The sourced starting points
Use these as a starting range, not as a single true price. Rent methods differ, and that difference matters more than any single average.
| Item | Boston | London | Source and caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-bedroom rent, per month | $2,403 median to $3,082 asking median | £1,760 average, about $2,358 at $1.34 | Boston: Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, one-bedroom median $2,403, September 2026 estimates; PiggyRent October 2026, one-bedroom asking median $3,082 from Boston listings; PadMapper October 2026, one-bedroom median $3,025 as of 18 October 2026; Zumper October 2026, one-bedroom around $2,930. London: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, August 2026, one-bedroom £1,760, all homes £2,332. ONS averages cover all tenancies, not just new listings, so asking rents for a new flat are often higher. |
| UK income tax, England, 2026/27 | Personal Allowance £12,570. Basic 20% from £12,571 to £50,270. Higher 40% from £50,271 to £125,140. Additional 45% above £125,140. Allowance tapers by £1 for every £2 over £100,000, to zero at £125,140. | GOV.UK, Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances, tax year 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, verified directly on 24 October 2026. London is in England, so these bands apply. National Insurance is separate: employee 8% from £12,570 to £50,270, then 2% above, in the secondary summary checked. Get a personal calculation before you rely on any tax figure. | |
| US tax, Boston | No single rate is used here. Federal tax plus Massachusetts tax all apply, and your effective rate depends on income, filing status, and deductions. | Enter your own effective tax rate in the calculator. Do not use a headline marginal rate as if it were your total tax. | |
| Healthcare, in one line | Mainly employer or private insurance in the US, with premiums, deductibles, and copays on top of tax. | NHS care is mainly funded through tax and National Insurance, with prescriptions and some services charged separately in England. | This is a system difference, not a price. Budget for private cover in London if you want it, and for US-style out-of-pocket costs if you keep US cover. |
Why the Boston range is so wide: an Apartment List estimate blends a modelled rent series, while a PiggyRent or PadMapper asking median measures only flats currently listed for rent. Pick the method that matches your search, then replace the range with listings you have actually seen.
Try it: match your life, not just your salary
London rent is entered in pounds and converted at the editable exchange rate, so you can see the conversion instead of guessing it. Other London costs are an example only, replace them with your own.
Formula, in plain words: take-home needed in London equals London monthly costs in dollars plus your current monthly cushion, divided by one minus your London tax rate. This is illustrative maths, not a tax calculation. UK bands and National Insurance above are the check, not a substitute for a personal calculation.
Worked example, checked: $120,000 salary, 28% tax now, $2,403 rent now, $2,400 other costs now, £1,760 rent in London, £1,600 other costs in London, £1 = $1.34, 32% tax in London. Take-home now $7,200 per month, left after costs now $2,397 per month, London rent about $2,358 per month, total London costs about $4,502 per month, equivalent gross salary about $121,754 per year in dollar terms, savings difference about $301 per month. Other London costs are an editable example only, not a sourced figure.
Your result
Equivalent gross salary needed in London, in dollar terms
Savings difference is Boston monthly costs minus London monthly costs in dollars. Positive means London costs less on these inputs. It is not a savings forecast, because tax, healthcare, transport, and lifestyle are only partly in these fields.
Saved comparisons stay in this browser only, on this device. No account, no email, no data sent anywhere.
Official links to check, not search results
Use these directly, for the same scam reason as the template: official government pages, not the first ad that looks official.
- GOV.UK: Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances - the 2026/27 bands used on this page, £12,570 Personal Allowance, 20%, 40%, 45%.
- GOV.UK: Check if you need a UK visa - official checker if your move needs work, study, family, or another visa, not just a visitor ETA.
- GOV.UK: Apply for a UK ETA - official ETA route, £20, for the scouting trip.
- NHS: NHS services in England - GPs, hospitals, dentists, prescriptions, and pharmacies, and how to find services near you.
If a site charges more than the official fee, or its address is not gov.uk or nhs.uk for these services, treat it as a copycat and go back to the official link above.
What this page still does not do
- Family size: one-bedroom rent and a single-person budget do not scale cleanly to a family. A family version needs bedroom count, schooling, and childcare as separate fields.
- Housing ownership: buying, mortgage, council tax, and US property tax are not in this calculator. Renters only, for now.
- Pension and remote income: salary mode only in this page. Pension mode and remote-income mode are not yet built.
- Visa and residence: a short visit is not a move. See the companion US passport to UK page for entry, and get immigration advice for work or residence permission.
Next step: US passport to UK, entry and scouting trip budget →
Sources, checked 24 October 2026
- ONS Price Index of Private Rents, via the London rent summary checked: London all homes £2,332 per month, one-bedroom £1,760, August 2026.
- Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index: Boston one-bedroom median $2,403, overall median $2,499, September 2026 estimates.
- PiggyRent October 2026, Boston listings: one-bedroom asking median $3,082.
- PadMapper Boston rent trends, October 2026, median as of 18 October 2026: one-bedroom $3,025. Zumper Boston, October 2026: one-bedroom around $2,930.
- GOV.UK, Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances: 2026/27 Personal Allowance £12,570, basic 20%, higher 40%, additional 45%, as tabled above, verified directly 24 October 2026.
- Exchange rate: £1 = about $1.34 on 24 October 2026, from multiple market summaries checked that day (1.337 to 1.34). Rounded to $1.34 in this page, editable in the calculator.
If any figure above has moved since 24 October 2026, the page is out of date until it is rechecked. That is the point of the last-checked stamp.