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Moving to Sheffield? 2023 Living Costs & Relocation Tips

Originally written in English & checked by Managing Editor: Ian Wright
Last Updated:

Sheffield

Sheffield grew as a steel giant in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Today, it is a diverse city which offers a lot to the people who live here. Like Rome, it sits on seven hills and is on the edge of the Peak District.

If you are considering moving to Sheffield, the various costs listed below will help you make an informed decision on what costs are involved when moving and living in this vibrant and growing city.

Quick Sheffield Facts:

  1. Population: 576,664 (2017 estimate). The metropolitan area of Sheffield has a population of 1,569,000.
  2. Official Language: English (de facto) with 42 languages being spoken in schools, including Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Polish and many others.
  3. GDP Per Capita: $32,546 USD
  4. Green: Sheffield has the highest ratio of trees to people in Europe – 2.5 million trees in the city.
  5. Currency: Pound Sterling or Great Britain Pound (£, GBP). As of early 2017, $1 USD = £0.80, €1 EUR = £0.85, $1 CAD = £0.61, $1 AUD = £0.62

1. Moving and Shipping Costs to Sheffield

Below are some sample container shipping costs to Sheffield from other major world cities. Just keep in mind they only reflect the shipping portion of the cost and not the full moving costs.

You can save money by comparing removals companies if moving from within the UK and international moving companies if coming from abroad using our moving quote form above.

Also see: 10 Best Removal Companies In Sheffield

2. Sheffield Housing Costs

Renovated Park Hill flats, Sheffield

Photo by Chris Downer

The core of Sheffield tends to have apartment blocks and terraced housing. As you move out of the centre, you will find suburbs with more semi-detached and detached houses.

Compared with other major cities in the world, house and flat and flat prices in Sheffield are reasonable. Prices obviously vary from area to area but the figures below will give you an indication of what’s available at what price.

Monthly Rental Prices in Sheffield

  • 1 bedroom flat (apartment) in City Centre: £500+
  • 1 bedroom flat outside the City Centre: £400+
  • 3 bedroom flat in City Centre: £750+
  • 3 bedroom flat outside the City Centre: £550+

Sheffield Home Purchase Prices

  • Price per square metre (10.7 square feet) to buy in City Centre: £1,700+
  • Price per square metre (10.7 square feet) to buy outside City: £1,000+

Sheffield Housing Cost Comparison

This is how rents in Sheffield compare with other cities around the globe.

London is 205.02% more expensive
New York is 343.66% more expensive
Los Angeles is 196.27% more expensive
Toronto is 75.48% more expensive
Sydney is 186.49% more expensive
Paris is 87.26% more expensive
Dubai is 224.45% more expensive
Source: Numbeo

How to Save on Housing Costs

  • Share a flat or house. Sheffield housing is already quite cheap by UK standards, but you can pay even less when you share a flat. With a house or flat share you will have your own room, or, for a cheaper option, you can share a room. The bathroom/s will be shared with other people in the house. There are many flats available for shared rental as well. Have a look on Sheffield’s Gumtree page or SpareRoom or Easyroommate and find someone you can get on with to share the costs with you.
  • Different areas – different prices. Like all cities, Sheffield has its expensive and cheaper areas. Some of the bets places to live include St. Paul’s, Fulwood, Dore, Ecclesall, Crookes, Crosspool and Ranmoor are all among some of the more desirable areas to live.

3. Sheffield Food, Grocery and Restaurant Costs

Here’s what you can expect to pay for food in Sheffield.

  1. Inexpensive Restaurant: £10.00 – £15.00
  2. Takeout Coffee: £1.70 – £3.00
  3. Bottle of Coke: £0.70 – £1.50
  4. 1L of milk: £0.50 – £1.25
  5. Loaf of Bread: £0.62 – £1.25
  6. 12 Eggs: £1.50 – £2.35
  7. 1kg Chicken: £5.95 – £10.00
  8. 1kg Beef: £5.00 – £8.00
  9. 1kg Apples: £1.00 – £3.00
  10. 1kg White Rice: £0.45 – £2.00

This is how restaurants and food prices compare with other major cities in the world.

  • New York restaurants are 31.48% more expensive and groceries are 110.17% more expensive than Sheffield.
  • Toronto restaurants are 13.86% cheaper and groceries are 30.56% more expensive than Sheffield.
  • Sydney restaurants are 4.19% cheaper and groceries are 63.13% more expensive than Sheffield.
  • Paris restaurants are 6.59% more expensive and groceries are 57.81% more expensive than Sheffield.
  • Dubai restaurants are 13.92% cheaper and groceries are 20.84% more expensive than Sheffield.

