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Mohamed Oun
Bristol
#97 of 124
Europe

Bristol

United Kingdom

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Bristol compare to San Francisco?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Bristol is 59% worse off vs in San Francisco

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Bristol compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$68,495
-$205K (-75%) vs San Francisco
Based on 76 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$46,577
-$126K (-73%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 32%

Community Insights

New
7.2/10

Bristol is widely considered the UK's best tech alternative to London, boasting the "Silicon Gorge" cluster which offers genuine career growth in embedded systems, robotics, and high-performance computing. The city offers a unique, progressive culture that blends a laid-back West Country attitude with a sharp, creative edge.

However, its popularity has become its biggest pain point. Recent Reddit threads are dominated by complaints about the housing market, where finding a rental can take months of aggressive searching. While software engineer salaries are strong (median ~$76k), the purchasing power is increasingly squeezed by rents that have risen faster than in almost any other UK city. It remains a fantastic place to live if you can secure housing, but the "relocation tax" of stress and high initial costs is real.

The Good

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to San Francisco.

Rankings

Safety Index

Middle of the pack

#58

of 124 cities

56.7/100

Current value

Comfortable Weather

Middle of the pack

#59

of 124 cities

44/100 weather score

Current value

Pollution Score

Middle of the pack

#61

of 124 cities

47.4/100

Current value (lower is better)

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Bristol compared to San Francisco?

Avg. Property Price
$6,099 / m²
38% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Bristol to maintain the same standard of living.

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Cost of Living
35% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Bristol

Graphcore logo
Graphcore
Dyson logo
Dyson
HPE logo
HPE
Silicon Gorge status: access to a robust deep-tech ecosystem (semiconductors, robotics, aerospace) with companies like Graphcore, XMOS, and major defense contractors.
  • Salary-to-lifestyle balance: while costs are rising, senior salaries (often £65k-£85k+) allow for a high quality of life compared to the squeezed existence in London.
  • Cultural vibrancy: distinct "hipster" and artsy vibe with a world-famous music scene, street art (Banksy's home), and independent food culture.
  • Walkability and cycling: compact city center with extensive cycling infrastructure (though hilly), reducing reliance on cars for many commuters.
  • Proximity to nature: easy access to the Cotswolds, Wales, and the coast, plus ample green spaces within the city like The Downs.

    • The Bad

    • Severe housing crisis: rental market is extremely competitive with bidding wars common; prices for 1-bed flats rival outer London zones.
    • Public transport reliability: buses (First Bus) are notoriously unreliable, expensive, and often ghost on scheduled stops, making commuting without a car/bike frustrating.
    • Traffic congestion: frequent gridlock due to the city's medieval layout and lack of a tram/metro system.
    • Cost of living creep: prices for dining, drinking, and entertainment have risen sharply, eroding the financial advantage over London.
    • Homelessness and inequality: visible disparity in the city center with a noticeable homeless population, reflecting the acute housing shortage.

    Moving Here

    Moderate

    Moving to Bristol is linguistically and culturally seamless for English speakers. The city is highly diverse and welcoming to expats. However, the bureaucratic hurdle lies in securing a rental contract without a UK credit history; you may need to pay 6 months' rent upfront. Visa sponsorship is common among the larger tech firms (Airbus, Graphcore, OVO Energy) but stricter for smaller startups.

    Who Is This City For?

    Deep-tech specialists (embedded, Rust, C++) who want challenging technical work without the London grind. Also ideal for young families or couples moving from London who have enough equity/savings to buy immediately and bypass the rental chaos.

    Updated 1/20/2026

    Weather4.4/10-49% vs San Francisco
    Safety57+44%
    Pollution47-3%
    Events0-100%
    4.4/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in San Francisco

    0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

    Weather snapshot

    Average High
    14°C(vs 19°C in San Francisco)
    Average Low
    8°C(vs 12°C in San Francisco)
    Sunshine Hours
    1,625h/yr-1437h/yr(-47%)
    Hottest Month High
    21°C(vs 22°C in San Francisco)
    Coldest Month Low
    3°C(vs 8°C in San Francisco)
    Rainy Days
    101/yr+53/yr(+109%)

    Community & Quality

    Bristol community pulse

    Bristol has 0 Luma events listed.

    100% fewer events than San Francisco.

    Tax Rate

    Middle of the pack

    #63

    of 124 cities

    32%

    Current value (lower is better)

    Net Income

    Middle of the pack

    #75

    of 124 cities

    $46,577/yr

    Current value

    Cost of Living

    Middle of the pack

    #81

    of 124 cities

    57/100

    Current value (lower is better)

    Community Events

    Bottom 34%

    #83

    of 124 cities

    0 events on luma

    Current value

    Home Affordability

    Bottom 34%

    #83

    of 124 cities

    ≈10.5 yrs to buy 80m²

    Current value

    Purchasing Power

    Bottom 23%

    #97

    of 124 cities

    SWE Affordability
    10.5 years
    5.9 years longer than San Francisco
    Muggy Days
    0/yr(same as San Francisco)
    Cloud Cover
    57%(vs 34% in San Francisco)