£90k A Good Salary in the UK? How Much Tax?
Understanding income brackets in the United Kingdom can be quite bewildering, right? Given the substantial regional disparities and cost of living differences, a salary of £90k might mean various things depending on where you live.
| City | Average Salary (£) | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|---|
| London | 41,859 | 80.96 |
| Manchester | 30,391 | 66.06 |
| Birmingham | 29,840 | 64.96 |
| Edinburgh | 31,399 | 68.68 |
The numbers might seem bewildering, but don’t fret! We’re going to break it down in this article, helping you understand whether a £90k salary is considered ‘good’ in the UK compared to the average benchmarks in various cities. Additionally, we’ll explore the significant factors that affect the real impact of such a salary on your lifestyle, such as living costs and expenses.
Note: Remember that a ‘good salary’ is relative—it’s not only about what you earn, but also about how much it can purchase in terms of goods and services in a given location. Hence, the ‘cost of living index’ is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
The top 10% of earners in the UK make approximately £79,500 or more

Perry Stevens is the founder of BIGPriceDrops and a long-time digital marketer with a practical interest in helping UK shoppers find better value online. He focuses on clear, no-nonsense money-saving content, Amazon UK deal insights, and buyer guides that help readers spot genuine savings without falling for misleading discounts or impulse-buy traps.
When he is not working on BIGPriceDrops, Perry runs Blend Local Search Marketing and works on digital projects covering SEO, AI tools, and online business growth. His approach is simple: help people make smarter decisions before they spend their money.











