GeoRealityMatch

Arriving in the UK, by the numbers

Anyone who has lived here already knows which places are dear. Arriving without that, the range is the first thing worth seeing.

Three indicators, each shown as its two ends rather than a league table. A ranking invites you to take the top of it. The range tells you how much the decision is worth in the first place, which for rent is most of a salary.

Rent

The cheapest and dearest median monthly rents recorded across UK local authorities. Coverage and method differ by nation, so read the two columns as the shape of the spread rather than a like-for-like table.

Lowest median rent

Highest median rent

348 of 361 local authorities carry this indicator · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) — median monthly rent, Table 1 · 2026-03

Pay

Gross weekly pay for full-time employees who live in the area, which is not the same as pay for jobs located there. Commuter belts read high on this measure for that reason.

Lowest median pay

Highest median pay

348 of 361 local authorities carry this indicator · ONS ASHE — resident analysis, full-time employees, gross weekly (NOMIS NM_30_1) · 2025

Council tax

The band D charge, the standard comparison point between councils. It is an annual bill that does not scale with income, so it lands hardest where pay is lowest.

Lowest band D

Highest band D

318 of 361 local authorities carry this indicator · Council Tax Band D bill incl. all precepts — MHCLG Table 10 Item 17 (England) + Welsh Gov 'Council Tax levels in Wales' Table 1 (Wales). · 2026-27

Before any of this

None of the above applies until you are free to choose, and that part is not on this site. It lives on InboxTrace, which we also built: the Life in the UK test, and the day count behind a settlement or citizenship form.

Once the choice is yours, all 361 local authorities carry seven indicators each, and the area finder ranks England against a budget and what you weight.