Average salary in Peterborough
The median full-time salary for jobs in Peterborough is £36,050 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,456 a month.
Where Peterborough ranks
Peterborough ranks 208th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 36th of 45 in East of England. Its average rent ranks joint 163rd of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,253 a month) ranks joint 140th of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East of England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £36,050 | 208th of 348 | 36th of 45 |
| Median pay, residents | £35,196 | 278th of 348 | 39th of 45 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,456 | 208th of 348 | 36th of 45 |
| Average rent a month | £1,012 | joint 163rd of 316 | 34th of 45 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,293.47 | 259th of 348 | 38th of 45 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,253 | joint 140th of 316 | joint 11th 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 Peterborough: Ipswich (£36,160), Norwich (£36,116), Torfaen (£36,068), Clackmannanshire (£36,036), Tendring (£36,030) and Exeter (£35,968). UK occupations with a median close to the Peterborough median of £36,050: science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c. (£36,102), leisure and sports managers (£36,026), elementary storage occupations n.e.c. (£35,863) and steel erectors (£35,824).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Peterborough
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Peterborough rose 5.9%, more 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 | £23,241 | £1,937 | £20,253 | £1,688 |
| 25th percentile | £28,276 | £2,356 | £23,878 | £1,990 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £36,050 | £3,004 | £29,476 | £2,456 |
| 75th percentile | £48,770 | £4,064 | £38,634 | £3,220 |
| 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 Peterborough as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5%.
People who work in Peterborough and people who live there
The median for people who live in Peterborough is £35,196, which is £854 (2.4%) lower than the £36,050 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 278th of 348 and the jobs median 208th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a fall of 0.7%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Peterborough, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Peterborough, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Peterborough as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.5%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Peterborough (£36,050), the average rent of £1,012 takes 41.2% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£28,276) it takes 50.9%. 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 £51,591 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Peterborough 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 | £1,012 | 41.2% | £1,253 |
| 1 bedroom | £710 | 28.9% | £1,555 |
| 2 bedrooms | £895 | 36.4% | £1,370 |
Band D is £191 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.
Peterborough and other areas in East of England
Among these 7 areas, Peterborough has the 6th highest median and the 3rd highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £32,179 in North Norfolk to £46,007 in South Cambridgeshire.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Cambridgeshire | £46,007 | £1,408 | £1,435 |
| North Hertfordshire | £42,555 | £1,434 | £1,209 |
| South Norfolk | £37,336 | £981 | £1,345 |
| Rochford | £36,625 | £1,300 | £994 |
| Norwich | £36,116 | £1,142 | £1,109 |
| Peterborough | £36,050 | £1,012 | £1,253 |
| North Norfolk | £32,179 | £865 | £1,154 |
The areas either side of Peterborough 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 Peterborough compares with East of England and the UK
The median for jobs in Peterborough is £2,547 (6.6%) lower than the East of England median, £3,248 (8.3%) lower than the England median and £2,989 (7.7%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterborough | £36,050 | £35,196 | £2,456 | £1,012 |
| 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 Peterborough (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,241, a quarter pay less than £28,276, half pay less than £36,050 and a quarter pay more than £48,770. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,456 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Peterborough ranks 208th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 36th of 45 in East of England. Its median of £36,050 is £2,989 (7.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Peterborough was £1,012 in August 2026: £710 for one bedroom and £895 for two bedrooms. That is 41.2% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Peterborough is £2,293.47 for 2026/27, about £191 a month, which ranks 259th of 348 council areas and 38th of 45 in East of England. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.