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Original poster

Average UK salary. How you getting on?

303 replies

RedSquirrel111 · 07/01/2022 22:17

Thought it would be interesting to hear off the average, and not the mumsnet six figures- can't afford to live Grin

Average UK salary for full time workers 2021 was £31,285

I'm very slightly higher on £33k with potential end of year bonus up to £2k

  • live in North West
  • insurance broker
  • no partner or children
  • own home (with mortgage)
  • comfortable but a bit worried about increased cost of living.

Generally I feel quite lucky. I can't afford luxuries, but I don't worry about basic necessities - don't really budget for food costs etc.

How does your average wage look? What's the job sector? Do you struggle? What area?

OP posts:
ChannelTheCalmaLlama · 07/01/2022 23:10

@SortMyHouse

23:01ChannelTheCalmaLlama

Started a new thread for £100k plus - would love to hear the reality of London, kids and big wage / we may move to London soon and hopefully have kids.

Yeah, you're hilarious. Why don't you take the OP's advice at 22:43.
SleepingStandingUp · 07/01/2022 23:10

DH just got a decent payrise to 30kbut what he gains in wages I lose in tax credits so we won't feel it much really. Which is how it should be. When I return to work (too many kids atm) well have his payrise AND my wages

BonnyEm · 07/01/2022 23:10

Dh earns around 23k FT
I earn 2k PT
Claim UC
We are doing OK. We have 2 dc. We budget every penny. We're VERY very careful. We have 2 holidays a year, one camping, one in a chalet self catering UK.
We rarely eat out/ go to the pub/ have takeaways etc.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Cost of living Employment advice Jobs
Mummy1232016 · 07/01/2022 23:11

@ChannelTheCalmaLlama

OP said

Thought it would be interesting to hear off the average, and not the mumsnet six figures-

Average UK salary for full time workers 2021 was £31,285

So you read that as OP not asking for UK average, asking for six figures and that she was asking for a range of answers and experience???

Sorry. I am an Aspie so I skipped over what I assumed to be a facetious joke about lots of people on here banging on about their husband earning whatever. Like a joke about the mumsnet chicken that feeds 50,000. I assumed that was a throwaway comment in the OP's preamble because the OP subsequently asked very specific questions at the end of the post, so presumably as they were the questions asked they were what she wanted a response to. I answered and then got attacked for doing so. Confused

Specific questions about uk average wage. Doesn’t matter….majority understood
MarchingOnTogether · 07/01/2022 23:12

Live in Yorkshire. Partner earns around 16k (lifeguard & swim teacher, works 32hrs so not quite FT) I'm a childminder, I do 42 hours per week and earn around 20k
So both well under the "average' but combined we are a little over.
We have a decent 4 bed detached, the mortgage is affordable on our income.
I now have a small nest egg from inheritance but until I got that 2 years ago we had no fall back money. Luckily we both have good credit ratings so interest free credit cards were my go to when big expenses cropped up

ChannelTheCalmaLlama · 07/01/2022 23:13

That's not what she asked though. She asked "what does your average wage look like? Which region?" Etc

Not "If you earn close to the average UK wage what do you do? Which region?" Etc.

I answered the question that was asked.

sanbeiji · 07/01/2022 23:13

@RedSquirrel111
So based on that tool (which takes benefits etc into account)
A net household income of 30K p.a. is average.

DP and I both average so idk if we count combined.
But we're in the North West, software developers, rent, no kids (yet!:D)
It's loads - as long as one doesn't have a habit of expensive nights out.
Drinks aren't cheap here and with £5 a drink + taxi one can easily spend £100 + on an 'adult' (read: not student bar) night out. Don't know how everyone around me seems to be out every week.. I love getting drunk but not at those prices.

Blinky21 · 07/01/2022 23:13

Public sector 55k early 40s, husband earns slightly more. No money worries but don't feel particularly well off either

BitterTits · 07/01/2022 23:13

My DH earns a bit less than the average. Luckily we both work and I earn more than him (not hugely). His salary wouldn't cover the bills (we live in a relatively cheap area).

sanbeiji · 07/01/2022 23:15

Also to add r.e. cost of living : not that worried now, more concerned with being able to get a deposit then mortgage...

whereareyousleep · 07/01/2022 23:15

Dh earns £31.5k I earn £15k for 3 days per week would be £25k full time. We live in S Yorks and I'd say they aren't bad wages for this area. I have a degree level professional qualification DH works in building industry in customer care. Whave 2 primary aged children. We manage ok day to day no debts etc other than mortgage but not many savings either £170 pm energy bills and cost of food/petrol are not helping!!

SortMyHouse · 07/01/2022 23:15

23:10ChannelTheCalmaLlama

Excuse me!
I have started a thread for genuine reasons.
You've been crying on this because OP was rude to you and now you're being unnecessarily rude to me!!
You really are a tool!

PurpleRainlnTheSky · 07/01/2022 23:15

YABU to have even posted this thread @RedSquirrel111 It was bound to be full of people bragging about their six figure salary, and how it's normal and average 'in their social circle' and they live in London/The South East of course.

