Splitt
← Open the app
Splitt
← Open the app
📲 Get Splitt free on Google Play
Log an expense in 5 seconds · built for couples · settle by bank transfer
📊 Cost-of-living data — Numbeo, October 2026
Source: Numbeo — Cost of Living in London (crowd-sourced, updated Oct 2026). Ranges in this article apply these figures to a couple with no children. Rent varies hugely by area, so treat every figure as a guide, not a quote.
A couple's shared budget is mostly decided by one thing: the city, and inside the city, the rent. Here's a typical month for two people renting a one-bed flat in a mid-range UK city (think Manchester, Leeds, Bristol). London sits well above this; a smaller town sits below it.
Outside city centre
Cooking at home
Restaurants + takeaways
Energy, water, council tax, broadband
Travelcard, fuel, the odd taxi
Days out, subscriptions
| Category | Mid-range UK city | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Rent (1-bed, outside centre) | £900 | 39% |
| 🛒 Food shop | £400 | 17% |
| 🧾 Bills (energy, water, council tax, broadband) | £350 | 15% |
| 🍽️ Eating out & takeaways | £250 | 11% |
| 🚆 Transport | £200 | 9% |
| 🎬 Leisure & subscriptions | £200 | 9% |
| Total shared / month | ~£2,300 | 100% |
Excludes personal spending (individual clothes, phone contracts, personal subscriptions). In London, rent alone pushes the total past £3,000; in a smaller town it can fall below £1,800.
| City | 1-bed rent (outside centre) | Couple total / month |
|---|---|---|
| London | ~£1,700 | £3,000–£4,500 |
| Manchester / Bristol | ~£950 | £2,200–£3,000 |
| Birmingham / Leeds | ~£800 | £2,000–£2,700 |
| Glasgow / Sheffield | ~£700 | £1,800–£2,400 |
| Smaller town | ~£600 | £1,600–£2,200 |
Rent figures blend Numbeo and local market estimates; day-to-day costs are broadly similar across the country, so the gap between places is mostly rent.
Almost every couple underestimates two things: eating out and the small contactless taps that vanish from memory the moment they happen. A £28 dinner here, a £6 lunch there, a £40 top-up shop — paid instantly by whoever's card was nearest, and forgotten by both of you by the weekend. Over a month that's easily £200–£350 nobody can account for, and it's the single most common reason the end-of-month number feels higher than it "should".
You don't need a joint account or a spreadsheet. The simplest setup two people can use in the UK:
That's exactly what Splitt does. It's free, it's built only for two people (not groups), there's nothing to install beyond a tap, and it never touches your bank — you settle from your own account, whenever you like. No joint account required.
Track your shared spending for one month with your partner. The first month always surprises both of you.
Start tracking together →A couple renting a one-bed flat outside London typically spends £1,800–£3,000 per month on shared living. London is far higher (often £3,000–£4,500 because of rent); Glasgow, Sheffield and smaller towns are cheaper (£1,600–£2,400). Rent is the deciding factor.
Rent, by far — usually 35–50% of total shared spending. Numbeo puts a one-bed flat in London at about £1,698 outside the centre and £2,157 in the centre; outside London the same flat is often £700–£1,000. Council tax and energy bills come next.
Most couples track who paid and settle the difference by bank transfer (Faster Payments), Monzo, Starling or Revolut. Splitt keeps the running balance automatically — each of you logs a spend in seconds, it shows who owes whom, and you clear it with one transfer. Free, built only for two, no bank linking.
No. Many couples keep separate accounts, track shared spending and settle the difference by transfer. That keeps your money your own while staying fair. Splitt is built for exactly that and never connects to your bank.