How much you need to earn to rent a room in London

"According to Spare Room, Londoners would need to earn a salary of £40,000 or more to meet the 30 percent room. And it could actually be more than this. Let's break down the numbers: to pay £995 per month and meet the 30 percent rule, Londoners would need a monthly take-home packet of £3,317, equating to £39,804 per year - that's after paying tax. To make this number, Londoners would actually need to be earning well over £50,000 a year."

"In London, where a room in a bog-standard room in a flatshare can easily cost upwards of £1,000, there's fat chance of the 30 percent rule coming true for most residents. This is well above the median monthly pay for London, which according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) was £2,992 in September 2025, equalling a gross income of £35,900. This means that the majority of London residents will be falling many thousands of pounds behind annually. Ouch."

The 30 percent rule recommends rent should be no more than 30 percent of income. Average room rent in London is £995 per month. Meeting the 30 percent rule on £995 requires a monthly take-home of £3,317, equating to £39,804 annually after tax. To achieve that take-home pay most Londoners would need a gross salary well over £50,000 a year. Median monthly pay in London was £2,992 in September 2025, equalling a gross income of £35,900. Many London residents therefore fall many thousands of pounds short of the income needed to keep rent at 30 percent.

Read at Time Out London