Report 06 · Twice a year

Cost of Being Young

+5.8%typical pay growth beat rent (+3.8%), energy (+4%) and prices (+3.5%) this year. Here’s what rose, and the bits you can control.

ONS and Ofgem data, autumn 2026

What rose, compared with pay

Annual % change, latest figures

Pay (weekly, full-time)

5.8%

Energy price cap

4.0%

Rent (UK)

3.8%

Prices (CPI)

3.5%

TL;DRPay grew faster than rent, energy and prices this year — but that only helps if your own rise kept up.

63%of 20–24-year-olds live with their parents, up 12 points since 2011.Resolution Foundation, June 2026

£1,723typical yearly energy bill under the price cap from 1 October 2026.Ofgem

+15%higher incomes for people born 1996–2000 than millennials had at the same age (about £3,700 a year).Resolution Foundation

TL;DRMore young people are living at home for longer, while incomes are higher than millennials had at the same age.

Your 5-minute move

Text INFO to 85075 (free) to see when your phone contract ends and what leaving would cost.

Receipts · checked 9 November 2026