Is 50K a good salary in the UK? | Moneyfarm (2024)

£50K is a pretty good salary to earn here in the UK. It’s significantly higher than the national median wage. Still, the honest answer to “is 50K a good salary in the UK” depends on many factors, including your current financial circ*mstances.

Where you live and work are important factors. In London, for example, £50K will cover all your living expenses and probably allow you to get by with care, whereas, in the North, it will do handsomely and then some. So, what is the real answer to the question: “50K a good salary in the UK?” To find out more, please read on.

How good a salary in the UK is £50K per annum?

According to the ONS (the Office for National Statistics), the median average UK salary when last measured in October 2022 was £32,537 per annum. This was the total pay average – total pay being salary that includes any bonus payments. The regular median average wage (without bonuses) was £30,399.29.

So, is 50K a good salary in the UK? – In this context, it appears so. This type of annual salary means you might be able to consider how to invest money for the future – for things like buying a property and ensuring you are investing enough for your retirement years.

Jobs that pay well in the UK

Many elements play a part in good salary jobs in the UK. They include age, education, and location. One of the biggest is the type of job, and a list of top good jobs that pay well in the UK is shown in the table below.

As you can see, these best-salary jobs on the UK employment circuit are all well above the national average. So commanding a good salary like this will give you a wide choice when forming an investment strategy.

So, although 50K can be considered a good wage in the UK, plenty of better-paying jobs could provide you with the wherewithal when it comes to taking early retirement. If this interests you, you might like to check out the “how to retire at 55” blog on the Moneyfarm website.

Average UK cost of living statistics

Having one of the good jobs that pay well in the UK is only half the battle if you’re asking yourself questions like, “How much do I need for retirement?” The cost of living is one of the most significant expenses that has to be taken into account, especially the cost of living in London.

As reported by the UK parliament, the cost of living has been on the increase since the beginning of 2021. Inflation here in the UK reached a 41-year high in October 2022 at 11.1%. However, it is slowly coming down. At the end of December, it was down slightly to 10.5%, but even this figure still represents a 40-year high. The Bank of England has responded by increasing interest rates to 4%, the highest in 14 years.

With living costs as high as they now are, even the best salary in the UK comes under pressure. A recent report on the ONS said that 92% of adults confirmed that their cost of living is higher than 12 months ago, and 67% maintained it is higher than just one month ago.

£50k salary breakdown

The question “Is 50K a good salary in the UK?” is a common inquiry among people considering their income and cost of living in the country. However, a gross salary of £50K might sound like a lot, but it is subject to various taxes. So let’s break that down for you.

According to a report on the standoutcv.com website entitled “Average cost of living in the UK,” the average cost of living for a household in the UK (including housing) is £3,073 per month or £36,876 per annum. So subtracting that from the net take-home pay shown in the table above only leaves a balance of £322.10.

In this light, the answer to the question is 50K, a good salary in the UK is yes. Still, it doesn’t leave much over for investing, especially if you’re asking what is a good pension pot to achieve a comfortable or luxurious retirement lifestyle.

How much rent can I afford on a 50k salary?

How much you can afford to spend on rent depends on your salary and your cost of living. The table below shows what you could spend on rent as a percentage of your gross salary.

How much you spend is a personal choice and will be influenced by many things, including location, lifestyle choices, financial commitments, and your desire to invest. As far as location is concerned, London has the highest monthly average rental costs at £1,425 – nearly twice the UK average.

It’s one of the reasons that average salaries in London are the UK’s highest, averaging at £44K per month, according to glassdoor.co.uk. Referring to the table above, that would indicate paying nearly 40% of a £50K gross income.

Can I buy a house with a 50k salary?

What is a good wage in the UK for buying a house? Would a 50K salary in the UK suffice? The answer, of course, relies on the property’s price, which depends on many variables, including location, the number of bedrooms, and the property’s condition.

What is considered a good salary in the UK for buying a house? Using the calculator on gocompare.com, the salary you need would need to buy a flat in Burnley is £13,484 to buy a flat, £17,326 for a terraced house, £25,073 for a semi-detached property, and £39,387 to be a detached house.

Is 50k a good salary in the UK, especially with London properties? Well, London is a different story. For example, you’d need a gross salary of £82,038 to buy a flat, £106,621 to buy a terraced property, £123,009 to buy a semi-detached house, and £194,327 to buy a detached property.

You can use the site’s calculator for various properties in cities and towns across the UK. It’s based on taking out a 90% mortgage for 25 years with an interest rate of 4.5%.

What is considered a good salary in the UK?

Investing isn’t for everyone. Some people can’t afford it because their disposable income is simply too low. What is a good wage in the UK that will make it feasible to invest doesn’t matter for some because investing involves risk, and for those who are not prepared to tolerate risk, it is a no-go scenario.

But if you are prepared to accept some risk, investing rather than saving could offer higher returns.

Is £40K a good salary in the UK from an investment point of view? It could depend on all of the variables we have discussed above. The UK average income in terms of total pay is £629 per week or £32,708 per annum; for some, it is more than enough to contemplate investing.

Why saving or investing is important

You might be able to get by right now, but who knows what the future holds? Take the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. Nobody could have foreseen it, but according to the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities, at the end of 2021, it resulted in 10 million households falling behind with their rent. Furthermore, in early 2022, 3 million more people were unemployed than before the pandemic.

It is an example of why saving or investing for the future is so important – to have money set aside for future events – planned or unplanned. So, for people who aspire to do so, in answering the question of what is a good wage in the UK, it gives you enough disposable income to afford to save.

Why people choose to invest rather than save

Saving is safe, whereas investing carries risk, so why choose to invest? Investing can offer several benefits, including helping you become financially independent. Savings lose value in real terms because of inflation, whereas investing may help to protect your money in real terms, especially when the cost of living rises.

When UK salaries are enough to make investing possible, those interested need to consider how best to proceed. The investor profile page on the Moneyfarm website shows a wide range of options.

If you come into a windfall, perhaps a lottery win or an inheritance, for example. That could be the perfect opportunity to start investing, providing you are content with the level of risk – the value of invested funds can fall as well as rise. An article entitled “how to invest £10,000” shows some helpful options.

The stocks and shares ISA tax wrapper is very popular, with around 12 million people invested. The annual ISA allowance for contributions is £20,000. However, suppose you are one of the fortunate windfall recipients or have excess money after using up your annual ISA allowance. In that case, you can put the balance of their funds into a General Investment Account, even though the investment account does not come with tax benefits.

FAQ

Is 50K a good salary in the UK?

It depends on several factors, including location, housing costs, transportation, leisure activities, and other personal expenses and circ*mstances. However, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average salary in the UK is £33,000 per year. So with a salary of 50K, you can afford a comfortable lifestyle in most parts of the UK.

What are the highest-paying industries in the UK?

The highest-paying industries in the UK include finance, information technology, marketing, aviation, law, medicine and healthcare, and engineering. However, salaries also vary within each industry based on your experience and qualifications.

Will I pay taxes on a salary of 50K in the UK?

Yes, you will be subject to income tax and National Insurance contributions on a salary of 50K in the UK.

*Capital at risk. Tax treatment depends on your individual circ*mstances and may be subject to change in the future.