Portsmouth among UK cities where singles spend most of their salary on basic bills

Single people in Portsmouth spend more than 72% of their take-home pay on basic living costs, new study finds

placeholder image — Portsmouth among UK cities where singles spend most of their salary on basic bills | Source: Unsplash

Living alone can offer freedom and independence, but it also means taking on the full cost of household bills without another income to help spread the financial load.

For single residents, rent, energy, broadband and food can quickly consume a large share of their monthly salary, particularly in places where living costs remain high compared with local earnings.

Now, new research by PR Superstar has revealed that Portsmouth is among the UK cities where single people face the greatest financial pressure, with more than seven in ten pounds of the average take-home salary going towards four basic living costs.

The study compared the cost of a one-bedroom city-centre property, utilities, broadband and food with the average monthly net salary across 62 UK locations.

More than 72% of Portsmouth salaries goes on basic costs

Portsmouth ranked eighth out of 62 UK locations, putting it firmly among the places where single residents spend the largest share of their income on basic living expenses.

The research found that the average monthly net salary in Portsmouth is £2,582.22, while the four measured essentials cost an estimated £1,867.65 per month.

That leaves a single resident with £714.57 after paying for rent, utilities, broadband and food.

Overall, these costs consume 72.33% of the average monthly take-home salary in Portsmouth.

That remaining £714.57 would still need to cover costs outside the study, including council tax, transport, mobile phone bills, insurance, leisure spending and any unexpected expenses.

Portsmouth among the UK's most expensive cities for singles

Portsmouth's position is particularly notable because it ranks ahead of several major UK cities for the proportion of salary swallowed by basic costs.

Manchester ranked seventh at 73.90%, while Bristol came 11th at 69.37%.

Meanwhile, London ranked second overall, with 84.25% of the average take-home salary being spent on the same four categories. Chichester followed closely behind in third at 84.14%.

Portsmouth therefore sits within the top 10 locations where basic living expenses place the greatest strain on single people's finances.

How much money is left in Portsmouth?

After the four measured expenses are deducted, the average single resident in Portsmouth has £714.57 left each month.

That works out at roughly £164.90 per week for everything else.

The figure is significantly higher than the £301.42 left for the average single resident in Chichester, which ranked third in the study.

However, it is less than half the £1,701.24 left for the average single resident in Sunderland, which recorded the lowest proportion of salary spent on basic costs.

Sunderland's monthly essentials consumed just 37.92% of the average net salary, compared with 72.33% in Portsmouth.

Portsmouth's financial pressure compared with other cities

Portsmouth's estimated monthly costs of £1,867.65 are considerably higher than those recorded in many northern cities. Sunderland, for example, had monthly costs of £1,039.09.

However, Portsmouth's average net salary of £2,582.22 is also lower than that of several cities with similarly high living costs.

Cambridge, for example, had an average net salary of £3,331.23 and monthly costs of £2,052.59, meaning 61.62% of income was spent on the four measured essentials.