Source: Numbeo

Bonus Tips for Cheaper Food, Restaurants and Groceries

  • Find Cheap Eats: TripAdvisor, The Guardian and WOW247 all have their own guides to cheap eats in Sheffield. The diversity of the population is reflected in the array of restaurants in Sheffield.

4. Sheffield Alcohol Costs

Sheffield’s high student population ensures that there are plenty of pubs, bars and clubs to visit. These vary from basic pubs to sophisticated cocktail and wine bars.

  • Pint (0.6L) domestic beer at a restaurant/pub: £2.50 – £3.30
  • Bottle of imported beer at a restaurant/pub (0.33L): £2.50 – £4.00
  • Pint (0.6L) domestic beer at a supermarket: £0.75 – £1.00
  • Bottle of imported beer at a supermarket: £1.25 – £1.60
  • Mid-range bottle of wine at a supermarket: £4.00 – £8.00

How to drink for less in Sheffield

  • Keep an eye on the local papers, student bulletin boards and websites for specials over weekends and public holidays. Try View, Student Room and The Tab.
  • West Street and Division Street seem to have some of the best deals on alcohol, with bottomless cocktails, 2-4-2 cocktails, happy hours and everything in between.
  • Scour the areas around Sheffield University and other tertiary institutions to find the best alcohol deals.

5. Sheffield Transportation Fares

Sheffield Station from Sheaf Square

Photo by L.J.Skinner

Sheffield’s public transport system relies on buses and trams. The tram service is called Supertram which, together with the bus service is run by Stagecoach.

Here are some example ticket costs.

  • Adult Single – £2.10
  • One day ticket for bus and tram – £8.50
  • Monthly season ticket for bus and tram – £52
  • Yearly season ticket for bus and tram – £570 – £650

How to save money on public transport

  • Buy a Megarider, Unirider or Mobile ticket to save money
  • Travel after 9.30 a.m.
  • Buy a bike. There is good system of cycle lanes all around the city
  • The city is not that big and exercise is always good.

6. Cost of Internet in Sheffield

Internet in the UK is one of the few things that is cheaper than the US, Canada or Australia. Here are some sample broadband internet prices from early 2017 for unlimited downloads, based on a 12-month contract:

  • Sky: £18.99 a month (Standard Broadband up to 17mb)
  • TalkTalk: £20 a month (Standard Broadband up to 17mb)
  • BT: £24.49 a month (Standard Broadband up to 17mb)
  • Virgin Media: £32.25 a month (Fibre up to 50mb)

7. Cost of Clothing, Personal Items, Gym and Leisure

The climate in Sheffield is mild, with August being the hottest month where the average temperature is 15°C. January is the coldest month, where the average temperature is around 3°C. The wettest month is October with an average rainfall of 66mm.

Like most places in the UK, rain is always a possibility, so it’s wise to carry an umbrella or a fold up waterproof jacket.

Here are some clothing prices, together with other useful prices.

  • Pair of Jeans: £50 – £80
  • Summer Dress: £25 – £40
  • Running Shoes (Trainers): £40 – £65
  • Business Shoes: £40 – £75
  • Short Doctor’s visit (15 mins): £63
  • Deodorant: £1.30
  • Shampoo: £2.43
  • Toilet Paper (4 rolls): £1.82
  • Gym membership: £20 – £35 per month
  • Movie (cinema) ticket: £7.50 – £10.50

Source: Numbeo and Expatistan

8. Cost of Owning a Car and Driving a Car in Sheffield

Like most cities in the UK, parking in Sheffield is expensive and limited.

If you’re moving to Sheffield from within the UK, you’ll be able to keep your license but need to update your address to your new Sheffield one.

If you want to exchange your foreign driver’s license you have to follow the process here. Note that you will need to prove you took your driving test in a manual transmission car. If you can’t prove it, you’ll only be able to exchange your license for an automatic.

Here are some other sample costs of owning and operating a car in Sheffield:

  • Volkswagen Golf: £20,310
  • 1 litre (¼ gallon) of gas (petrol): £1.13
  • Registration fee (if any): £55 one time
  • Other fees (if any): No more than £54.85 for an MOT fee, after cars are 3 years old.

