What is the Gera Real Pay Index?

The Gera Real Pay Index (GRPI) is a cost-of-living-adjusted pay index computed by GeraJobs. It takes each English region's nominal median salary (ONS ASHE) and deflates it by the region's real cost level — a 0.70 house-price + 0.30 council-tax blend from HM Land Registry and MHCLG data. A GRPI of 100 equals the 9-region average; above 100 means your salary goes further there. The full method is published on the methodology page.

Where does your salary go furthest in England?

North East tops the Gera Real Pay Index at 132.4 — its nominal median of £31,514 is worth £45,536 in cost-equivalent terms because local costs are 31% below the regional average. London is lowest at 75.1 (£25,811 real), as the country's highest housing costs outweigh its higher nominal pay.

Why does London rank low on real pay despite high salaries?

London has the highest nominal median pay of any English region, but its cost level on the Gera index is far above average (driven by house prices around 1.9× the regional mean). Adjusting nominal pay for that cost leaves the lowest cost-equivalent ("real") pay of the nine regions. Nominal salary alone overstates how far money goes there.

Is the Gera Real Pay Index based on real data?

Yes. Every input is a real published government figure: ONS ASHE 2025 median full-time pay (April 2025, OGL v3.0), HM Land Registry UK House Price Index average prices (April 2026), and MHCLG Band D council tax (FY2026-27). The index is a transparent join and weighting of those figures — nothing is modelled or interpolated, and ONS-suppressed cells are excluded, never estimated.

Which regions are included, and why not Scotland or Wales?

The index covers England's 9 Government Office Regions — the only regions for which all three inputs exist on a common basis. Council tax is published England-only (Scotland, Wales and NI use different systems), so those nations are excluded rather than joined on a missing input. Energy cost is dropped entirely because Ofgem's regional split is not published in machine-readable form.

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Gera Real Pay Index — Where Your Salary Goes Furthest

A high nominal salary in an expensive region can be worth less than a modest one in a cheaper area. The Gera Real Pay Index adjusts each English region's pay for its real cost of living — joining ONS ASHE salaries with Land Registry house prices and MHCLG council tax.

Where in England does your salary go furthest after cost of living?

After adjusting for local cost of living, salaries go furthest in North East: a Gera Real Pay Index of 132.4 (England-region average = 100) versus just 75.1 in London, where high housing and council-tax costs erode nominal pay. Computed from real ONS ASHE, Land Registry and MHCLG data. GeraJobs re-dates quarterly.

Source:ONS ASHE 2025 + HM Land Registry UKHPI + MHCLG Council Tax (joined by GeraJobs)·As of ASHE April 2025; UKHPI April 2026; council tax FY2026-27 · updated quarterly · last refreshed 19 June 2026

Gera Real Pay Index

Salaries go furthest in North East (real pay £45,536) and least far in London (£25,811). Region average = 100.

How this is calculated

132.4 (North East)

Where your salary goes furthest in England

Region	Real Pay Index	Nominal median	Cost level	Real pay
North East	132.4	£31,514	69.2	£45,536
Yorkshire and The Humber	123.8	£32,606	76.6	£42,564
North West	123.6	£34,131	80.3	£42,492
East Midlands	111.0	£33,387	87.5	£38,175
West Midlands	105.6	£32,913	90.6	£36,324
South West	93.5	£32,878	102.3	£32,152
East	88.9	£34,580	113.2	£30,560
South East	87.2	£36,391	121.4	£29,974
London	75.1	£41,034	159.0	£25,811

Real Pay Index = nominal median ÷ (cost level ÷ 100) ÷ the 9-region mean nominal (£34,382) × 100. Cost level blends real house prices (0.70) and Band D council tax (0.30), normalised so 100 = the 9-region mean. England's 9 regions only — see methodology for why Scotland, Wales and energy are excluded.

Find your real (cost-adjusted) pay

Pick an occupation and an English region, then optionally enter your salary. We compare it to the real ONS median and show your cost-of-living-equivalent pay and national percentile.

OccupationEnglish regionYour gross annual salary (£, optional)

In North East, a Other nursing professionals has a nominal median of £40,832, worth £59,006 in cost-equivalent terms (cost level 69.2, average = 100).

Enter your salary above to see your real pay and national percentile.

See North East jobs hiring now

Gera Real Pay Index — FAQ

What is the Gera Real Pay Index?: The Gera Real Pay Index (GRPI) is a cost-of-living-adjusted pay index computed by GeraJobs. It takes each English region's nominal median salary (ONS ASHE) and deflates it by the region's real cost level — a 0.70 house-price + 0.30 council-tax blend from HM Land Registry and MHCLG data. A GRPI of 100 equals the 9-region average; above 100 means your salary goes further there. The full method is published on the methodology page.
Where does your salary go furthest in England?: North East tops the Gera Real Pay Index at 132.4 — its nominal median of £31,514 is worth £45,536 in cost-equivalent terms because local costs are 31% below the regional average. London is lowest at 75.1 (£25,811 real), as the country's highest housing costs outweigh its higher nominal pay.
Why does London rank low on real pay despite high salaries?: London has the highest nominal median pay of any English region, but its cost level on the Gera index is far above average (driven by house prices around 1.9× the regional mean). Adjusting nominal pay for that cost leaves the lowest cost-equivalent ("real") pay of the nine regions. Nominal salary alone overstates how far money goes there.
Is the Gera Real Pay Index based on real data?: Yes. Every input is a real published government figure: ONS ASHE 2025 median full-time pay (April 2025, OGL v3.0), HM Land Registry UK House Price Index average prices (April 2026), and MHCLG Band D council tax (FY2026-27). The index is a transparent join and weighting of those figures — nothing is modelled or interpolated, and ONS-suppressed cells are excluded, never estimated.
Which regions are included, and why not Scotland or Wales?: The index covers England's 9 Government Office Regions — the only regions for which all three inputs exist on a common basis. Council tax is published England-only (Scotland, Wales and NI use different systems), so those nations are excluded rather than joined on a missing input. Energy cost is dropped entirely because Ofgem's regional split is not published in machine-readable form.

Get the Gera Real Pay Index when the data refreshes

House prices and ASHE salaries refresh on a quarterly/annual cadence. Save your email and we'll send the updated real-pay rankings when the inputs change.

Related on GeraJobs

Gera Real Pay Index — full methodology — every formula, weight and data source.
Gera Pay Index — nominal UK salary by region — pay before cost-of-living adjustment.
UK Salary by Occupation — median pay for every ONS occupation.

Sources: Office for National Statistics — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) (Median gross annual pay (GBP), full-time employees, ASHE 2025 provisional, April 2025 reference period); HM Land Registry UK House Price Index (April 2026); MHCLG Council Tax levels in England (FY2026-27). All Open Government Licence v3.0. The Gera Real Pay Index is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.