Can a Solicitors and lawyers afford to rent in London?
Can a Solicitors and lawyers afford to rent in London?
In London, a Solicitors and lawyers earns a full-time median of £78,034 per year (ONS ASHE 2025, April 2025). Average monthly rent is £2,294 (ONS PIPR, May 2026), giving a Gera Affordability Ratio of 35.3% — 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 — London
Regional salary
£78,034
ONS ASHE 2025 FT median
Monthly gross
£6,503
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
35.3%
Tight
Exceeds the 30% ONS threshold — rent is a stretch.
GAR — 2-bed rent
33.8%
Tight
£2,196 / mo
Gera Buy Ratio
7.1×
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 Solicitors and lawyers: £78,034
Gera Affordability Ratio — average rent
35.3%
Tight
£2,294 rent ÷ £6,503 monthly gross = 35.3% — above the 30% ONS threshold.
1-bed
26.6%
£1,733 / mo
2-bed
33.8%
£2,196 / mo
Gera Buy Ratio (house price ÷ salary)
7.1×
£552,655 average house price ÷ £78,034 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 Solicitors and lawyers in London?
- According to ONS ASHE 2025 provisional data (reference period April 2025), the full-time median gross annual pay for a Solicitors and lawyers in London is £78,034, or £6,503 per month before tax. The UK national median for this role is £56,977.
- 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 Solicitors and lawyers in London?
- The Gera Affordability Ratio (GAR) for a Solicitors and lawyers in London is 35.3% for average rent and 33.8% for a 2-bed. GAR = (monthly_rent ÷ monthly_gross_salary) × 100. A ratio ≤ 30% is rated "Tight".
- Can a Solicitors and lawyers afford to buy in London?
- The average house price in London is £552,655 (UKHPI April 2026). At a regional salary of £78,034, the price-to-income multiple (Gera Buy Ratio) is 7.1×, rated "Stretched" — 5–8× salary — typical UK first-buyer stretch.
- What percentage of gross income does rent take for a Solicitors and lawyers in London?
- Rent takes 35.3% of gross monthly income for this occupation in London at average rent, or 33.8% for a 2-bed flat. The ONS affordability threshold is 30%; this area is therefore rated "Tight".
Solicitors and lawyers 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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