The 20 towns and cities the cost-of-living crisis has hit hardest
Despite inflation dropping to near-normal levels, that doesn’t mean prices are falling. Food, energy and housing are still much more expensive than they were pre-pandemic.
No wonder we’re still feeling squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis!
It’s why more than half (55%) of us spent more money in May this year (compared to April), and 14% of us are using more credit than usual.
And some towns are feeling the pinch more than others. Sambla – who compare loan offers – looked at the unemployment rate, gross mean salary and cost of living across the UK.
They then measured the number of internet searches for debt advice against the population to create a ranked index out of 10 to see where money worries are affecting people the most.
Who’s feeling the strain?
Location |
Population |
Avg. monthly search for debt advice |
Unemployment rate |
Avg. annual gross mean salary |
Cost of living |
Index total |
Rochdale |
97,550 |
419 |
9,080 |
£29,300 |
£1,275 |
8.7 |
Bolton |
141,331 |
678 |
11,040 |
£30,235 |
£1,358 |
8.5 |
Oldham |
104,782 |
293 |
10,790 |
£29,587 |
£1,311 |
8.1 |
Croydon |
173,314 |
601 |
15,210 |
£41,535 |
£2,014 |
7.7 |
Manchester |
395,515 |
1,523 |
25,315 |
£31,052 |
£1,585 |
7.6 |
Birmingham |
984,333 |
2,998 |
68,295 |
£30,999 |
£1,590 |
7.3 |
Bradford |
299,310 |
513 |
26,215 |
£31,926 |
£1,241 |
6.6 |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
192,382 |
659 |
8,880 |
£32,332 |
£1,516 |
6.5 |
Leeds |
455,123 |
1,400 |
24,690 |
£32,817 |
£1,486 |
6.5 |
Peterborough |
163,379 |
494 |
8,010 |
£31,533 |
£1,249 |
6.2 |
Wolverhampton |
252,791 |
535 |
12,145 |
£29,905 |
£1,338 |
5.8 |
Bedford |
106,940 |
275 |
4,835 |
£34,199 |
£1,438 |
5.7 |
Lincoln |
114,879 |
355 |
2,785 |
£29,677 |
£1,325 |
5.6 |
London |
7,556,900 |
17,325 |
317,435 |
£47,301 |
£2,635 |
5.5 |
Doncaster |
158,141 |
317 |
8,685 |
£31,870 |
£1,074 |
5.5 |
Milton Keynes |
299,941 |
580 |
7,670 |
£38,029 |
£1,778 |
5.3 |
Rotherham |
117,618 |
122 |
7,160 |
£30,545 |
£1,166 |
5.3 |
Portsmouth |
194,150 |
351 |
6,650 |
£31,272 |
£1,538 |
5.2 |
Glasgow |
591,620 |
969 |
21,835 |
£32,223 |
£1,495 |
5.1 |
Dudley |
199,059 |
211 |
9,005 |
£29,957 |
£1,376 |
5.0 |
Sambla says people in Greater Manchester are more likely to be searching for debt advice than anywhere else, with three towns in the region topping the table.
Almost 250,000 people live in the red here – around one in 10 struggle to buy food and pay their bills.
Why we're feeling the pinch
High cost of living
Everything costs more down south and that’s also true for living costs – especially in London, Croydon, Oxford, Woking and Cambridge.
High unemployment rates
More people are out of work now than they have been for over two years – 4.4% of the population were out of work in April, latest figures show.
You’re more likely to be between jobs in the north of England. This may go some way to explaining why eight of the worst affected areas were up north.
Oldham (10.3%), Rochdale (9.3%), and Bradford (8.8% – joint with one of the only southern entries, Croydon) had the highest unemployment rates.
Not enough disposable income
With everything costing more – and our wages barely moving – a lot of us don’t have much disposable income.
Nottingham residents are the worst off, having just £548 in disposable income each month.
We’re here for you
If you feel like your finances are getting on top of you, it might be time to ask for help.
We can help you set a budget by looking at your income and living expenses and seeing where you can cut back. If you need support making sure you’re claiming all the benefits you’re entitled to, or you want to find out about debt solutions (some are free and there’s a fee for others), we’ve got that covered too.
All of our advice is free and impartial and can be accessed 24/7 online or over the phone during our office hours.
Michelle Kight
Michelle is a qualified journalist who spent over seven years writing for her local online newspaper. Having grown up in some of the North West’s most deprived areas, she has a first-hand and empathetic understanding of what it means to face serious money worries. With a strong interest in mental health issues, she is a keen advocate of boosting the accessibility of financial wellness services.
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