Average salary in Winchester
The median full-time salary for jobs in Winchester is £43,195 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,885 a month.
Where Winchester ranks
Winchester ranks 35th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 11th of 64 in South East. Its average rent ranks 64th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,180 a month) ranks joint 171st of 316, in the lower half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in South East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £43,195 | 35th of 348 | 11th of 64 |
| Median pay, residents | £45,766 | 42nd of 348 | 12th of 64 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,885 | 35th of 348 | 11th of 64 |
| Average rent a month | £1,508 | 64th of 316 | 18th of 64 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,359.76 | 213th of 348 | 52nd of 64 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,180 | joint 171st of 316 | 18th 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 Winchester: Oxford (£43,502), Bromley (£43,474), Reigate and Banstead (£43,296), Hounslow (£43,068), Wandsworth (£43,035) and Rugby (£42,966). UK occupations with a median close to the Winchester median of £43,195: physiotherapists (£43,532), natural and social science professionals n.e.c. (£43,384), property, housing and estate managers (£43,365) and environment professionals (£43,362).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Winchester
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Winchester rose 11.5%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 37 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 | £25,048 | £2,087 | £21,554 | £1,796 |
| 25th percentile | £31,985 | £2,665 | £26,549 | £2,212 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £43,195 | £3,600 | £34,620 | £2,885 |
| 75th percentile | £61,541 | £5,128 | £46,251 | £3,854 |
| 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 Winchester as precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 4.8%.
People who work in Winchester and people who live there
The median for people who live in Winchester is £45,766, which is £2,571 (6.0%) higher than the £43,195 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 42nd of 348 and the jobs median 35th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 1.3%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Winchester, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Winchester, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Winchester as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.5%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Winchester (£43,195), the average rent of £1,508 takes 52.3% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£31,985) it takes 68.2%. 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 £85,798 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Winchester 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 | £1,508 | 52.3% | £1,180 |
| 1 bedroom | £1,017 | 35.3% | £1,671 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,318 | 45.7% | £1,370 |
Band D is £197 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.
Winchester and other areas in South East
Among these 7 areas, Winchester has the 2nd highest median and the 3rd highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £35,347 in Wealden to £46,574 in Wokingham.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wokingham | £46,574 | £1,466 | £1,414 |
| Winchester | £43,195 | £1,508 | £1,180 |
| West Berkshire | £42,135 | £1,338 | £1,274 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | £41,418 | £1,800 | £815 |
| Woking | £41,054 | £1,620 | £920 |
| West Oxfordshire | £40,000 | £1,305 | £1,174 |
| Wealden | £35,347 | £1,262 | £925 |
The areas either side of Winchester 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 Winchester compares with South East and the UK
The median for jobs in Winchester is £3,212 (8.0%) higher than the South East median, £3,897 (9.9%) higher than the England median and £4,156 (10.6%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester | £43,195 | £45,766 | £2,885 | £1,508 |
| 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 Winchester (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £25,048, a quarter pay less than £31,985, half pay less than £43,195 and a quarter pay more than £61,541. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,885 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Winchester ranks 35th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the top quarter, and 11th of 64 in South East. Its median of £43,195 is £4,156 (10.6%) higher than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Winchester was £1,508 in August 2026: £1,017 for one bedroom and £1,318 for two bedrooms. That is 52.3% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Winchester is £2,359.76 for 2026/27, about £197 a month, which ranks 213th of 348 council areas and 52nd of 64 in South East. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.