IT salaries in the UK

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
IT salaries in the UK

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 salaries of advertised roles across UK cities

Median salary for digital tech roles per city in the UK, GBP

Source: Adzuna

Median salary for digital tech roles per city in the UK

→ Salaries in British cities

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. 

→ Cost of living in British cities