United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Harrow vs Merton
Harrow (London, England · ~252k people) · Merton (London, England · ~206k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Harrow leads on 2, Merton on 3, 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
Harrow
£45,760/yr
Better than 85% of UK LAs
Merton
£51,704/yr
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Merton: 13% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Harrow
£550,000
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
Harrow
£1,754/mo
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
Merton
£2,083/mo
Worse than 97% of UK LAs
Harrow: 19% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Harrow
£2,511/yr
Worse than 72% of UK LAs
Merton
£2,147/yr
Better than 93% of UK LAs
Merton: £364 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Harrow
58.7/1k
Better than 74% of UK LAs
Merton
60.5/1k
Better than 69% of UK LAs
Harrow: 3% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Harrow
15.0
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Merton
14.7
Better than 68% of UK LAs
Merton: lower average deprivation score (14.7 vs 15.0).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Harrow
98.2%
Better than 92% 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.
Harrow
Rent takes 46% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 12.0× median annual pay
Merton
Rent takes 48% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 10.5× median annual pay
Full Harrow 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.