London pay is 41% higher
Median full-time workplace pay was £958 a week in London and £681 in the North East.
UK Money Visualised · Map 04
The financial geography of the UK.
Compare regional pay, estimated tax and average private rent—then hold salary constant to see how much of the map is really housing.
Official ONS data12 UK regions and countries2026–27 tax rules
Choose what the map shows
Pay basis
Regional tile map · latest available data
Left after tax and rent.
ONS 2025 workplace pay, annualised from the reported weekly median.
Less favourable on this measureMore favourable
Tile positions are approximate and not to geographic scale. Select any region for the calculation behind its result.
One monthly payslip
What the headline pay leaves behind.
London · regional workplace median · simplified 2026–27 calculation
Tax + NIRentLeft
Monthly gross£4,152
Income Tax−£621
National Insurance−£248
Average private rent−£2,302
Left after rent£981
Compare the regions
Highest left after tax and rent.
Each region’s reported full-time workplace pay · average private rent
What the comparison shows
Three gaps hidden by a UK average.
London rent is almost 3× higher
Average private rent was £2,302 a month in London and £781 in the North East in June 2026.
The same salary changes the map
Switch to “Same salary” to separate local pay differences from housing costs—and see Scotland’s different Income Tax bands.
Read the comparison correctly
A regional lens, not a household budget.
The calculation combines datasets with different reference periods to make the regional contrast tangible.
What “pay” means
ONS ASHE median gross weekly pay for full-time employees by workplace in April 2025, annualised by multiplying by 52. ASHE is a survey of employee jobs, not people, and excludes the self-employed.
What “tax” means
A simplified estimate using the standard Personal Allowance, employee Class 1 National Insurance and 2026–27 Income Tax bands. It excludes pensions, student loans, benefits, tax-code adjustments and salary sacrifice.
What “rent” means
The ONS average monthly private rent for all property types and bedroom counts in June 2026, except Northern Ireland where the latest figure is April 2026. It covers a different population from the pay data.
Why this is not an affordability verdict
Households can have more than one income, share housing costs, receive benefits, own their home or rent a property unlike the regional average. The remainder is a comparison device, not disposable income.
Important boundary
Useful for comparing places. Not for judging people.
- Regional medians hide large differences within each region.
- Workplace pay does not necessarily describe residents’ pay.
- Average rent is not the rent paid by a typical ASHE employee.
Primary sourcesONS and GOV.UK
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional workplace analysis. Rent: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, June 2026. Tax rules: GOV.UK 2026–27 rates and thresholds.