Average salary in Surrey Heath
The median full-time salary for jobs in Surrey Heath is £39,904 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,688 a month.
Where Surrey Heath ranks
Surrey Heath ranks 93rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 29th of 64 in South East. Its average rent ranks 65th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£970 a month) ranks joint 249th of 316, in the bottom quarter.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £39,904 | 93rd of 348 | 29th of 64 |
| Median pay, residents | £43,633 | 74th of 348 | 23rd of 64 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,688 | 93rd of 348 | 29th of 64 |
| Average rent a month | £1,503 | 65th of 316 | 19th of 64 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,585.16 | 46th of 348 | 13th of 64 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £970 | joint 249th of 316 | 43rd 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 Surrey Heath: South Ayrshire (£40,033), Aberdeenshire (£40,032), West Oxfordshire (£40,000), Sutton (£39,874), Lewes (£39,798) and Barking and Dagenham (£39,599). UK occupations with a median close to the Surrey Heath median of £39,904: chemical scientists (£39,983), large goods vehicle drivers (£39,905), tool makers, tool fitters and markers-out (£39,902) and social and humanities scientists (£39,899).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Surrey Heath
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Surrey Heath fell 9.8%, while the UK median for all full-time jobs rose 4.3%. 46 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 | £24,014 | £2,001 | £20,810 | £1,734 |
| 25th percentile | £31,053 | £2,588 | £25,878 | £2,156 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £39,904 | £3,325 | £32,250 | £2,688 |
| 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 Surrey Heath as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 9.9%.
People who work in Surrey Heath and people who live there
The median for people who live in Surrey Heath is £43,633, which is £3,729 (9.3%) higher than the £39,904 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 74th of 348 and the jobs median 93rd of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a fall of 9.2%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Surrey Heath, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Surrey Heath, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Surrey Heath as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 9.7%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Surrey Heath (£39,904), the average rent of £1,503 takes 55.9% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£31,053) it takes 69.7%. 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 £85,453 a year. No more than half of full-time jobs based in Surrey Heath 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 | £1,503 | 55.9% | £970 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,037 | 38.6% | £1,436 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,335 | 49.7% | £1,138 |
Band D is £215 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.
Surrey Heath and other areas in South East
Among these 7 areas, Surrey Heath has the 2nd highest median and the 5th highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £34,776 in Swale to £44,822 in South Oxfordshire.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Oxfordshire | £44,822 | £1,402 | £1,365 |
| Surrey Heath | £39,904 | £1,503 | £970 |
| Southampton | £39,464 | £1,257 | £1,206 |
| Test Valley | £38,976 | £1,235 | £1,205 |
| Spelthorne | £38,007 | £1,696 | £667 |
| Tandridge | £37,024 | £1,637 | £662 |
| Swale | £34,776 | £1,114 | £1,066 |
The areas either side of Surrey Heath 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 Surrey Heath compares with South East and the UK
The median for jobs in Surrey Heath is £79 (0.2%) lower than the South East median, £606 (1.5%) higher than the England median and £865 (2.2%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey Heath | £39,904 | £43,633 | £2,688 | £1,503 |
| 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 Surrey Heath (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,014, a quarter pay less than £31,053 and half pay less than £39,904. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,688 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Surrey Heath ranks 93rd of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 29th of 64 in South East. Its median of £39,904 is £865 (2.2%) higher than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Surrey Heath was £1,503 in August 2026: £1,037 for one bedroom and £1,335 for two bedrooms. That is 55.9% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Surrey Heath is £2,585.16 for 2026/27, about £215 a month, which ranks 46th of 348 council areas and 13th of 64 in South East. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.