Turn the season ticket into a job cost
Use the amount you genuinely expect to spend, not a theoretical maximum. Hybrid commuters may use flexible tickets, advance fares or occasional travel rather than a full annual season ticket. Add Tube, bus, parking or station costs where they are incremental.
Account for tax on the salary premium
If a London role pays £10,000 more, the after-tax gain can be much smaller. Higher-rate tax, National Insurance and student loan deductions can make the gross salary required to cover a £3,000 annual commute considerably larger than £3,000.
Time can dominate the calculation
A 75-minute trip each way, four days a week for 47 weeks, is 470 hours of travel a year. Even valuing that time at only £10 an hour adds £4,700 to the effective annual cost.
Hybrid days are a major lever
Dropping from five office days to three can remove roughly 40% of the travel days. For expensive commuter routes that can change the break-even salary by thousands of pounds.
Use the exact offer details
Enter your current salary, new-job bonus, employer pension, your own pension deduction, taxable benefits and Student Loan plan in the main calculator. It will solve for the salary at which the London role catches up.