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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:
Butchyrestingface · 07/01/2022 23:38

There are people responding on this thread whose salary is substantially BELOW the UK average as well as those whose salary is substantially ABOVE. Both groups appear to have misunderstood the question but only those in the latter group appear to be copping the attitude.

Anyway, my income has been above average during Covid but this is due to increased demand for the service I provide (am freelance). I expect my income will return to just below or about average - when the current situation finally resolves - and I'm not looking forward to that. Literally everything seems much more expensive these days.

OhWhyNot · 07/01/2022 23:39

£33k

Maintenance helps and a little UC

Live in London

It’s all relative oh please when you have more money it’s a choice what you choose to pay

Bettybantz · 07/01/2022 23:40

Have enough heating that I don't wake up with ice on the windows as I did as child!!

I think we just have better windows these days

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Cost of living Employment advice Jobs
Rno3gfr · 07/01/2022 23:41

@RoseSays thank you so much. That’s so kind of you. We were lucky that it was just a few months before finding stable work, and although we’re low income, we’re fine now. I just can’t stand the idea that so many families are stuck in that awful position. Something needs to change.

FrownedUpon · 07/01/2022 23:41

Wow, how rude. I’ll comment on any thread I like thank you.

Original poster
RedSquirrel111 · 07/01/2022 23:43

@jb7445

I won't answer for me cos I can read 🤣

My brother and sister are both on around 25k as tattooists. My sister has just had her rent put up by £100 a month and is desperately worried. My brother's wife has given up work because her earnings as a cleaner wouldn't cover nursery fees. Lots of my friends have been forced to move to shittier areas because a room in a shared house where we live is upwards of £500 plus bills and most are on NMW or just above. It's looking pretty shit for low/average earners right now.

I do find it annoying when higher earners, as I am by sheer luck, try to claim to be struggling just as much as everyone else. Most of them don't have a clue what it's like to live on the breadline.

Ach but if you earn £150,000 you spend so much more on food don't you know Grin
OP posts:
blessedbethechocolate · 07/01/2022 23:43

I'm a single mum working as a ta on £11300 a year. I get my wages topped up by tax credits and child benefit to 23000. It's tough but I manage to run a car. Can't do much else though as most of my money goes on the rent and bills.

TickleMyFanny · 07/01/2022 23:43

24k band 4 nhs

ChannelTheCalmaLlama · 07/01/2022 23:45

@EllaVaNight

Being a lone parent isn't exactly a picnic that everyone's desperate for an invite to! Whatever your salary. No it isn't but for me it was a lot easier than being with an abuser. And it would have been so much easier on a very, very high salary than struggling on a carers wage and spending all free time getting qualifications. And before people like up about choices etc my ex raped me and kept me off birth control (ripping my coil out on 3 separate occasions) causing me to conceive so it isn't that simple for some people.

No money doesn't make you happy. But life is 100% easier if you're not constantly worrying about how you will afford food and shelter every day.

You have no idea about my life. I'm not about to get into a four Yorkshireman sketch.

I'm sorry you are having such an awful time and I hope you manage to start again.

tuesday2am · 07/01/2022 23:46

On full time hours I’m around £25k, but I work part-time, between 25-34 hours a week. DP earns £55k. We both work in hospitality but very different roles. Live in Scotland. One young child and own our home with mortgage. We live comfortably but not luxuriously. Rather a lot of debt currently. We’ve most definitely had our ups and downs the last few years with work, DP lost a previous job due to Covid, took a few months to sort something else although I know it could have been a lot worse. Almost a year ago (next month), we found ourselves not knowing how we were going to pay our bills and put food on the table.

douliket · 07/01/2022 23:46

I am on €48,600 and my husband is on €70,000. Took a long time to get comfortable as we had a baby young while my husband was only beginning university and I had just finished my final year.

Bettybantz · 07/01/2022 23:47

Can someone verify what the UK average salary is? I thought it was around £28k so OP asking for the £25-£35 bracket seems fair.

Why brag other than to make others feel inadequate? I don’t know why anyone would.

I guess I don’t mix in those kind of circles and I’m glad of that. Money can’t buy humility it seems.

Original poster
RedSquirrel111 · 07/01/2022 23:47

@Bettybantz

Have enough heating that I don't wake up with ice on the windows as I did as child!!

