Average salary in Merton
The median full-time salary for jobs in Merton is £38,471 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,602 a month.
Where Merton ranks
Merton ranks 126th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 26th of 32 in London. Its average rent ranks 13th of 316, a higher place in the list than its pay. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£251 a month) ranks 312th of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in London |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £38,471 | 126th of 348 | 26th of 32 |
| Median pay, residents | £50,844 | 12th of 348 | 8th of 32 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,602 | 126th of 348 | 26th of 32 |
| Average rent a month | £2,172 | 13th of 316 | 13th of 32 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,146.76 | 296th of 348 | 17th of 32 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £251 | 312th of 316 | 28th 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 Merton: Trafford (£38,682), Birmingham (£38,556), Salford (£38,492), Liverpool (£38,430), West Lothian (£38,316) and West Northamptonshire (£38,313). UK occupations with a median close to the Merton median of £38,471: office managers (£38,630), data analysts (£38,572), managers and directors in retail and wholesale (£38,447) and nannies and au pairs (£38,447).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Merton
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Merton fell 0.5%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. That is a change of less than 1%. 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 | £24,986 | £2,082 | £21,510 | £1,792 |
| 25th percentile | £30,274 | £2,523 | £25,317 | £2,110 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £38,471 | £3,206 | £31,219 | £2,602 |
| 75th percentile | £57,240 | £4,770 | £43,757 | £3,646 |
| 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 Merton as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 9.2%.
People who work in Merton and people who live there
The median for people who live in Merton is £50,844, which is £12,373 (32.2%) higher than the £38,471 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 12th of 348 and the jobs median 126th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 10.0%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Merton, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Merton, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Merton as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.9%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Merton (£38,471), the average rent of £2,172 takes 83.5% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£30,274) it takes 103.0%. 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 £141,687 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Merton 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 | £2,172 | 83.5% | £251 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,639 | 63.0% | £784 |
| 2 bedrooms | £2,024 | 77.8% | £399 |
Band D is £179 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.
Merton and other areas in London
Among these 7 areas, Merton has the 6th highest median and the 6th 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 |
| Newham | £44,347 | £1,928 | £864 |
| Lewisham | £42,962 | £1,829 | £856 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £42,346 | £1,811 | £806 |
| Richmond upon Thames | £41,037 | £2,333 | £216 |
| Merton | £38,471 | £2,172 | £251 |
| Redbridge | £35,464 | £1,726 | £504 |
The areas either side of Merton 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 Merton compares with London and the UK
The median for jobs in Merton is £11,221 (22.6%) lower than the London median, £827 (2.1%) lower than the England median and £568 (1.5%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merton | £38,471 | £50,844 | £2,602 | £2,172 |
| 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 Merton (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,986, a quarter pay less than £30,274, half pay less than £38,471 and a quarter pay more than £57,240. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,602 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Merton ranks 126th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 26th of 32 in London. Its median of £38,471 is £568 (1.5%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Merton was £2,172 in August 2026: £1,639 for one bedroom and £2,024 for two bedrooms. That is 83.5% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Merton is £2,146.76 for 2026/27, about £179 a month, which ranks 296th of 348 council areas and 17th of 32 in London. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.