Average salary in Colchester
The median full-time salary for jobs in Colchester is £38,758 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,619 a month.
Where Colchester ranks
Colchester ranks 119th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 16th of 45 in East of England. Its average rent ranks 125th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,232 a month) ranks 151st of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East of England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £38,758 | 119th of 348 | 16th of 45 |
| Median pay, residents | £39,353 | 153rd of 348 | 31st of 45 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,619 | 119th of 348 | 16th of 45 |
| Average rent a month | £1,197 | 125th of 316 | 26th of 45 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,282.85 | 265th of 348 | 39th of 45 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,232 | 151st of 316 | 14th of 45 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Colchester: Portsmouth (£38,815), Hinckley and Bosworth (£38,796), Cherwell (£38,768), Folkestone and Hythe (£38,755), Watford (£38,746) and West Devon (£38,696). UK occupations with a median close to the Colchester median of £38,758: inspectors of standards and regulations (£38,963), road construction operatives (£38,833), office managers (£38,630) and data analysts (£38,572).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Colchester
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Colchester rose 3.0%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For East of England as a whole it was a rise of 4.4%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,411 | £1,951 | £20,376 | £1,698 |
| 25th percentile | £28,402 | £2,367 | £23,969 | £1,997 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £38,758 | £3,230 | £31,425 | £2,619 |
| 75th percentile | £50,358 | £4,197 | £39,765 | £3,314 |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England and Wales rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for jobs in Colchester as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.1%.
People who work in Colchester and people who live there
The median for people who live in Colchester is £39,353, which is £595 (1.5%) higher than the £38,758 median for jobs based there. The two figures are close. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 153rd of 348 and the jobs median 119th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 1.2%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Colchester, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Colchester, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Colchester as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.2%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Colchester (£38,758), the average rent of £1,197 takes 45.7% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,402) it takes 59.9%. For the average rent to be 30% of take-home pay, the rule of thumb in our rent affordability calculator, you would need a salary of at least £64,350 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Colchester pay more than that.
| Property | Average rent a month | Rent as a share of take-home | Left after rent and Band D council tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| All properties | £1,197 | 45.7% | £1,232 |
| 1 bedroom | £820 | 31.3% | £1,609 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,063 | 40.6% | £1,366 |
Band D is £190 a month. This is the average Band D for the council area, including parish precepts, so the exact bill depends on your parish. Rents are ONS figures for August 2026 and may be revised.
Colchester and other areas in East of England
Among these 7 areas, Colchester has the 2nd highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £34,117 in East Cambridgeshire to £42,219 in East Hertfordshire.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Hertfordshire | £42,219 | £1,533 | £1,088 |
| Colchester | £38,758 | £1,197 | £1,232 |
| Chelmsford | £38,181 | £1,439 | £953 |
| Dacorum | £37,773 | £1,594 | £765 |
| Central Bedfordshire | £37,704 | £1,250 | £1,096 |
| Castle Point | £36,715 | £1,262 | £1,041 |
| East Cambridgeshire | £34,117 | £1,038 | £1,095 |
The areas either side of Colchester in the alphabetical list for East of England, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 45 in the East of England table.
How Colchester compares with East of England and the UK
The median for jobs in Colchester is £161 (0.4%) higher than the East of England median, £540 (1.4%) lower than the England median and £281 (0.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
| Area | Median, jobs there | Median, residents | Take-home a month (England and Wales rates) | Average rent, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester | £38,758 | £39,353 | £2,619 | £1,197 |
| East of England | £38,597 | £40,863 | £2,609 | £1,289 |
| England | £39,298 | £39,243 | £2,651 | £1,459 |
| United Kingdom | £39,039 | £39,039 | £2,636 | £1,400 |
Related pages
Every area in the East of England table, salary by job, the take home pay calculator, rent affordability calculator and cost of living calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional. Take-home: 2026/27 England and Wales rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 8: earnings by place of residence, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, released 16 September 2026 (ONS)
- Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (MHCLG, GOV.UK)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
There is no official definition of a good salary. ONS figures for full-time jobs in Colchester (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,411, a quarter pay less than £28,402, half pay less than £38,758 and a quarter pay more than £50,358. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,619 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Colchester ranks 119th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 16th of 45 in East of England. Its median of £38,758 is £281 (0.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Colchester was £1,197 in August 2026: £820 for one bedroom and £1,063 for two bedrooms. That is 45.7% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Colchester is £2,282.85 for 2026/27, about £190 a month, which ranks 265th of 348 council areas and 39th of 45 in East of England. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.