Priced Out of Good Health: How the Cost‑of‑Living Crisis Is Making Us Sicker
The UK’s cost‑of‑living crisis is now a public health crisis, reshaping how people eat, sleep and cope. Recent polling suggests that many people feel their bodies are already paying the price.
Which area do you feel has suffered most in the last 2 years?
In a national poll for the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), 41% of UK adults said the cost‑of‑living crisis is already impacting their physical health. That headline figure sits on top of longer‑term trends in obesity, chronic illness and mental health problems that were already worrying before prices surged.
What people are cutting back – and why it matters
The RSPH report, published in January 2026, paints a clear picture of how households are adapting to higher costs.
- 41% are concerned that the cost‑of‑living crisis is impacting their physical health.
- 39% say they are buying less fresh produce (meat, vegetables and dairy).
- 20% are worried about how they will be able to afford food for themselves and their family.
- 47% say they are worried they are running out of ways to cut costs without cutting essentials.
Cost‑of‑living health snapshot
Hover or tap bars to reveal exact figures.
Physical health affected: 41% of surveyed UK adults.
These changes are not just about brand‑switching. Cutting back on fresh foods and relying more on cheaper, ultra‑processed options is the pattern associated with higher risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in both UK and international evidence. The RSPH warns that if these coping strategies persist, they could leave a generation in poorer health than their parents.
Stress, anxiety and the mental health load
Financial pressure is also weighing heavily on people’s minds. The RSPH polling found that almost half of respondents were worried about running out of ways to manage their finances without cutting essentials, which is closely tied to stress and anxiety.
Other recent reports on the cost‑of‑living crisis and mental health estimate that around 59–60% of UK adults have experienced a negative impact on their mental health, including anxiety, depression or hopelessness, due to rising costs.
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The Mental Health Foundation’s work on the cost‑of‑living crisis shows that many people respond to money worries by sleeping worse, meeting friends less often and exercising less. All three are usually protective for mental health, so their erosion increases the risk of longer‑term problems.
From crisis behaviour to chronic disease
Even before the current crisis, England’s metabolic health picture was worrying. The 2024 Health Survey for England reports that:
- 66% of adults are overweight or living with obesity.
- 30% have hypertension (high blood pressure).
- 48% have raised cholesterol.
- 9% are living with diabetes.
Analysts argue that the UK is facing a “metabolic syndrome epidemic”, where excess weight, high blood pressure, abnormal lipids and raised blood sugar increasingly cluster in the same people. When the cost‑of‑living crisis nudges more households towards cheap, calorie‑dense foods and away from fresh produce, it amplifies risks that are already high.
Who is hit hardest
The RSPH emphasises that the health impact of the crisis is not evenly spread. People on low incomes, those living with disability or long‑term ill‑health, parents and some minority groups are consistently more likely to report being worried about essentials and feeling their health is being affected.
This mirrors wider evidence that life expectancy, obesity and chronic disease rates are worse in more deprived areas, and that the crisis risks widening those inequalities.
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Low‑income households are more likely to skip meals, reduce heating and cut back on fresh food, deepening existing health inequalities.
For the NHS, this matters because people in more deprived communities already present later and with more complex conditions, and the crisis puts further pressure on primary care, emergency departments and mental health services. The British Medical Association’s backlog analysis warns that rising chronic illness, coupled with delayed care, will make it even harder to reduce waiting lists.
What would it take to change course?
RSPH frames the cost‑of‑living crisis as a public‑health crisis and argues that prevention is essential to supporting both wellbeing and economic productivity. Its recommendations include stronger financial support for households who cannot absorb price shocks, investment in local government and public health, and structural changes in housing, transport and food systems.
The government’s ten‑year health plan for England also stresses prevention, better diet and metabolic health as key to NHS sustainability, but many experts argue that without policies that make healthy choices genuinely affordable and practical, inequalities will continue to grow.
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The emerging evidence is clear that the cost‑of‑living crisis is eroding key building blocks of health: adequate nutrition, warm housing, low chronic stress and access to care. Whether that translates into a long‑term step‑change in chronic disease, or prompts a stronger focus on prevention and inequality, will depend on the policy choices made over the next few years.
References
- Royal Society for Public Health. Our health: the price we will pay for the cost‑of‑living crisis. 26 January 2026.
- Royal Society for Public Health. RSPH’s new report shows health will be the price we will pay for the cost‑of‑living crisis. News release, 4 November 2024.
- Department of Health and Social Care. Health Survey for England, 2024. Statistical announcement, 30 November 2025.
- Hippocratic Post. Two thirds of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity. 29 January 2026.
- WeCOVR. UK Health 2026: The Metabolic Syndrome Epidemic. 14 January 2026.
- Mental Health Foundation. Mental health and the cost‑of‑living crisis. Report series, 2023–2025 (cost‑of‑living and mental health landing page, updated 23 October 2025).
- Association of Mental Health Providers. The Impact of the Cost‑of‑Living Crisis on Mental Health. 2024.
- People’s Health Trust. Cost of living crisis. 19 April 2023.
- Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Public Health Outcomes Framework – data updates 2025–2026.
- British Medical Association. NHS backlog data analysis. 15 January 2026.
- Department of Health and Social Care. Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England. 30 June 2025.
- Deloitte. 2026 Global health care outlook. 7 January 2026.
- Bambra C, Lynch J, Smith KE, et al. The impact of the cost‑of‑living crisis on population health and health inequalities in the UK. 2024.
- Marmot M, Allen J, et al. The public health implications of the cost‑of‑living crisis. 2023.
