Price in work hours calculator
Enter your pay and a price to see how long you have to work to afford it.
Settings
Use your take-home pay after tax and National Insurance for the most honest answer.
Price in working time
- Working days
- £0.00
- Working weeks
- £0.00
- Your hourly rate
- £0.00
How the working time is calculated
First your pay is turned into an hourly rate. A monthly salary is multiplied by 12 and divided by the hours you work in a year (weekly hours × 52); a yearly salary is divided by those hours directly. The price is then divided by your hourly rate.
Working days assume a five-day week, so 37.5 hours a week means 7.5-hour days. For example, at £15 an hour a £799 phone costs just over 53 hours – about seven working days.
For the most honest answer, use your take-home pay after tax and National Insurance, since that is the money you actually spend. Thinking of prices in work hours is a simple way to decide whether something is really worth it.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours do I need to work to afford something?
Divide the price by your hourly take-home pay. If you earn £12 an hour after tax, a £300 purchase costs 25 hours of work.
Should I use gross or net pay?
Net pay after tax and National Insurance gives the most realistic answer, because it is the money you actually have to spend. Gross pay makes things look cheaper than they are.
How do I turn a monthly salary into an hourly rate?
Multiply the monthly salary by 12 and divide it by the hours you work in a year. With a 37.5-hour week that is 1,950 hours, so £2,500 a month is about £15.38 an hour. The calculator does this for you when you choose Per month.