Over the past two decades, the gap between what people earn and what they need to live comfortably has grown wider. On the surface, it may look like wages have increased, but once you account for inflation and rising daily costs, that growth often vanishes.

The price of housing in particular has soared, leaving many feeling locked out of home ownership or struggling to afford rent. For those on lower incomes, this shift is felt even more sharply.

What used to be enough to support a household or offer some financial stability no longer stretches as far. As the cost of living continues to climb, many are finding that their pay simply does not reflect the real-world pressures they face.

This strain is not just about numbers.

It shows up in the decisions people are forced to make every day. Some may put off starting a family, move further away from work to find affordable housing, or give up small comforts just to get by.

Even when pay awards are announced, they are often quickly swallowed up by higher bills and rising prices in the shops. The financial ground that once felt firm has started to shift, leaving many unsure of where they stand.

To put it into perspective, a pay increase of around 14 per cent in 2025 would be needed just to restore the real value of salaries to where they stood twenty years ago.

Behind every statistic is someone trying to manage rising costs with earnings that do not go as far as they used to. The impact is quiet but constant, affecting morale, wellbeing and the ability to plan for the future.

The below analysis is only looking at Agenda for Change Pay Scales. 

This dashboard was produced with Google Gemini as an experiment.

Further reading and perspective about NHS Pay can be found at : https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/analysis/how-much-should-nhs-staff-be-paid