Official ONS earnings · 167 occupations compared
London vs South East
Typical pay is about 15% higher in London, but that headline hides a lot: South East pays more for 21 of the 167 occupations measured in both.
London
£40,110
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 219
- Highest paid
- £123,796
- Lowest paid
- £5,711
South East
£34,801
typical occupation median
- Occupations measured
- 237
- Highest paid
- £95,391
- Lowest paid
- £3,432
Where London pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in London's favour.
£107,433 in London · £56,396 in South East
School midday and crossing patrol occupations
+66.4%£5,711 in London · £3,432 in South East
£41,039 in London · £25,083 in South East
£63,994 in London · £39,896 in South East
Production managers and directors in manufacturing
+48%£76,710 in London · £51,847 in South East
£75,537 in London · £51,226 in South East
£34,459 in London · £23,386 in South East
Financial accounts managers
+46.5%£60,989 in London · £41,620 in South East
Where South East pays more
Biggest proportional gaps in South East's favour.
£39,171 in South East · £24,404 in London
Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
+25.7%£43,267 in South East · £32,134 in London
£48,495 in South East · £39,872 in London
£44,674 in South East · £37,557 in London
Veterinary nurses
+15.2%£29,542 in South East · £25,057 in London
Elementary storage supervisors
+14.4%£31,131 in South East · £26,643 in London
Dental nurses
+14.4%£23,983 in South East · £20,540 in London
Quality control and planning engineers
+14%£51,647 in South East · £44,410 in London
Jobs that pay the same in both
Where location makes almost no difference to the median.
| Occupation | London | South East | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport and distribution clerks and assistants | £34,157 | £34,360 | -0.6% |
| Air transport operatives | £35,791 | £35,533 | +0.7% |
| Electrical and electronic trades n.e.c. | £51,916 | £52,308 | -0.7% |
| Other vocational and industrial trainers | £35,566 | £35,289 | +0.8% |
| Warehouse operatives | £27,461 | £27,203 | +0.9% |
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional), Table 15. Comparison covers the 167 four-digit SOC 2020 occupations with a published median in both regions. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.