Average salary in Dover
The median full-time salary for jobs in Dover is £37,968 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,571 a month.
Where Dover ranks
Dover ranks 143rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 40th of 64 in South East. Its average rent ranks 159th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,345 a month) ranks joint 93rd of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £37,968 | 143rd of 348 | 40th of 64 |
| Median pay, residents | £40,142 | 133rd of 348 | 39th of 64 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,571 | 142nd of 348 | 40th of 64 |
| Average rent a month | £1,021 | 159th of 316 | 62nd of 64 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,461.74 | 134th of 348 | 37th of 64 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,345 | joint 93rd of 316 | 7th of 64 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Dover: Bedford (£37,994), Horsham (£37,981), Perth and Kinross (£37,972), Harlow (£37,948), Broadland (£37,937) and Inverclyde (£37,929). UK occupations with a median close to the Dover median of £37,968: publicans and managers of licensed premises (£38,043), database administrators and web content technicians (£37,995), groundworkers (£37,925) and business sales executives (£37,924).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Dover
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Dover fell 1.6%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. For South East as a whole it was a rise of 2.4%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £22,252 | £1,854 | £19,541 | £1,628 |
| 25th percentile | £29,990 | £2,499 | £25,112 | £2,093 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,968 | £3,164 | £30,857 | £2,571 |
| 75th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 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 Dover as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 9.3%.
People who work in Dover and people who live there
The median for people who live in Dover is £40,142, which is £2,174 (5.7%) higher than the £37,968 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 133rd of 348 and the jobs median 143rd of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 3.0%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Dover, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Dover, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Dover as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 7.3%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Dover (£37,968), the average rent of £1,021 takes 39.7% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£29,990) it takes 48.8%. 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 £52,212 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Dover 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 | £1,021 | 39.7% | £1,345 |
| 1 bedroom | £728 | 28.3% | £1,638 |
| 2 bedrooms | £952 | 37.0% | £1,414 |
Band D is £205 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.
Dover and other areas in South East
Among these 7 areas, Dover has the 3rd highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £33,692 in Chichester to £41,977 in Crawley.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawley | £41,977 | £1,488 | £1,122 |
| Eastleigh | £38,983 | £1,214 | £1,223 |
| Dover | £37,968 | £1,021 | £1,345 |
| Dartford | £37,221 | £1,575 | £754 |
| Eastbourne | £37,015 | £1,169 | £1,124 |
| East Hampshire | £36,379 | £1,262 | £1,019 |
| Chichester | £33,692 | £1,333 | £776 |
The areas either side of Dover in the alphabetical list for South East, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 64 in the South East table.
How Dover compares with South East and the UK
The median for jobs in Dover is £2,015 (5.0%) lower than the South East median, £1,330 (3.4%) lower than the England median and £1,071 (2.7%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | £37,968 | £40,142 | £2,571 | £1,021 |
| South East | £39,983 | £41,618 | £2,692 | £1,426 |
| 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 South East 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 Dover (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £22,252, a quarter pay less than £29,990 and half pay less than £37,968. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,571 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Dover ranks 143rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 40th of 64 in South East. Its median of £37,968 is £1,071 (2.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Dover was £1,021 in August 2026: £728 for one bedroom and £952 for two bedrooms. That is 39.7% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Dover is £2,461.74 for 2026/27, about £205 a month, which ranks 134th of 348 council areas and 37th of 64 in South East. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.