Average salary in Lewisham
The median full-time salary for jobs in Lewisham is £42,962 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,871 a month.
Where Lewisham ranks
Lewisham ranks 39th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 14th of 32 in London. Its average rent ranks joint 26th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£856 a month) ranks 269th of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in London |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £42,962 | 39th of 348 | 14th of 32 |
| Median pay, residents | £45,702 | 43rd of 348 | 17th of 32 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,871 | 39th of 348 | 14th of 32 |
| Average rent a month | £1,829 | joint 26th of 316 | 20th of 32 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,237.33 | 283rd of 348 | 12th of 32 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £856 | 269th of 316 | 8th of 32 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Lewisham: Hounslow (£43,068), Wandsworth (£43,035), Rugby (£42,966), Cumberland (£42,808), Orkney Islands (£42,639) and Haringey (£42,609). UK occupations with a median close to the Lewisham median of £42,962: environment professionals (£43,362), residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors (£42,700), mental health nurses (£42,692) and pipe fitters (£42,580).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Lewisham
ONS did not publish a change on the previous year for the median for jobs in Lewisham. For London as a whole it was a rise of 4.7%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £25,956 | £2,163 | £22,208 | £1,851 |
| 25th percentile | £32,328 | £2,694 | £26,796 | £2,233 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £42,962 | £3,580 | £34,452 | £2,871 |
| 75th percentile | £55,557 | £4,630 | £42,780 | £3,565 |
| 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 Lewisham as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.8%.
People who work in Lewisham and people who live there
The median for people who live in Lewisham is £45,702, which is £2,740 (6.4%) higher than the £42,962 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 43rd of 348 and the jobs median 39th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 3.0%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Lewisham, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Lewisham, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Lewisham as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.2%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Lewisham (£42,962), the average rent of £1,829 takes 63.7% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£32,328) it takes 81.9%. 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 £112,113 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Lewisham 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 | £1,829 | 63.7% | £856 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,457 | 50.7% | £1,228 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,789 | 62.3% | £896 |
Band D is £186 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.
Lewisham and other areas in London
Among these 7 areas, Lewisham has the 4th highest median and the 2nd highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £35,464 in Redbridge to £48,690 in Lambeth.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambeth | £48,690 | £2,525 | £519 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £45,600 | £3,690 | −£800 |
| Newham | £44,347 | £1,928 | £864 |
| Lewisham | £42,962 | £1,829 | £856 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £42,346 | £1,811 | £806 |
| Merton | £38,471 | £2,172 | £251 |
| Redbridge | £35,464 | £1,726 | £504 |
The areas either side of Lewisham in the alphabetical list for London, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 32 in the London table.
How Lewisham compares with London and the UK
The median for jobs in Lewisham is £6,730 (13.5%) lower than the London median, £3,664 (9.3%) higher than the England median and £3,923 (10.0%) higher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisham | £42,962 | £45,702 | £2,871 | £1,829 |
| London | £49,692 | £46,414 | £3,275 | £2,332 |
| 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 London 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 Lewisham (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £25,956, a quarter pay less than £32,328, half pay less than £42,962 and a quarter pay more than £55,557. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,871 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Lewisham ranks 39th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 14th of 32 in London. Its median of £42,962 is £3,923 (10.0%) higher than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Lewisham was £1,829 in August 2026: £1,457 for one bedroom and £1,789 for two bedrooms. That is 63.7% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Lewisham is £2,237.33 for 2026/27, about £186 a month, which ranks 283rd of 348 council areas and 12th of 32 in London. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.