On average, tech salaries in the UK are 40% higher than in jobs that don’t require specialist tech skills. The average tech salary stands at about £50,000 per year or £4,170 per month, ranging from £32,500 to £62,500 for about 70% job postings.
How much you can earn
Here are average IT salaries in the UK depending on the specialization (GBP, before taxes, per year / per month):
- Software developer: 37,140 / 3,095
- Back-end developer: 48,340 / 4,030
- Front-end developer: 37,140 / 3,095
- Full-stack developer: 56,070 / 4,670
- DevOps engineer: 45,800 / 3,820
- Database administrator: 36,630 / 3,050
- Web designer: 26,700 / 2,225
- System administrator: 33,520 / 2,790
- IT project manager: 50,210 / 4,180
- QA engineer: 36,100 / 3,010
- Technical writer: 37,020 / 3,085
- Security analyst: 35,370 / 2,950
And here are average IT salaries in the UK depending on the specialization and experience (GBP, before taxes, per year):
Back-end developer:
- Junior: 35,500
- Middle: 50,500
- Senior: 65,000
Cloud engineer:
- Junior: 48,000
- Middle: 53,000
- Senior: 60,000
Data analyst:
- Junior: 30,000
- Middle: 35,000
- Senior: 40,000
Database administrator:
- Junior: 32,000
- Middle: 36,500
- Senior: 43,500
Data scientist:
- Junior: 63,000
- Middle: 70,000
- Senior: 76,000
DevOps engineer:
- Junior: 38,000
- Middle: 60,500
- Senior: 72,000
Front-end developer:
- Junior: 28,000
- Middle: 39,500
- Senior: 48,000
Project manager:
- Junior: 44,500
- Middle: 72,500
- Senior: 76,750
Security analyst:
- Junior: 33,500
- Middle: 36,000
- Senior: 43,000
Solution architect:
- Junior: 65,000
- Middle: 70,000
- Senior: 75,000
Systems administrator:
- Junior: 38,000
- Middle: 42,000
- Senior: 47,000
Tech salaries also vary across different UK cities.
Median salaries of advertised roles across UK cities, GBP
Source: Adzuna
Median salary for digital tech roles per city in the UK, GBP
Source: Adzuna
Occupations in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, cloud computing, data science, robotics, and software development are among the positions that are most in-demand in the UK. So are data-centric and information security roles that offer some of the highest salaries in the sector. In-demand IT positions in the United Kingdom also include project managers, solution architects, applications support managers, and systems administrators.
Outside the pure IT industry, digital workers may find great opportunities in FinTech, legal and marketing sectors.
According to a Robert Half report, technical skills that are most in-demand in the UK include the following:
- Project management methodologies: ITIL, Agile, Scrum, PRINCE2
- Public cloud expertise: Azure/AWS certified, Office 365, Dynamics
- Programming languages: .NET(C#/.ASP), Java, PHP
- Automation scripting: CISSP certified
According to Tech Nation’s Unlocking Global Tech Report, software developer was the most advertised role of 2019 out of any role advertised in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Cambridge. The report says that the skills employers are seeking in software developers include:
- Engineering
- .NET
- JavaScript
- Java
- C++
- Data
- SQL
- Python
- Amazon Web Service (AWS)
- Client
Cost of living in the UK
The minimum salary to live in the UK stands at about £40,000 – 45,000 per year (£3,330 – 3,750 per month). With income tax and national insurance taken into account, you will take home each month about 77% (or £2,570) of this sum. You can use an online calculator to know the amount of your income after taxes.
The average monthly expenses in the UK are £1,500 – 2,200 for a single person; and the average expenses for a family with a child are about £3,000 – 4,000 per month. These sums include the following monthly expenses (GBP):
- Rental accommodation: from 600–900 for an apartment or from 1,500 – 1,600 for a house
- Food: 200–300 for a single person or 400–700 for a family
- Leisure activities and sport: 100–650
- Transport: 100–300
- Utilities and Internet: 300–340
- Council tax: about 150
- Child expenses (kindergarten, toys, lessons, etc.): 160–200
- Clothes: 160
Keep in mind that life in London is more expensive than in other British cities.