary

London (Average)Reading

£4,761/yr better off

Where you save

  • Rent+£7,800/yr
  • Lifestyle+£305/yr
  • Commute+£240/yr

Where you pay more

  • Take-home pay-£3,600/yr
  • Council Tax-£260/yr
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Government data, not guesswork

Data sourced from ONS, HMRC, and local authorities. Salaries are area medians - personalise above for your own numbers. Comparison based on 2-bed rental, Band D council tax, and typical usage. Always do your own sums before making big decisions. But at least now you know where to start.