United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Barnet vs Merton
Barnet (London, England · ~399k people) · Merton (London, England · ~206k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Barnet leads on 1, Merton on 4, 2 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Barnet
£47,081/yr
Better than 91% of UK LAs
Merton
£51,704/yr
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Merton: 10% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Barnet
£569,062
Worse than 96% of UK LAs
Merton
£545,000
Worse than 95% of UK LAs
Merton: 4% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Barnet
£1,928/mo
Worse than 95% of UK LAs
Merton
£2,083/mo
Worse than 97% of UK LAs
Barnet: 8% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Barnet
£2,133/yr
Better than 94% of UK LAs
Merton
£2,147/yr
Better than 93% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Barnet
66.8/1k
Better than 58% of UK LAs
Merton
60.5/1k
Better than 69% of UK LAs
Merton: 10% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Barnet
16.1
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Merton
14.7
Better than 68% of UK LAs
Merton: lower average deprivation score (14.7 vs 16.1).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Barnet
98.8%
Better than 94% of UK LAs
Merton
100.0%
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Barnet
Rent takes 49% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 12.1× median annual pay
Merton
Rent takes 48% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 10.5× median annual pay
Full Barnet profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Merton profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.