GeraCash / UK cost of living
UK Monthly Cost of Living by Region
The Gera Monthly Outgoing Index (GMOI) measures the monthly cost of five essential basket items — rent, energy, food, transport and council tax — for 11 UK regions and 3 household types. For a couple, the UK average is £1,336 per month in 2024. Computed from ONS regional spending data adjusted to 2024 prices using CPIH.
How much does it cost to live in the UK per month?
The Gera Monthly Outgoing Index (GMOI) for a two-adult household in the UK averages £1,336 per month in 2024, covering rent, energy, food, transport and council tax. Monthly costs range from around £1,137 in the cheapest regions to over £1,645 in London, based on ONS A35 regional spending data adjusted to 2024 prices using CPIH.
GMOI by region — couple baseline (2024 prices)
| Region | GMOI (couple/mo) | Single | Family | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | £1,137 | £750 | £1,600 | Full breakdown → |
| Wales | £1,158 | £770 | £1,603 | Full breakdown → |
| North East | £1,175 | £783 | £1,617 | Full breakdown → |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £1,220 | £811 | £1,688 | Full breakdown → |
| North West | £1,236 | £822 | £1,708 | Full breakdown → |
| West Midlands | £1,244 | £826 | £1,722 | Full breakdown → |
| East Midlands | £1,290 | £857 | £1,785 | Full breakdown → |
| South West | £1,354 | £899 | £1,878 | Full breakdown → |
| East of England | £1,373 | £911 | £1,909 | Full breakdown → |
| South East | £1,477 | £979 | £2,057 | Full breakdown → |
| London | £1,645 | £1,085 | £2,313 | Full breakdown → |
GMOI = rent + energy + food + transport + council tax. ONS A35 (FYE 2016–2018) weekly figures adjusted to 2024 prices using CPIH (factor 1.2828). Council tax: 2024-25 Band D averages (DLUHC / Welsh Gov / Scottish Gov). Single applies 25% discount.
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Personalise your GMOI estimate
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UK cost of living: frequently asked questions
- What is the Gera Monthly Outgoing Index (GMOI)?
- The GMOI is a monthly household cost basket calculated by Gera Systems from official ONS regional household spending data (Table A35, Financial Year Ending 2016–2018), adjusted to 2024 prices using the ONS Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH, series L522). It covers five essential components: actual rental payments, energy (gas and electricity), food and non-alcoholic drinks, transport, and council tax. The GMOI is a cost-of-living reference figure, not a specific affordability guarantee — actual costs will vary by neighbourhood, property size and individual circumstances.
- What does the GMOI include?
- The GMOI basket covers: (1) Rent / actual rental payments (ONS category 4.1), (2) Electricity, gas and other fuels (ONS category 4.4), (3) Food and non-alcoholic drinks (ONS category 1), (4) Transport including both private and public transport costs (ONS category 7), and (5) Council tax at the 2024-25 average Band D equivalent for the region (DLUHC / Welsh Gov / Scottish Gov). It does not include mortgage interest, clothing, entertainment, broadband, or health costs.
- How are the household archetype figures calculated?
- Archetype scale factors are derived from ONS A35 expenditure distribution by household size. The average UK household is 2.4 persons. A single-adult household spends approximately 65% of average household expenditure on the basket components; a two-adult couple spends 100% (the baseline); a family of two adults and two children spends approximately 145%. Council tax for single adults applies the standard 25% single-person discount.
- Why is the spending data from 2016-2018?
- The ONS publishes regional household expenditure (Table A35) as a three-year pooled average to ensure statistical reliability at the regional level. The most recent pooled period available for regional breakdown is Financial Year Ending 2016 to 2018. All figures are adjusted from 2017 prices (the midpoint) to 2024 prices using the ONS CPIH all-items index (series L522): 2017 annual average 103.6, 2024 annual average 132.9, giving an adjustment factor of 1.2828. Council tax figures use the actual 2024-25 published rates.
- Does the GMOI cover cities or postcode areas?
- No. The ONS Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF), which underpins these figures, is published at ONS statistical region level (NUTS1) for regional comparisons — city-level breakdowns require ONS bespoke data requests and are not available key-free. The GMOI is therefore built at region and household-type level. Every figure traces to a real ONS published table; no city-level estimates are fabricated.
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- GMOI methodology → · Full formula, sources and OGL licence statement.
Contains public sector information published by Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: ONS — Detailed household expenditure by countries and regions (Table A35, FYE 2016–2018) (Financial year ending 2016 to 2018 (3-year pooled)).