United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Brent vs Merton
Brent (London, England · ~328k people) · Merton (London, England · ~206k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Brent leads on 1, Merton on 5, 1 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
Brent
£40,882/yr
Better than 63% of UK LAs
Merton
£51,704/yr
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Merton: 26% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Brent
£555,000
Worse than 96% of UK LAs
Merton
£545,000
Worse than 95% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Brent
£1,969/mo
Worse than 96% of UK LAs
Merton
£2,083/mo
Worse than 97% of UK LAs
Brent: 6% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Brent
£2,235/yr
Better than 89% of UK LAs
Merton
£2,147/yr
Better than 93% of UK LAs
Merton: £88 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Brent
90.0/1k
Worse than 74% of UK LAs
Merton
60.5/1k
Better than 69% of UK LAs
Merton: 49% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Brent
25.6
Worse than 75% of UK LAs
Merton
14.7
Better than 68% of UK LAs
Merton: lower average deprivation score (14.7 vs 25.6).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Brent
97.3%
Better than 87% of UK LAs
Merton
100.0%
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Merton: 2.7 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.
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.
Brent
Rent takes 58% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 13.6× median annual pay
Merton
Rent takes 48% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 10.5× median annual pay
Full Brent 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.