Source: Expatistan, Gov.uk

Ways to save money on driving in Sheffield

Need your car/vehicle moved to Sheffield? Then read our guide to: Car Transport & Vehicle Shipping

9. Taxes in Sheffield

No matter where you live in the UK, you will pay the same rate of income and salestax. To learn more about the different taxes – income, self-employment, business, capital gains etc, have a look at our moving to the United Kingdom guide.

Sales Tax, or VAT (Value Added Tax) is 20% in the UK and is added to most goods and services throughout the country. Unlike some countries, it is always included in the marked price.

Whether you own or rent your home, you will be subject to council tax based on the area in which you live and the size of the property you live in. Learn more about council tax in Sheffield at Sheffield Tax.

Finally, if you decide to buy a flat or house in Sheffield you’ll have to pay stamp duty. While there’s no tax on the first £125,000 of your home value, the marginal rate increases to 12% on a value of over £1.5 million.

10. Flight Costs from Sheffield

If you do make the move to Sheffield, here’s approximately how much it will cost to fly to other major world cities based on lowest, one-way fares from Skyscanner as of early 2017:

Other Tips on Moving to Sheffield

The costs and pricing above should give you a good idea of the cost of living in Sheffield but perhaps the following extra tips will make your move go smoothly.

11. Moving to Sheffield Alone

Moving anywhere can be a lonely experience, but moving to a new city on your won can be rather daunting. Here are a few tips for settling into Sheffield.

12. Moving to Sheffield with a Family

Sheffield is described by some as the world’s biggest village as it’s full of friendly people. It sits on the edge of the Peak District, meaning there’s lots of countryside to explore as a family.

The city is also full of parks and has plenty to offer for children of all ages. Here’s some extra food for thought.

  • New parents (or parents to be): Check out the local NCT Courses and NCT Events.
  • Live in a family friendly area: Fulwood is very popular with families as it’s close to the city and, being one of the oldest and former affluent suburbs, is full of trees and parks. Next door to Fulwood is Ecclesall which is also great for families. Dore and Crooks are also great for families who enjoy some green spaces.
  • Find things to do with the kids: There’s plenty to do with the children in Sheffield. Have a look at the following sites: Day Out With the Kids, Picniq, WOW247 and Trip Adviser.

13. Moving to Sheffield for Work

Sheffield has a lot to offer on the jobs front. While steel is no longer the prominent industry, there is also a booming financial and IT sector, health sector, conservation and science sector and much more.

Here are a few things to consider when moving for work:

  • Salary: Salaries are not as high as London but the cost of living is much lower, so you can enjoy a good standard of living in Sheffield for much less. Look at Glassdoor and Payscale to get an idea of average salaries for different jobs and professions.
  • How to find work: It’s a good idea to have a look at the various job sites to see what’s available in your line of work. Try Indeed,  Gumtree, Reed.co.uk, Monster and Jobs Today. You may also want to google recruiters in your industry, as they can often help land you some initial interviews as well.

14. Moving to Sheffield from Australia

There aren’t many Australians living in Sheffield, the majority head for London. You can always catch the train and meet up with some of the 56,000 Aussies living in the capital.

  • Size comparison: The city of Sheffield is just a little smaller in population size than the Gold Coast. The metropolitan area’s population size sits between Adelaide and Perth.
  • Join expat groups: Both InterNations and Expat.com offer ways of meeting up with other Australians in Sheffield.

15. Moving to Sheffield from Canada

While you won’t find a huge number of Canadians living in Sheffield, there are a few. If you’re considering making the move from Canada here are a few things to consider.

  • Size: The population of the city of Sheffield is slightly larger than that of Kitchener. The metropolitan area is a little larger than Ottawa..
  • Expat groups: You won’t find many Canadian expat groups in Sheffield, but InterNations and Expat.com have various groups that you can contact.

16. Moving to Sheffield from the United States

Sheffield doesn’t seem to attract many Americans, as they generally prefer to go to London. However, there still some some who make the move. If you’re considering it, here are a few bonus tips:

  • Size: The city of Sheffield has roughly the same population size as Milwaukee. The metropolitan area has around the same population size as Philadelphia.
  • Expat groups:  Internations and Expat.com have resources for Americans moving to and living in Sheffield. They will also be able to put you in touch with groups who have the same interests as you.

Hopefully, the tips and costs above are helpful. If want to get started pricing out how much it will cost you to move to Sheffield you can start by comparing moving quotes here.

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