How rich are YOUR neighbours? Disposable income in cities across Britain revealed
Residents in Belfast have the highest level of disposable income compared to any other British city, according to new figures from MoneySuperMarket's Household Money Index (HMI).
The quarterly report tracks how much people in the UK spend on various bills and everyday expenses.
Dwellers in the Northern Irish city have a total of £923.28 left over every month after bills, spending 57.9% of their wages on wifi, rent and other costs.
The average resident spends £1343.47 per month on outgoings, which is one of the lowest compared to other UK cities.
The figure is a whopping £884.74 more than what locals in Plymouth have to live on after other outgoings are paid.
Residents in the port city spend 93.5% of their wages on bills, leaving £117.54 left over at the end of the month.
And plenty of other residents in the UK cities also have little to spend after shelling out on their mortgage and other bills.
In Nottingham, the average household has just £175.53 worth of disposable income to play with every month after spending £1313.72 on bills.
Meanwhile, in Birmingham residents have just £268.39 left over after paying £1728.36 on utilities.
And the figures show that earnings after tax also varies greatly from city to city.
Londoners take home an average of £30,930 every year after tax, which is a whopping £13,059 more than the average Nottingham resident.
Household Support Fund
But people in the capital are often paid more due to a combination of factors including a higher cost of living and concentration of high-paying jobs.
For example, the average rent in London for June 2025 was £2,252, according to new figures from the ONS.
This is compared to Nottingham where renters paid £982 in June.
Household bills rise
But regardless of location the average Brit is being asked to pay more.
Figures show the average household spend on essential bills and everyday outgoings has jumped by £38.95 per month from May 2024 to July 2025.
Furthermore, disposable income fell by 33% from April to July 2025.
The average person has just £513.75 left at the end of each month after their bills and outgoings.
It comes despite the spending on energy falling by 9%, from £110.20 a month to £100.20, as Ofgem's new energy price cap came into force.
Mortgage costs have also reduced as the market pins its hopes on a base rate cut in August.
But many of these dips have been offset by other rising household costs such as childcare and water bills.
Childcare and school costs have risen by 10%, while water bills have risen by 11% on average.
Back in April, the average annual water and wastewater bill increased by £123, taking it from £480 to £603.
Lis Barton, chief customer officer of MONY Group - the parent company of MoneySuperMarket - said checking you're getting the "best deal on essential household bills could soon add up to savings".
She explained: " Energy bills have eased off for many this summer, helped along by a lower price cap, milder weather, and more fixed-rate deals on the table - offering a bit of breathing space in a still-volatile market.
"However, there are some bills that are more difficult to cut, like water and childcare costs."
How to cut your bills
IF you're struggling financially, you might be able to cut the cost of your bills to help you get out of the red.
Council tax: You can apply for a council tax reduction on the Gov.uk website but you'll need to meet certain criteria. Your bill could be cut by as much as 100 per cent if you're on a low income or claim benefits. Carers who look after someone in the household for at least 35 hours a week are also exempt from paying.
Water: Households might be able to save money by getting a water meter but it all depends on how much you're using. To check if it's finacially worthwhile, use the Consumer Council for Water's free ater meter calculator.
Rent: If you have the space available and your landlord or local authority says it's ok to do so, you might want to consider getting a flatmate. Not only will you split the cost of the rent, but also the other bills.
Hire purchase: If you're struggling to make your repayments on your hire purchase, you can usually end the contract by returning the goods. You will have to pay all the instalments due up to the time you end the agreement but this will limit the amount you owe. Contact Citizens Advice for free for more help with this.
Gas and electricty: MoneySavingExpert says families can save £330 on average by switching from Standard Variable Tariffs (SVTs) to a better rate. Use a comparison site such as MoneySuperMarket or Energyhelpline to see what deals are available.
Mortgage: If you get into debt with your mortgage payments, don't wait for your lender to chase you. Work out what you can afford using the Citizens Advice budgeting tool so you can discuss your payment options moving forward with your mortgage provider.
Secured Loan: Your secured loan might be covered by the Consumer Credit Act and if it is, you may be able to apply for a Time Order. This is a special agreement by the courts allowing you more time to make payments. Secured loans not covered by the Consumer Credit Act include gas, electricity or water meters, payments that need to be written off in full, mortgages, credit union loans, loans from an employer and some short term trade agreements.
