Can a Civil engineers afford to rent in South East?
Can a Civil engineers afford to rent in South East?
In South East, a Civil engineers earns a full-time median of £55,451 per year (ONS ASHE 2025, April 2025). Average monthly rent is £1,418 (ONS PIPR, May 2026), giving a Gera Affordability Ratio of 30.7% — rated "Tight": Exceeds the 30% ONS threshold — rent is a stretch.
Gera Affordability Ratio
Tight — Exceeds the 30% ONS threshold — rent is a stretch. Methodology: ratio of monthly rent to monthly gross salary (ONS threshold ≤ 30%).
How this is calculatedKey figures — South East
Regional salary
£55,451
ONS ASHE 2025 FT median
Monthly gross
£4,621
Before tax
Avg rent / mo
£1,418
ONS PIPR May 2026
1-bed rent
£987
per month
2-bed rent
£1,266
per month
Avg house price
£376,819
UKHPI Apr 2026
Gera Affordability Ratio breakdown
GAR — average rent
30.7%
Tight
Exceeds the 30% ONS threshold — rent is a stretch.
GAR — 2-bed rent
27.4%
Affordable
£1,266 / mo
Gera Buy Ratio
6.8×
Stretched
5–8× salary — typical UK first-buyer stretch.
GAR = (monthly rent ÷ monthly gross salary) × 100 · ONS threshold: ≤ 30% = affordable · Methodology
Your Gera Affordability Ratio — personalise by salary
The page uses the ONS ASHE 2025 median. Enter your actual salary to see how your personal ratio compares.
ONS 2025 median for Civil engineers: £55,451
Gera Affordability Ratio — average rent
30.7%
Tight
£1,418 rent ÷ £4,621 monthly gross = 30.7% — above the 30% ONS threshold.
1-bed
21.4%
£987 / mo
2-bed
27.4%
£1,266 / mo
Gera Buy Ratio (house price ÷ salary)
6.8×
£376,819 average house price ÷ £55,451 salary. Stretched (5–8×).
Gross salary only — does not account for income tax, NI, or other deductions. Use the Take-Home Pay calculator for net income.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the median salary for a Civil engineers in South East?
- According to ONS ASHE 2025 provisional data (reference period April 2025), the full-time median gross annual pay for a Civil engineers in South East is £55,451, or £4,621 per month before tax. The UK national median for this role is £51,366.
- What is the average rent in South East?
- The average monthly private rent in South East is £1,418 across all property types (ONS PIPR, May 2026). A 1-bed averages £987. A 2-bed averages £1,266. A 3-bed averages £1,541.
- What is the Gera Affordability Ratio for a Civil engineers in South East?
- The Gera Affordability Ratio (GAR) for a Civil engineers in South East is 30.7% for average rent and 27.4% for a 2-bed. GAR = (monthly_rent ÷ monthly_gross_salary) × 100. A ratio ≤ 30% is rated "Tight".
- Can a Civil engineers afford to buy in South East?
- The average house price in South East is £376,819 (UKHPI April 2026). At a regional salary of £55,451, the price-to-income multiple (Gera Buy Ratio) is 6.8×, rated "Stretched" — 5–8× salary — typical UK first-buyer stretch.
- What percentage of gross income does rent take for a Civil engineers in South East?
- Rent takes 30.7% of gross monthly income for this occupation in South East at average rent, or 27.4% for a 2-bed flat. The ONS affordability threshold is 30%; this area is therefore rated "Tight".
Civil engineers affordability in other regions
Data sources
Salary: Office for National Statistics — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional · As of April 2025 · Open Government Licence v3.0
Rent: Office for National Statistics — Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), May 2026 · As of May 2026 · Open Government Licence v3.0
House prices: HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index (UKHPI), April 2026 · As of April 2026 · Open Government Licence v3.0
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