Cost of living in Sheffield
Data last updated: 14 May 2026
Page last reviewed: 24 June 2026
Sheffield is one of the more affordable major cities in the UK. Average overall rent of £920/month, a one-bed averaging just £682, and a single-person monthly basket of around £1,329 all sit well below the cities further south. Earnings of £31,816/year are healthy for a northern city, and the affordability score of 42.6% (rank #140 of 348) is among the better ratios in our data: local pay genuinely stretches further here than in most large UK cities. The economy has been working through the post-industrial transition for decades, with the steel industry now small but with newer growth around advanced manufacturing, healthcare, education (the two universities support around 60,000 students), and digital. The city sits right against the Peak District; from many neighbourhoods you can be in a national park within 20 minutes. Honest downsides: parts of the city still bear the marks of de-industrialisation, average earnings still lag the southern cities, and the topography (Sheffield is built on seven hills) is a constant feature. The cultural and food scenes have improved fast but remain smaller than Manchester or Leeds.
- Known for:
- Two large universities; the Peak District literally at the edge of the city; a long industrial steel heritage; one of the greenest UK cities by tree canopy.
- Transport:
- Trains to London St Pancras take about 2hrs, Manchester is around 1hr by train. The Supertram covers parts of the city; buses fill in the rest. M1 access to the north and south.
- Character:
- Hilly, friendly, and outdoors-minded. Among the most affordable big cities in England, with a smaller cultural scene than Manchester or Leeds but a strong sense of identity and the Peak District on the doorstep.
Rent in Sheffield
The average monthly rent in Sheffield is £920.
- 1 Bed£682 /mo
- 2 Bed£830 /mo
- 3 Bed£953 /mo
- 4+ Bed£1,327 /mo
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)
Sheffield's £1,329/month is one of the lower figures of any major English city. Rent does most of the work: at £682/month for a one-bed it is roughly £300-400/month below Bristol or Brighton. House prices at £218,000 are about £130,000 below Bristol's and £180,000 below Brighton's. The £2,510/year council tax is in the upper middle of the range, but the rent advantage more than offsets it.
Earnings in Sheffield
The average annual salary for residents of Sheffield is £31,816.
We use the median (middle value) as the average throughout this site. This is more representative than the mean, which can be skewed by extremely high or low values.
Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
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Average house prices in Sheffield
The average house price in Sheffield was £218,000.
- Detached£368,250
- Semi-detached£220,000
- Terraced£196,500
- Flat£140,000
How house prices have changed in Sheffield
Average house prices over time, based on quarterly rolling-year medians from Land Registry data.
Source: ONS / HM Land Registry. Historical trend based on quarterly rolling-year median prices.
Council tax in Sheffield
Band D council tax in Sheffield is £2,510 per year.
- Band A£1,673
- Band B£1,952
- Band C£2,231
- Band DBenchmark£2,510
- Band E£3,068
- Band F£3,626
- Band G£4,184
- Band H£5,020
Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government
Energy costs in Sheffield
A typical household in Sheffield pays approximately £1,641/year (£137/month) for gas and electricity.
Energy region: Yorkshire
This estimate is based on the Ofgem price cap for a typical dual-fuel household using 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas per year, paying by Direct Debit. Your actual costs will depend on your usage, tariff, and whether you're on a fixed deal.
Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q2 2026
Water costs in Sheffield
The average annual water and sewerage bill for Yorkshire Water customers is £636/year (£53/month).
Water company: Yorkshire Water
Water bills vary based on whether you have a meter and your household's water usage. This figure is the company average for unmetered customers.
Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27
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Crime in Sheffield
There were 974 recorded crimes per 10,000 people in Sheffield, which is above the national average of 813.2. Sheffield ranks #249 out of 303 areas for lowest crime rate.
Recorded crime statistics reflect crimes reported to and recorded by police. They may not capture the full picture of crime in an area, and recording practices vary between forces.
Source: Home Office police recorded crime, Year ending December 2025
Compare Sheffield with another area
How does Sheffield compare?
Side-by-side comparisons against three other UK areas, using the same single-person basket as the rest of the site.
Leeds costs around £75/month more than Sheffield on the same basket (£1,404/month vs £1,329/month).
See the full comparison Sheffield vs ManchesterManchester costs around £291/month more than Sheffield on the same basket (£1,620/month vs £1,329/month).
See the full comparison Sheffield vs NottinghamNottingham costs around £62/month more than Sheffield on the same basket (£1,391/month vs £1,329/month).
See the full comparisonOr compare Sheffield with any UK area using the comparison tool.
Nearby areas
Explore the cost of living in areas close to Sheffield.
Frequently asked questions about Sheffield
Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, Ofgem Energy Price Cap, and Water UK / Discover Water. All official data is published under the Open Government Licence.