County Court Judgements: If you receive a County Court claim form talk to a free debt advice service straight away. This includes Citizens Advice (0808 800 9060), StepChange (0800 138 1111) and the National Debtline (0808 808 4000).
TV licence: Some households are eligible for a reduced fee or free TV Licence. Check here to see if you are entitled to a reduced or free rate.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK new car sales fall 5% in July, SMMT data shows
Aug 5 (Reuters) - British new car registrations fell about 5% year-on-year in July, according to preliminary data released on Tuesday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Battery electric vehicles are now projected to account for 23.8% of new registrations in 2025, slightly up from SMMT's previous forecast of 23.5%. The final figures for July will be published at 0800 GMT.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
The East Anglian artisans keeping their heritage crafts alive
Traditional skills - some of which have been around for millennia - are at risk of dying out because so few people practise them. Three artisans, whose heritage crafts are on a national Red List, have given their thoughts on what can be done to pass their skills to the next generation. 'We need to do manufacturing ourselves' Daniel Bangham is an endangered to national charity Heritage Crafts - which promotes and supports traditional UK crafts - there are "serious concerns" about the "ongoing viability" of his trade of 45 instrument making, which Mr Bangham does at his own workshop in Linton, Cambridgeshire, is among more than 90 crafts it classes as are just enough skilled craftspeople to keep the work going, and to educate others - for now - but more is needed to be done to safeguard its is clearly a demand for his work: top musicians still need bespoke instruments that are not mass-produced."Professional players depend on craftsmen to get the last five to 10% out of their instruments," said Mr Bangham."Without the instrument maker, you can't have musicians at the top of their game because a top musician will need constant contact with a maker and repairer to get the very best of their instruments." Manufacturing of woodwind instruments - as with many other things - has moved to East Asia, he says, but the reliance on imports needed to change. "As a nation we need to do primary manufacturing ourselves, everything from steel, through to making microscopes and musical instruments," he said."People will still want to hone their skills, but they have to be given the opportunity, the environment and the encouragement."Heritage Crafts has singled him out for praise for being one of the few people to take on years ago, he set up a workshop studio to teach skills to others."We have enabled 250 instruments to be made, and of those we have had four people who have become professional," he Mr Bangham believes the trade could die out because apprenticeships are "not easy or affordable"."Very often someone will go into a profession obliquely, they never thought they were going to go there," he said."They started making a small widget, found they would be good at it, then got more interested in the bigger picture and became a dedicated craftsman." 'You never stop learning' You may have seen examples of Ian Warren's craft, but perhaps not known what it is or moulded plasterwork - pargeting - is prominent in East Anglia and is used to create motifs of coats of arms, fruits, animals, or even entire scenes on has been a skilled craft in England since King Henry VIII brought in Italian plasterers to decorate one of his palaces. Mr Warren, who works out of Tillingham, near Southminster in Essex, is one of just 11 pargeters known to Heritage Craft. "You can see it around Lavenham and Clare [both near Sudbury in Suffolk], where they had men with more money," said Mr Warren."They had pargeting done to let everyone know that." Heritage Crafts believes the issues affecting pargeting include changing tastes in housing design and the strict restrictions imposed by conservation legislation. It can also be expensive and takes time, which does not correlate with competitive tendering Warren has seen all these problems, as well as commonly-used materials not being up to the task."Modern rendering is now resin, it's not sand, cement and lime anymore, it's prebagged and it doesn't lend itself to pargeting," he explained."Flat rendering is cheaper and some [building] designs are very boxy; it looks wrong on a modern house."Nevertheless, he is hopeful for the future. He has diversified by pargeting on to small panels which can be hung inside as works of art "that will last hundreds of years"."I've been doing it 35 years and I've never been out of work, but I have adapted by doing these smaller things," he said."I started doing panels to take to shows, and because I don't like going up scaffolding in the winter anymore."There are builders and developers, especially around here, that still want that look, it's sellable."Heritage Crafts points out that practitioners need "considerable artistic talent" and also want a labour-intensive is no training school, apprenticeships or courses beyond the occasional introductory day school."You never stop learning," said Mr Warren, who is self-taught. "I think you need to be like myself, you've got to be enthusiastic and work for yourself."You have to have a bit of artistic flair in the first place."I could teach someone to a standard, but they have to have that bit about them to take it on their own." 