Original poster
RedSquirrel111 · 07/01/2022 23:15

@FunnysInLaJardin

OK, so only the average in the part of the UK the OP is in?

Channel you know the 'average' person is only allowed to worry about money?

It's average to the UK. People in London also earn NMW. I appreciate the 'average' goes further in some parts of the country, hence my question 'what does it look like for you'
OP posts:
Likkleredridinghood · 07/01/2022 23:15

Staff nurse band 5 ICU full time hours 31k approx but PT (30) I come out with about £25k. I have 20 odd years experience but no promotion as no movement (NW England). To get a specialist nurse post experience means nothing, you need the specialist qualifications beforehand and then they wonder why there are no applicants Confused

sanbeiji · 07/01/2022 23:16

@ChannelTheCalmaLlama

That's not what she asked though. She asked "what does your average wage look like? Which region?" Etc

Not "If you earn close to the average UK wage what do you do? Which region?" Etc.

I answered the question that was asked.

100K isn't 'average' even in London. People have been rude and attacking but also because they feel you commented on a thread which was specifically not for the likes of you. Should have just ignored your reply tbh
Mummy1232016 · 07/01/2022 23:16

@ChannelTheCalmaLlama

That's not what she asked though. She asked "what does your average wage look like? Which region?" Etc

Not "If you earn close to the average UK wage what do you do? Which region?" Etc.

I answered the question that was asked.

I mean you definitely didn’t….but that’s ok, you keep thinking that Hmm
Gomorra · 07/01/2022 23:17

If I worked ft id earn £20k and dp earns £29k. We have a mortgage and 3 kids. It's tough even though we live in the"cheaper" North

DirtyDancing · 07/01/2022 23:17

Not mentioning any names.. but some people clearly can not fathom that this post is not for them!!

Gosh which part of stated average UK salary do they not understand? It's not applicable so move on. Confused

Rno3gfr · 07/01/2022 23:19

Myself and dp both earn the same amount per year. He works full time and I half time (but I work 65% of full time). We have a child who has just turned 3 year old). We earn 27k per year after tax. We thought we were ok until recently but now we’re staring to feel the pinch. Food shopping, council tax and energy bills have gone up so much in such a short space of time that we are starting to struggle- i.e we can afford bills but nothing else much. There’s not much point in me working more as childcare pretty much matches my salary and we get by as my dmum does some childcare.

We had a bad while after our dchild was born, dp lost his low income job due to illness and I was on nothing thanks to just graduating uni (hence no savings). We had £1000 a month from benefits and our rent was £620. We starved for a while as we both looked for work. No one understood. One time we ate French onion soup, that’s all we had in the cupboard for 3 days. We never turned the heating on. Friends thought we just didn’t want to come out because we had a new baby. No one questioned why I was 6 stone 8 lb at 5’4 suddenly after giving birth. My poor dp went underweight for a while too. We made up our excuses but no one really realised. It was awful. We were seriously lucky that dp had the means to find work soon after. I don’t understand how other families cope after being left without work. It was dire. During this time I decided to ff as I was loosing too much weight to bf when we lived off £25 food per week (you could get vouchers for ff).

All I can say is that families at the bottom end are struggling. Whether you think it is their fault or not, they are. We just feel incredibly lucky that we both found work and now we can afford food.

imnottoofussed · 07/01/2022 23:20

Full time £25000
Single parent to one dd who is now an adult
This means I've not been able to save for a house so currently rent with family.
Doubt I will ever own a home as am mid 40's and can't see ever being able to save enough for deposit/other costs of buying. Also single person mortgage on my salary wouldn't buy me much of anything

ChannelTheCalmaLlama · 07/01/2022 23:21

@SortMyHouse

23:10ChannelTheCalmaLlama

Excuse me!
I have started a thread for genuine reasons.
You've been crying on this because OP was rude to you and now you're being unnecessarily rude to me!!
You really are a tool!

Sorry, I just thought you were having a go at me like everyone else. I didn't realise you genuinely started a new thread on that. I apologise. 😔
ChannelTheCalmaLlama · 07/01/2022 23:22

@PurpleRainlnTheSky

YABU to have even posted this thread *@RedSquirrel111* It was bound to be full of people bragging about their six figure salary, and how it's normal and average 'in their social circle' and they live in London/The South East of course.
Nobody has done that. I'm really sorry if people have perceived it like that, as that is not what it was at all. I will ask mumsnet to remove all my posts.
NeedAHoliday2021 · 07/01/2022 23:23

Anyone struggling on £150k, even if you’re a single parent, needs to have a word with themselves and sit down and look at what they’re doing wrong. Do you think those on average salaries don’t have childcare costs? You’d think someone intelligent to earn that much would be better at budgeting.

ChannelTheCalmaLlama · 07/01/2022 23:24

100K isn't 'average' even in London.
People have been rude and attacking but also because they feel you commented on a thread which was specifically not for the likes of you.
Should have just ignored your reply tbh

The likes of me? Wow.

I never said my salary was average. The OP asked what people's average salary was each year, what they do, where they live.

I really don't understand why so many posters are being so unkind.