PLYMOUTH is the squeeze capital of the UK, with soaring prices making it the most expensive place to live in the country, relative to wages.
An exclusive Sun on Sunday Squeeze Team probe covering six British cities found the comparative cost of living was highest in the coastal Devon city.
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A portion of cod and chips will set you back £8 in the port, while three days a week of childcare costs a staggering £9,000 per year and the annual £1,596 council tax is the highest of all the cities polled.
Coupled with some of the lowest wages in the country — the average salary in Plymouth is £27,000 — residents are struggling to scrape by.
Squeeze Team money-saving expert Martyn James said: “The prices suggest a city that’s very squeezed, with the all-round cost of living not even close to the average wage.
“This disparity between earnings and outgoings is perhaps best illustrated by house prices, where the big-value properties in the centre and on the coast increase the average in a way that is unaffordable for many people living there.
“Local taxes are the highest of all cities polled, while food costs and childcare are consistently at the top end of the range.”
The Sun on Sunday compared the cost of living in locations across the UK, taking in the cost of everything from childcare to energy bills and the price of a pint.
Bradford in West Yorkshire was the most affordable city polled.
Despite having the lowest wages of the six cities, residents benefit from cheaper childcare and food costs.
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But its energy costs were some of the highest, typically now setting residents back £817 per year.
Fall through the cracks
Londoners enjoyed the highest wages, taking home an average of £40,000, but the prohibitive cost of living in the capital means the city is one of the least affordable.
Birmingham food and booze prices ranked mid-table, while house prices were second only to London, with a two-bed semi costing £230,000.
But Brummies benefit from the cheapest petrol — the only city to see average prices at under 160p a litre.
Childcare costs were at the cheaper end too, with three days at nursery costing £150 per week.
Martyn, a consumer expert for Resolver, said: “The data shows that what you earn has the biggest impact on whether you can afford the key costs. So earnings-to-outgoings demonstrates that those struggling to get by will fall through the cracks unless the Government comes up with comprehensive help for everyone on the breadline.”
On Wednesday Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered a Spring Statement aiming to tackle the escalating cost of living, in which he unveiled a year-long 5p cut in fuel duty.
The Chancellor stuck to an increase in National Insurance next month but raised the income threshold at which it is paid to £12,570, a tax cut for 30million people.
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But Tory MPs warned the measures were “not enough” as Brits shoulder the highest tax burden since just after World War Two.
Grandee Richard Drax warned: “We have deep pockets of deprivation and poverty and I fear the generous moves by the Chancellor have not gone far enough.”
Our price index painted a mixed picture for northern cities Manchester and Newcastle. While it is possible to pick up a pint for just £1.99 in Sale, on the outskirts of Manchester, house prices and childcare costs are high.
Martyn said: “Manchester is a city of contrasts. I recently got charged £6 for a pint that I can get for £3 just two miles out of town.
“There’s also a feeling among some of the locals that they are being priced out of their own city. Along with Newcastle, Manchester has one of the highest costs for nursery care — which has a huge impact on whether people can work their way out of financial difficulties.”
The analysis comes as Britain is in the grip of its highest inflation for 30 years.
Prices rose by 6.2 per cent in the 12 months to February as fuel, energy and food costs surged. The Bank of England expects inflation to reach around eight per cent in spring.
Economists have warned that the average working household will lose £1,100 to higher taxes and rising prices.
Brits are expected to see the biggest fall in living standards since records began in the 1950s, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Families told The Sun on Sunday the rising cost of living is “more terrifying” than the start of the pandemic.
Office manager Gemma Keough, 33, from Chadderton, Manchester, said she had taken to flogging her old clothes, toys and furniture on eBay to pay food and energy bills.
The mum-of-three said: “This is more terrifying than lockdown. Last week’s grocery shop was £30 more expensive than last month.
“I am buying bulk items like pasta and rice and going back to simple basic meals.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to rising costs of fertiliser, animal feed and fuel, with farmers forced to pass on costs.
Last week the Environment Secretary warned the cost of chicken could rise by up to 30 per cent.
Michael Oakes, Dairy Board chairman for the National Farmers’ Union, said: “There’s real concern for food security. The amount of food, choice and affordability is going to be a big challenge.”
‘The pub is a no-go’
Britain’s chippies are also under threat amid warnings that as many as half could go out of business.
The price of oil used in deep-fat fryers is surging because Ukraine and Russia account for more than 50 per cent of the world’s production of sunflower seeds.
And last week the Government announced a 35 per cent tariff on Russian fish imports, which means prices paid by the hospitality industry will increase.
In our index, the price of cod and chips was highest in London, with a large portion costing £10.60. Manchester had the cheapest.
Nightclub admin manager Joe Hutchins, 26, from Truro, Cornwall, has noticed the rising prices in the South West. He said: “Food prices are the same here as they are in London.
“I used to buy a £6.50 fish and chip deal from my chippy — now it is £9. I work at a nightclub and in the last three months cocktails have gone from £9 to £15.
“Me and my friends can’t afford a full round. The pub is a no-go.”
