Is £30,000 a Good Salary in the UK in 2025?
By calculatemysalary.co.uk Editorial Team
Find out if earning £30,000 is considered a good salary in the UK for 2025. This guide covers average salaries, cost of living, UK tax rates, and practical budgeting tips to help you assess your financial comfort and make the most of your income.
£30,000 a year. Is that good? The honest answer: it depends where you live and what your life looks like.
The UK median full-time salary sits around £33,000. So £30k is slightly below average nationally, but that average gets dragged up by London and the South East. In the North East, Yorkshire, or the Midlands, £30,000 puts you right in line with what most people earn. In London, it's going to feel tight.
Let's break down the actual numbers.
What you take home on £30,000
Here's how HMRC slices up your salary for 2025/26:
| Annual | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | £30,000 | £2,500 |
| Income tax (20% on £17,430) | -£3,486 | -£290.50 |
| National Insurance (8% on £17,430) | -£1,394 | -£116.20 |
| Take-home pay | £25,120 | £2,093 |
Your personal allowance is £12,570, so you only pay tax and NI on the £17,430 above that. No higher-rate tax comes into it.
For a more precise figure based on your situation, try our salary calculator.
Where does £2,093 a month actually go?
That monthly take-home has to cover everything. Here's what typical costs look like outside London:
| Expense | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Rent (1-bed flat) | £750 - £900 |
| Council tax | £120 - £160 |
| Utilities (gas, electric, water) | £150 - £200 |
| Groceries | £250 - £300 |
| Transport | £100 - £180 |
| Phone and broadband | £40 - £60 |
| Total essentials | £1,410 - £1,800 |
That leaves somewhere between £290 and £680 for everything else: savings, going out, clothes, subscriptions, the odd takeaway.
In London, swap that rent figure for £1,200 to £1,500 for a one-bed flat and the maths stops working unless you're sharing.
The regional gap is massive
Where you live changes the answer completely:
- North East or Wales: Average rents around £550-£650 for a one-bed. You'll have breathing room on £30k. You can save a bit each month and still have a social life.
- Birmingham or Manchester: Rents are creeping up (£750-£900 range). Doable, but you'll need to watch your spending.
- London: Average one-bed rent is over £1,400. On £2,093 take-home, that's nearly 70% of your income on rent alone. You'd need a houseshare or a partner splitting costs.
How £30k compares
Some context on where £30,000 sits:
- UK median full-time salary: ~£33,000
- Typical graduate starting salary: £28,000 - £32,000
- National Living Wage (full-time): ~£23,800
- Average salary in London: ~£41,000
So you're earning more than minimum wage by a decent margin, roughly in line with what a recent graduate would expect, and below the national median by about £3,000.
Making it work: a realistic monthly budget
Here's what a workable budget might look like on £30k in a mid-cost city like Leeds or Nottingham:
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Rent | £750 |
| Bills and council tax | £300 |
| Groceries | £260 |
| Transport | £120 |
| Phone and broadband | £45 |
| Savings | £150 |
| Spending money | £468 |
| Total | £2,093 |
£468 a month for discretionary spending isn't lavish, but it covers a few meals out, a streaming subscription or two, and the occasional weekend away if you plan ahead.
Can you save anything on £30k?
Yes, but you have to be intentional about it. £150 a month into a savings account gives you £1,800 a year. That's not going to make you rich, but it builds an emergency fund over time.
A few things worth looking at:
- ISA: Put up to £20,000 a year into an ISA and the interest or gains are tax-free. On £30k you won't hit that limit, but even £100 a month adds up.
- Lifetime ISA: If you're under 40 and saving for your first home, the government adds 25% on top of what you put in, up to a £1,000 bonus per year. That's free money.
- Workplace pension: Your employer has to offer one. If they match your contributions, always put in enough to get the full match. Turning that down is leaving part of your salary on the table.
The short version
£30,000 is a perfectly liveable salary across most of the UK outside London. You're not going to feel flush, and big expenses like car repairs or holidays will need planning. But if you budget with some care, you can cover your essentials, put a bit away each month, and still enjoy yourself.
In London or the South East, it's harder. Not impossible with a flatshare, but tight on your own.
Want to see exactly what you'd take home with pension contributions, student loans, or overtime factored in? Use our salary calculator to get a breakdown tailored to you.