United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Islington vs Tower Hamlets
Islington (London, England · ~248k people) · Tower Hamlets (London, England · ~332k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Tower Hamlets on 4, 3 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
Islington
£52,260/yr
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets
£51,823/yr
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Islington
£625,000
Worse than 97% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets
£500,000
Worse than 91% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets: 25% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Islington
£2,763/mo
Worse than 99% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets
£2,396/mo
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets: 15% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Islington
£2,108/yr
Better than 95% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets
£1,838/yr
Better than 98% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets: £270 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Islington
133.7/1k
Worse than 98% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets
106.4/1k
Worse than 88% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets: 26% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Islington
27.5
Worse than 83% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets
27.9
Worse than 84% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Islington
99.1%
Better than 95% of UK LAs
Tower Hamlets
98.1%
Better than 91% 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.
Islington
Rent takes 63% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 12.0× median annual pay
Tower Hamlets
Rent takes 55% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 9.6× median annual pay
Full Islington profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Tower Hamlets profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.