'People have done this for centuries' Mark Clifton's trade of flintknapping - the shaping of flint by "percussive force" - has been around since the Stone Age but could die out because of a skills shortage. Heritage Crafts says the work is "extremely challenging" - it requires technique, accuracy and good hand-eye Clifton, who works out of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, type of flintwork is for the building sector, with Mr Clifton breaking the stones to specific sizes and shapes to create a flush finish on walls. It is time consuming, back-breaking work, with few skilled people still doing it in the UK."I spend half my time on my knees, and as you get older it gets painful," he said."It's a very manual job."You break the flint in half and then you trim it to fit them around each other, and then fit into the wall." Churches and other heritage buildings need the real deal like Mr the shortage of craftsman - and lack of training opportunities - means that, elsewhere, cheaper walls are often created by pressing the stones into concrete as a "short cut", Heritage Crafts says. "Not enough people are getting into it," added Mr Clifton."There are just a handful of good ones, across the country."I fell into it... I'd never knapped in my life but had done whole stone, had slightly the wrong tools to begin with, and went from there. "It's quite a skill."He said he hoped its growing popularity as a feature of modern buildings could be its saviour, but colleges needed to offer courses. "It makes me sad that it could die out," he added. "People have been flintknappers for centuries. "When you think people would quarry flints and knap them at Grimes Graves [a prehistoric flint mine in Lynford, Norfolk]."I still might train someone; I've had apprentices in the past, they've stuck to the course, some have now done it for 28 years." Published annually by Heritage Crafts, the Red List categorises five skills as extinct, 70 as critically endangered and more than 90 as endangered."The Red List underscores the urgent need for greater investment and support to safeguard these skills for the next generation," said Daniel Carpenter, executive director of Heritage Crafts."Reversing this decline would represent not just the continuation of skilled trades, but also a significant boost to the UK's cultural heritage and countless opportunities for future innovation." Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Amazon shoppers ‘would never go back' to Dyson after finding cheap but ‘powerful' vacuum cleaner – was £229.99, now £109
A vacuum cleaner is a household essential, and Amazon has a huge 52% saving on a popular model. The Uninell Cordless Vacuum Cleaner has been reduced from £229.99 to £109. 1 If you're not keen on spending hundreds on the latest premium vacuum cleaner, you're not alone. Shoppers are flocking to Amazon to find the latest and greatest discounts, and there's one stand-out cleaning deal right now. The Uninell Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is now £109, and it has lots of handy features that make it versatile for cleaning all different surfaces. Firstly, it's cordless, which makes it easier to clean awkward areas, like the stairs or corners that aren't within reach of a plug socket. The cordless battery lasts up to an hour, and charges using a wall-mounted charger. The handy design also allows you to transform it into a handheld vacuum cleaner, which is ideal for cleaning the car and tackling dirt and debris under sofa cushions and on other soft furniture. Parents will know that the school holidays equal constant crumbs and mess, and this versatile vacuum is great for quick clean-ups. There's a 'barefloor' mode for hard flooring, a carpet mode, and a turbo mode for extra-powerful cleans and tackling ground-in dirt and hair. The Amazon vacuum cleaner has a high 4.8 star rating, with hundreds of shoppers leaving their feedback. One shopper said: ''Honestly would never go back to buying the likes of Miele, Dyson and Shark, of which I have owned over the years.'' Another shopper commented: ''It's lightweight, powerful, and glides around corners easily, picking up all my dog's hair effortlessly.'' ''Great value for money. Can't believe how cheap it was for what I got!'' While a third shopper praised the ''Excellent vacuum cleaner'', calling it ''easy to use, lightweight, good attachments, battery lasts long enough to clean medium sized house.'' They also went on to say: ''Can't differentiate much between this and the much pricier Dyson equivalent.'' In comparison, Dyson's cheapest vacuum online right now is £249.99, and that's the reduced price - some cost as much as £799. best cordless vacuum cleaners rundown a read.
