United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Waltham Forest vs Westminster
Waltham Forest (London, England · ~277k people) · Westminster (London, England · ~270k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Waltham Forest leads on 3, Westminster on 3, 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
Waltham Forest
£46,842/yr
Better than 89% of UK LAs
Westminster
£52,806/yr
Better than 99% of UK LAs
Westminster: 13% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Waltham Forest
£538,010
Worse than 93% of UK LAs
Westminster
£865,000
Worse than 100% of UK LAs
Waltham Forest: 61% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Waltham Forest
£1,753/mo
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
Westminster
£3,122/mo
Worse than 100% of UK LAs
Waltham Forest: 78% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Waltham Forest
£2,387/yr
Better than 61% of UK LAs
Westminster
£1,050/yr
Better than 100% of UK LAs
Westminster: £1,337 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Waltham Forest
81.1/1k
Worse than 64% of UK LAs
Westminster
379.9/1k
Worse than 100% of UK LAs
Waltham Forest: 368% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Waltham Forest
25.2
Worse than 74% of UK LAs
Westminster
20.3
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Westminster: lower average deprivation score (20.3 vs 25.2).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Waltham Forest
98.1%
Better than 91% of UK LAs
Westminster
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.
Waltham Forest
Rent takes 45% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 11.5× median annual pay
Westminster
Rent takes 71% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 16.4× median annual pay
Full Waltham Forest profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Westminster profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.