The Government recently announced a three per cent pay rise for NHS nurses in recognition of their efforts during the pandemic.

Speaking in absolute terms, the current average income for an NHS nurse in Oxfordshire is £31,391, which results in a £941 annual pay rise, taking the average salary to £32,322 (£2,693.50 per month before tax). However, the figure drops to £2,137 after tax.

So what can you afford in Oxford with the average salary? Here’s the full breakdown:

RENT

The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Oxford city centre is £1,099.62.

This is for a fully furnished apartment and excluding utilities and bills.

BILLS

Basic utilities for a 900 square foot house including electricity, water, gas, heating and rubbish collection can add up to £151 per month.

Installing wireless internet with 60mbps and unlimited data is £33.50 per month.

The average band D household in Oxfordshire pays £1,573 for council tax annually, per month that's £131.

Totalling these up, bills in Oxford come up to £315.50 per month on average.

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FOOD

The average weekly food shop costs £30.16 per person in Oxford.

In addition, individuals spend £13.80 on eating out (restaurants and takeaways) every week.

Which would bring the average food cost to £43.96 per week or £190.50 monthly.

TRANSPORT

A Stagecoach monthly bus pass for unlimited travel within Oxford costs £50.

However, for car owners, the average spending goes up to £354. This is including insurance, fuel costs, servicing, maintenance and depreciation.

SAVINGS?

Adding all these expenses, covering these basic needs come up to £1,959.62 per month.

This means, for a nurse on an average salary in Oxford, they'll have only £177.88 a month for clothing, repairs & maintenance, recreation, entertainment, travel (outside Oxford) and so on.

The three per cent pay rise only accounts for just an extra £78 a month pre-tax, leading to calls for fairer pay from nursing trade unions.

Campaign group Nurses United has called for a 15 per cent pay rise, while the Fair Pay For Nursing campaign is aiming to secure a fully-funded 12.5 per cent pay increase for all nursing staff.

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) chief executive Pat Cullen warned that the raise ‘will not be enough to prevent an exodus of exhausted NHS nursing staff and ministers must now be honest about the impact this would have on patient care’.

RCN said that the three per cent pay rise is essentially a pay cut because the Treasury expects inflation to be 3.7 per cent.

What do you make of the 3 per cent pay rise? Is it enough? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.