Can a Mechanical engineers afford to rent in the UK?
Can a Mechanical engineers afford to rent in the UK?
A Mechanical engineers earns a full-time median of £51,110 per year (ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, April 2025). Across 9 UK regions, rent is affordable (below 30% of gross income) in 6 out of 9. Yorkshire and The Humber is most affordable at a Gera Affordability Ratio of 21.5%; London is least affordable at 47.1%.
Gera Affordability Ratio
Yorkshire and The Humber is most affordable for a Mechanical engineers. 6 of 9 regions are below the 30% ONS threshold.
How this is calculatedMechanical engineers — salary and affordability summary
National median
£51,110
ONS ASHE 2025, FT
Monthly gross
£4,259
Before tax
Affordable regions
6/9
GAR ≤ 30%
Rent affordability by UK region
Gera Affordability Ratio = (monthly rent ÷ regional median monthly salary) × 100. Sorted most affordable first. Click a region for a detailed breakdown.
| Region | Salary | Avg rent / mo | GAR | GAR 2-bed | Buy ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £47,885 | £856 | 21.5% | 19.1% | 4.3× |
| Wales | £44,386 | £836 | 22.6% | 20.8% | 4.8× |
| West Midlands | £44,874 | £966 | 25.8% | 23.3% | 5.6× |
| North East | £35,691 | £776 | 26.1% | 23.1% | 4.6× |
| South West | £51,657 | £1,234 | 28.7% | 24.5% | 5.9× |
| East of England | £51,744 | £1,280 | 29.7% | 26.4% | 6.5× |
| Scotland | £38,478 | £1,009 | 31.5% | 28.3% | 5× |
| South East | £49,114 | £1,418 | 34.6% | 30.9% | 7.7× |
| London | £58,482 | £2,294 | 47.1% | 45.1% | 9.5× |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the median salary for a Mechanical engineers?
- According to ONS ASHE 2025 provisional data (reference period April 2025), the UK median gross annual pay for a Mechanical engineers working full-time is £51,110, which equals £4,259 per month before tax.
- Which UK region is most affordable for a Mechanical engineers to rent?
- Yorkshire and The Humber is the most affordable region for a Mechanical engineers to rent, with a Gera Affordability Ratio of 21.5% — average monthly rent £856 against a regional median salary of £47,885 (ONS ASHE 2025, April 2025).
- Where is it hardest for a Mechanical engineers to afford rent?
- London is the least affordable region, with a Gera Affordability Ratio of 47.1% — average monthly rent £2,294 versus regional median salary £58,482 for this occupation.
- Can a Mechanical engineers afford to buy a home in the UK?
- At the national median salary of £51,110, buying in North East would require a price-to-income ratio of 4.6× (average house price £163,190 ÷ regional salary £35,691). That is rated "Accessible" — Under 5× salary — historically accessible range. The full buy-ratio across all regions is shown in the table below.
- How is the Gera Affordability Ratio calculated for a Mechanical engineers?
- GAR = (monthly_rent ÷ regional_median_monthly_salary) × 100. Salary from ONS ASHE 2025 (Table 15(4).7a, region × occupation, full-time median). Rent from ONS PIPR May 2026 (regional average monthly private rent). A ratio ≤ 30% is "affordable" per ONS guidance. Full methodology: https://gerajobs.com/affordability/methodology.
Data sources
Salary: Office for National Statistics — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional · Open Government Licence v3.0
Rent: Office for National Statistics — Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), May 2026 · Open Government Licence v3.0
House prices: HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index (UKHPI), April 2026 · Open Government Licence v3.0
Find Mechanical engineers jobs in affordable regions
GeraJobs lists live Mechanical engineers vacancies with salary ranges — filter by your target region to find roles where the maths works.