Can a Sales and retail assistants afford to rent in London?
Can a Sales and retail assistants afford to rent in London?
In London, a Sales and retail assistants earns a full-time median of £27,637 per year (ONS ASHE 2025, April 2025). Average monthly rent is £2,294 (ONS PIPR, May 2026), giving a Gera Affordability Ratio of 99.6% — rated "Unaffordable": Significantly above the 30% ONS threshold.
Gera Affordability Ratio
Unaffordable — Significantly above the 30% ONS threshold. Methodology: ratio of monthly rent to monthly gross salary (ONS threshold ≤ 30%).
How this is calculatedKey figures — London
Regional salary
£27,637
ONS ASHE 2025 FT median
Monthly gross
£2,303
Before tax
Avg rent / mo
£2,294
ONS PIPR May 2026
1-bed rent
£1,733
per month
2-bed rent
£2,196
per month
Avg house price
£552,655
UKHPI Apr 2026
Gera Affordability Ratio breakdown
GAR — average rent
99.6%
Unaffordable
Significantly above the 30% ONS threshold.
GAR — 2-bed rent
95.4%
Unaffordable
£2,196 / mo
Gera Buy Ratio
20×
Out of reach
Over 8× annual salary — very high price-to-income ratio.
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 Sales and retail assistants: £27,637
Gera Affordability Ratio — average rent
99.6%
Unaffordable
£2,294 rent ÷ £2,303 monthly gross = 99.6% — above the 30% ONS threshold.
1-bed
75.2%
£1,733 / mo
2-bed
95.4%
£2,196 / mo
Gera Buy Ratio (house price ÷ salary)
20×
£552,655 average house price ÷ £27,637 salary. Very high (over 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 Sales and retail assistants in London?
- According to ONS ASHE 2025 provisional data (reference period April 2025), the full-time median gross annual pay for a Sales and retail assistants in London is £27,637, or £2,303 per month before tax. The UK national median for this role is £25,056.
- What is the average rent in London?
- The average monthly private rent in London is £2,294 across all property types (ONS PIPR, May 2026). A 1-bed averages £1,733. A 2-bed averages £2,196. A 3-bed averages £2,596.
- What is the Gera Affordability Ratio for a Sales and retail assistants in London?
- The Gera Affordability Ratio (GAR) for a Sales and retail assistants in London is 99.6% for average rent and 95.4% for a 2-bed. GAR = (monthly_rent ÷ monthly_gross_salary) × 100. A ratio ≤ 30% is rated "Unaffordable".
- Can a Sales and retail assistants afford to buy in London?
- The average house price in London is £552,655 (UKHPI April 2026). At a regional salary of £27,637, the price-to-income multiple (Gera Buy Ratio) is 20×, rated "Out of reach" — Over 8× annual salary — very high price-to-income ratio.
- What percentage of gross income does rent take for a Sales and retail assistants in London?
- Rent takes 99.6% of gross monthly income for this occupation in London at average rent, or 95.4% for a 2-bed flat. The ONS affordability threshold is 30%; this area is therefore rated "Unaffordable".
Sales and retail assistants 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
Full methodology · ← All regions for Sales and retail assistants
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