Average salary in Isle of Wight
The median full-time salary for jobs in Isle of Wight is £28,543 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,006 a month.
Where Isle of Wight ranks
Isle of Wight ranks 348th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 64th of 64 in South East. Its average rent ranks 192nd of 316, a higher place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£836 a month) ranks 270th of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £28,543 | 348th of 348 | 64th of 64 |
| Median pay, residents | £31,184 | 345th of 348 | 64th of 64 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,006 | 348th of 348 | 64th of 64 |
| Average rent a month | £951 | 192nd of 316 | 64th of 64 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,625.79 | 22nd of 348 | 7th of 64 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £836 | 270th of 316 | 51st 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 Isle of Wight: Oadby and Wigston (£30,293), Boston (£30,129) and South Holland (£30,082). UK occupations with a median close to the Isle of Wight median of £28,543: elementary construction occupations n.e.c. (£28,591), dispensing opticians (£28,543), gardeners and landscape gardeners (£28,539) and credit controllers (£28,532).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Isle of Wight
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Isle of Wight fell 9.4%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. 50 of 345 council areas had a change this large in either direction. ONS figures for one area come from a sample, so they can move a lot from one year to the next. 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 | £19,243 | £1,604 | £17,375 | £1,448 |
| 25th percentile | £23,749 | £1,979 | £20,619 | £1,718 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £28,543 | £2,379 | £24,071 | £2,006 |
| 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 Isle of Wight as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 7.2%.
People who work in Isle of Wight and people who live there
The median for people who live in Isle of Wight is £31,184, which is £2,641 (9.3%) higher than the £28,543 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 345th of 348 and the jobs median 348th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a fall of 8.0%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Isle of Wight, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Isle of Wight, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Isle of Wight as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 7.5%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Isle of Wight (£28,543), the average rent of £951 takes 47.4% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£23,749) it takes 55.3%. 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 £47,945 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Isle of Wight 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 | £951 | 47.4% | £836 |
| 1 bedroom | £663 | 33.1% | £1,124 |
| 2 bedrooms | £872 | 43.5% | £915 |
Band D is £219 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.
Isle of Wight and other areas in South East
Among these 7 areas, Isle of Wight has the lowest median and the lowest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £28,543 in Isle of Wight to £39,798 in Lewes.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewes | £39,798 | £1,333 | £1,118 |
| Horsham | £37,981 | £1,474 | £895 |
| Medway | £37,128 | £1,232 | £1,095 |
| Maidstone | £36,199 | £1,297 | £959 |
| Havant | £35,162 | £1,151 | £1,059 |
| Hastings | £34,700 | £1,007 | £1,145 |
| Isle of Wight | £28,543 | £951 | £836 |
The areas either side of Isle of Wight 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 Isle of Wight compares with South East and the UK
The median for jobs in Isle of Wight is £11,440 (28.6%) lower than the South East median, £10,755 (27.4%) lower than the England median and £10,496 (26.9%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Wight | £28,543 | £31,184 | £2,006 | £951 |
| 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 Isle of Wight (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £19,243, a quarter pay less than £23,749 and half pay less than £28,543. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,006 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Isle of Wight ranks 348th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the bottom quarter, and 64th of 64 in South East. Its median of £28,543 is £10,496 (26.9%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Isle of Wight was £951 in August 2026: £663 for one bedroom and £872 for two bedrooms. That is 47.4% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Isle of Wight is £2,625.79 for 2026/27, about £219 a month, which ranks 22nd of 348 council areas and 7th of 64 in South East. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.