And rising energy bills mean Joe often goes cold.
He said: “I turn my heating on for an hour in the morning. There have been days when I didn’t have cash for the electric meter so I sat in the dark.”
Brits are also feeling the squeeze at the pumps, where a tank of petrol could soon cost £100. Fuel prices were highest in London — at 172.9p per litre — followed by Bradford and Manchester.
Mum-of-two Chloe McMullin, 30, is battling to keep her mobile
hairdressing business afloat.
Chloe, who lives near Plymouth, says her small profits have been “eaten up” by rising prices.
She said: “I drive a VW Golf that used to cost £65 to fill up, now it’s costing £90. My elderly clients cannot afford an extra fiver. I’m having to turn clients down because it costs too much to travel to them.”
Plymouth – average wage £27,000
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COD & CHIPS: £8 Barbican Fish
MARGHERITA PIZZA: £8 Food 4 U
GLASS WHITE WINE: £4.80
PINT BEER: £4.20 The Dolphin
WOMAN’S CUT & BLOW DRY: £42 Spoilt Hair
TWO-BED SEMI: £200,000
PETROL: 164.7p litre, Asda, Exeter Street
HEATING: £692 a year
GYM: £16.99 a month Gym Group
DENTIST CHECK-UP: £60 Plymouth City Centre Dental
AV. COUNCIL TAX: £1,596.36
CHILDCARE: £176.40 Tops Bretonside (30hrs/3 days’ nursery)
Newcastle – average wage £28,000
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COD & CHIPS: £7.80 Town Fry
MARGHERITA PIZZA: £3 Berto’s Kitchen
GLASS WHITE WINE: £3.59 The Junction
PINT BEER: £3.30 Raffertys
WOMAN’S CUT & BLOW DRY: £30 Lyndsey Morton Hair
TWO-BED SEMI: £150,000
PETROL: 164.9p litre BP, Shields Road
HEATING: £749 a year
GYM: £25 a month, 60 Smarter
DENTIST CHECK-UP: £55 Gosforth Dental Surgery
AV. COUNCIL TAX: £1,591.57
CHILDCARE: £202.50 Busy Bees (30hrs/3 days’ nursery)
Manchester – average wage £30,000
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COD & CHIPS: £6.30 Northern Fisheries
MARGHERITA PIZZA: £5.20 Turkish Grill
GLASS WHITE WINE: £3.15 Crown & Kettle
PINT BEER: £1.99 The J. P. Joule, Sale
WOMAN’S CUT & BLOW DRY: £39 Red Angel Hair
TWO-BED SEMI: £170,000
PETROL: 166.9p litre Esso, Ardwick Green
HEATING: £732 a year
GYM: £14.99 month, PureGym
DENTIST CHECK-UP: £56 Bupa Dental Care
AVERAGE COUNCIL TAX: £1,386.59
CHILDCARE: £187.50, Tiny Toes (30hrs/3 days’ nursery)
Birmingham – average wage £30,000
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COD & CHIPS: £7.20 Dads Lane Fish
MARGHERITA PIZZA: £4.99 Pizzaland
GLASS WHITE WINE: £3.95 Moseley Arms
PINT BEER: £3.40 Moseley Arms
WOMAN’S CUT & BLOW DRY: £25 LJS Hair
TWO-BED SEMI: £230,000
PETROL: 159.9p litre Esso, Selly Park
HEATING: £799 a year
GYM: £30 month, Iron Works
DENTIST CHECK-UP: £40 St John’s Dental Practice
AV. COUNCIL TAX: £1,449.37
CHILDCARE: £150, Leaps & Bounds (30hrs/3 days)
Bradford – average wage £25,000
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COD & CHIPS: £6.95 The In Plaice
MARGHERITA PIZZA: £6 In Touch Cafe
GLASS WHITE WINE: £3.60 The Ginger Goose
PINT BEER: £3.35 City Vaults
WOMAN’S CUT & BLOW DRY: £32.95 Mario’s
TWO-BED SEMI: £160,000
PETROL: 166.9p litre, Shell, Canal Rd
HEATING: £817 a year
GYM: £17.99 a month, EasyGym
DENTIST CHECK-UP: £25 Southgate Dentists
AV. COUNCIL TAX: £1,490
CHILDCARE: £126 Horton Green (30hrs/3 days’ nursery)
London – average wage £40,000
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COD & CHIPS: £10.60 Poppie’s, Soho
MARGHERITA PIZZA: £7.25 Rudy’s, Soho
GLASS WHITE WINE: £6.50 Duke Of Wellington, Soho
PINT BEER: £6.50 Duke of Wellington
WOMAN’S CUT & BLOW DRY: £59 Live True London
TWO-BED SEMI: £800,000
PETROL: 172.9p litre, Esso, Brixton
HEATING: £833 a year
GYM: £59 month, Fitness First
DENTIST CHECK-UP: £55 Borough Dental
AV. COUNCIL TAX : £1,590 Lewisham
CHILDCARE: £240 Elephant And Castle Day Nursery (30hrs/3 days)
