Average salary in Plymouth
The median full-time salary for jobs in Plymouth is £36,483 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,482 a month.
Where Plymouth ranks
Plymouth ranks 193rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 10th of 26 in South West. Its average rent ranks 167th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,275 a month) ranks 134th of 316, in the upper half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £36,483 | 193rd of 348 | 10th of 26 |
| Median pay, residents | £35,186 | 280th of 348 | 20th of 26 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,482 | 192nd of 348 | 10th of 26 |
| Average rent a month | £1,004 | 167th of 316 | 17th of 26 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,441.85 | 154th of 348 | 19th of 26 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,275 | 134th of 316 | 8th of 26 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Plymouth: Canterbury (£36,558), Telford and Wrekin (£36,532), Renfrewshire (£36,492), Pembrokeshire (£36,448), Isle of Anglesey (£36,434) and East Hampshire (£36,379). UK occupations with a median close to the Plymouth median of £36,483: interior designers (£36,485), chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants (£36,457), hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors (£36,419) and communication operators (£36,415).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Plymouth
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Plymouth rose 2.6%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. For South West as a whole it was a rise of 4.6%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,890 | £1,991 | £20,720 | £1,727 |
| 25th percentile | £27,242 | £2,270 | £23,134 | £1,928 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £36,483 | £3,040 | £29,787 | £2,482 |
| 75th percentile | £46,681 | £3,890 | £37,130 | £3,094 |
| 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 Plymouth as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 3.5%.
People who work in Plymouth and people who live there
The median for people who live in Plymouth is £35,186, which is £1,297 (3.6%) lower than the £36,483 median for jobs based there. The jobs figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 280th of 348 and the jobs median 193rd of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 4.6%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Plymouth, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Plymouth, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Plymouth as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Plymouth (£36,483), the average rent of £1,004 takes 40.4% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£27,242) it takes 52.1%. 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 £51,039 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Plymouth 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 | £1,004 | 40.4% | £1,275 |
| 1 bedroom | £705 | 28.4% | £1,574 |
| 2 bedrooms | £886 | 35.7% | £1,393 |
Band D is £203 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.
Plymouth and other areas in South West
Among these 7 areas, Plymouth has the 2nd highest median and the 2nd highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £32,086 in South Hams to £42,267 in South Gloucestershire.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Gloucestershire | £42,267 | £1,464 | £1,152 |
| Plymouth | £36,483 | £1,004 | £1,275 |
| Somerset | £35,440 | £1,016 | £1,191 |
| Mid Devon | £35,391 | £878 | £1,318 |
| North Somerset | £34,838 | £1,209 | £967 |
| North Devon | £32,199 | £846 | £1,159 |
| South Hams | £32,086 | £1,012 | £988 |
The areas either side of Plymouth in the alphabetical list for South West, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 26 in the South West table.
How Plymouth compares with South West and the UK
The median for jobs in Plymouth is £712 (1.9%) lower than the South West median, £2,815 (7.2%) lower than the England median and £2,556 (6.5%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | £36,483 | £35,186 | £2,482 | £1,004 |
| South West | £37,195 | £37,543 | £2,525 | £1,245 |
| 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 West 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 Plymouth (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £23,890, a quarter pay less than £27,242, half pay less than £36,483 and a quarter pay more than £46,681. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,482 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Plymouth ranks 193rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the lower half, and 10th of 26 in South West. Its median of £36,483 is £2,556 (6.5%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Plymouth was £1,004 in August 2026: £705 for one bedroom and £886 for two bedrooms. That is 40.4% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Plymouth is £2,441.85 for 2026/27, about £203 a month, which ranks 154th of 348 council areas and 19th of 26 in South West. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.