I think we just have better windows these days

That's true Grin But I also remember my dad being absolutely extreme about heating. We had the gas fire on in the living room and in extreme weather in the bathroom. But never the bedrooms. Anyone know what energy prices were like 70s/80s?
OP posts:
lightisnotwhite · 07/01/2022 23:47

Full time on 30k ( just had pay rise) in the SE.

Get £1:800 net .
650 on rent, 140 on gas and electric, 160 food, 210 travel 130 CTax , phone £30, tv license and internet £50. Driving lessons £140 a month.
Pay off credit card for buying ( second hand 2k car) including annual service £180 plus hew tyres, £300 road tax,

Not including birthdays Christmas, holidays and MOT once a year.

So not a lot left over.

So not well off.

SpookyScarySkeletons · 07/01/2022 23:48

@EllaVaNight

Being a lone parent isn't exactly a picnic that everyone's desperate for an invite to! Whatever your salary. No it isn't but for me it was a lot easier than being with an abuser. And it would have been so much easier on a very, very high salary than struggling on a carers wage and spending all free time getting qualifications. And before people like up about choices etc my ex raped me and kept me off birth control (ripping my coil out on 3 separate occasions) causing me to conceive so it isn't that simple for some people.

No money doesn't make you happy. But life is 100% easier if you're not constantly worrying about how you will afford food and shelter every day.

I'm so glad you managed to escape. That sounds absolutely horrific.

And no you are 100% right, money certainly isn't the be all and end all!

Rno3gfr · 07/01/2022 23:49

@Butchyrestingface I thought I’d give my opinion given that our joint income is at the average income (I think?), so at the same as a single person at average and so meaningful to how people are managing too. I mentioned what life was like well BELOW to give people a bit of insight as to what life can be like, which is sure to be no bad thing?

jb7445 · 07/01/2022 23:51

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

LalalalalalaLand123 · 07/01/2022 23:52

Feck I'm WAY below that 😫

Butchyrestingface · 07/01/2022 23:53

[quote Rno3gfr]@Butchyrestingface I thought I’d give my opinion given that our joint income is at the average income (I think?), so at the same as a single person at average and so meaningful to how people are managing too. I mentioned what life was like well BELOW to give people a bit of insight as to what life can be like, which is sure to be no bad thing?[/quote]
Tell that to the OP. She's the one who's been gobbing off at posters for divulging salaries that are outside of the criteria (she thinks) she asked for.

eca80 · 07/01/2022 23:53

So much anger at the idea of someone on a ‘higher’ salary struggling. National average is meaningless given the wide differences is cost of living across the country.

I am jealous of the people who live in areas where £30k allows you to own a home and have a nice life. I understand that when you are in that situation it seems unfathomable that someone on a multiple of that salary might struggle, but I also know what it means to live in London and spend the equivalent of a 30k a year salary on renting a not very large apartment in a not very nice area.

30k a year will be well of in some places but poverty line in others - what an arbitrary set of criteria for a discussion

MojoJojo71 · 07/01/2022 23:53

NHS top of band 7, £46k

curlymom · 07/01/2022 23:55

Well I’m below I think as I’m a teacher but I don’t have any outgoings except food. Hubby is on large salary and pays everything else and we own house outright so no mortgage

MaybeHeIsMyCat · 07/01/2022 23:56

NW
Basic is 18k (ish)
Commission averages 6k but variable, usually between £400 - £900pm
So total 24k a year, motor trade. No DC (couldn't afford them), and I have a mortgage
Wish I earned more

TracyMosby · 07/01/2022 23:56

@eca80 National average is meaningless given the wide differences is cost of living across the country. That was the entire point of the thread! Op asked, quite clearly i thought, what those people on the uk average salary were finding life to be like in different points of the country.

Frazzled2207 · 07/01/2022 23:56

£45k ish in recruitment industry, would be more if i hadn't taken a few years off while the kids were younger.
I'm in the NW and i think probably about average around here for people at our stage in life (early 40s). Most people I know are teachers or nurses of similar.

we're extremely fortunate in that my dh earns about double what I do. If he earned the same as me we would be fine day to day but I would worry about saving for the future.

I have many friends who live in london on properly stupid salaries. However I'm not sure that their quality of life is meaningfully better than ours. Yes they have posher nights out but mostly have ginormous mortgages and pay shit loads of tax. I'm very happy to be in the north.