322 nurses for a year

Photograph: Murdo MacLeod

Based on a median annual salary of £31,095





272 secondary school teachers for a year

Photograph: Martin Godwin

Based on a median annual salary of £36,789





320 fire officers for a year

Photograph: FirePhoto/Alamy

Based on a median annual salary of £31,258





269 paramedics for a year

Photograph: Shout/Rex

Based on a median annual salary of £37,164





Four months' worth of the state's contribution to the Monarchy

Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Per year it costs the UK £32m





7,042 households' electricity and gas bills

Photograph: Matthew Fearn/PA/PA

Based on a typical annual dual fuel bill of £1,420 each





25,773 households' annual water bills

Photograph: Graham Turner

£388 per household average





44 libraries

Photograph: Alamy

£963,284,000 spent on libraries in 2011-12 - for 4,265 'service points'





177,777 jobseekers' allowance claimants

Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

On £56.25 a week each





1,199 students' annual tuition fees

Photograph: Paul Tearle/Getty Images/Stockbyte Platinum

Average tuition fees are £8,338





10 days of arts spending

Photograph: Neil Libbert

Annual spending on the arts for a year: £398m





Two years of UK foreign aid to Iraq

Photograph: Hussein Al-Mousawi/EPA

It costs the UK £5m a year





Two and a half Leveson Inquiries

Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty

The cost of the Inquiry was £3.9m





Two weeks of the BBC World Service

Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

The annual FCO spending on the World Service is £255m





Two years of the Wales Office

Photograph: Public domain

It costs the UK £5m a year





152 MPs' basic salaries

Photograph: Travelpix Ltd/Getty Images/Photographer's Choice

Before allowances, this is £65,738 each





16,949,152 pints of milk - enough to give everyone in London two pints each

Photograph: Dave Thompson

Based on a price of 59p each





60% of a Trident missile

Photograph: Lockheed Martin/ MoD Crown Copyr/PA

Cost: £16.8m each





49 days of British forces in the Falklands

Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

Based on annual spending of £75m





Flights for everyone in the Falklands to the UK and back and a trip up the Shard each. Three times over

Photograph: Greg Fonne/Getty Images

Return flight (plus tax): £1,208, Shard: £24.95





400 black Asprey 'Margaret Thatcher' handbags

Photograph: Barry Thumma/AP

Her handbag shown above sold for £25,000 at auction





6,079 duck houses for MPs claiming on expenses

Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The amount that former Conservative MP Peter Viggers claimed for a floating duck house was £1,645





11,111 public health funerals

Photograph: Getty

These are free funerals for poor people or those without any relatives or money, each costs the state £900

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