United Kingdom
Latest Average Wage
+1.2% · 5 years
$66,299
Country Comparison
United Kingdom vs United States
Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.
At a Glance
United Kingdom
vs
United States
$66,2992025
Latest Average Wage
United States +31.2%
(vs United Kingdom)
$86,9772025
+1.2%2025
5-Year Wage Change
United States +1.0 pts
(vs United Kingdom)
+2.1%2025
+3.3%2025
10-Year Wage Change
United States +9.7 pts
(vs United Kingdom)
+13.0%2025
84.32024
Overall Price Level
United States +15.7 index points
(vs United Kingdom)
1002024
Wages are PPP-adjusted average annual wages; price levels use the United States reference of 100. Years shown are each country's latest reported observation.
How Wages Have Changed
Follow PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices across both economies.
USD PPP, constant prices · missing years shown as gaps, never interpolated
United States
Latest Average Wage
+2.1% · 5 years
$86,977
Wage Milestones
United Kingdom
10 Years Ago
$64,199 (2015)
Historical Peak
$66,480 (2019)
Latest Wage
$66,299 (2025)
United States
10 Years Ago
$76,999 (2015)
Historical Peak
$86,977 (2025)
Latest Wage
$86,977 (2025)
Compare Everyday Price Levels
See how eight consumer price categories compare with the United States reference value of 100.
United States = 100 · Differences shown in index points
United Kingdom (GBR)United States (USA)
Overall
−15.7 index points
100
84.3vs100
Food
−14.9 index points
100
85.1vs100
Clothing
−21.1 index points
100
78.9vs100
Housing
−4.6 index points
100
95.4vs100
Health
−27.9 index points
100
72.1vs100
Transport
+11.0 index points
100
111vs100
Recreation
−9.8 index points
100
90.2vs100
Restaurants & Accommodation
−12.8 index points
100
87.2vs100
What Stands Out
01
Latest Wage Gap
United States' latest average wage is $86,977 for 2025, about 31.2% higher than United Kingdom's $66,299 for 2025 — a relative difference calculated from the two reported values. In annual terms the gap comes to about $20,678 on the same PPP basis.
02
Stronger Recent Trend
On the latest one-year change, United States shows the stronger movement at +1.7%, against +0.7% for United Kingdom. The five-year horizon keeps the same ordering: +2.1% against +1.2%. Both percentages are real, PPP-adjusted changes from the reported wage series.
03
Largest Price Gap
Health shows the widest price gap of the comparable categories in 2024: 72.1 for United Kingdom against 100 for United States. Measured on the US=100 scale, the two readings for this category are 27.9 index points apart, United States above United Kingdom. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.
04
Closest Price Category
The closest category is Housing: United Kingdom reads 95.4 and United States 100 for 2024, just 4.6 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Recreation at 9.8 index points apart. A gap this small leaves the category effectively tied on the shared US=100 scale.
Understanding the Comparison
Wage Position
A clear separation shows in the latest wage figures — United States at $86,977 for 2025, and United Kingdom at $66,299 for 2025. The higher figure exceeds the lower one by 31.2% in relative terms — a percentage calculated from the two reported values — or roughly $20,678 a year. Because both values already sit on the same USD PPP, constant-2025-price footing, the comparison adjusts for price-level differences between the two economies. For scale, neither series has moved by that much within any single reported year, so the gap is structural rather than the product of one unusual observation.
Wage Direction
The five-year direction is shared here: both series rise, with different momentum on each side. United Kingdom stands just below its historical high of $66,480 in 2019, only 0.3% away, with a ten-year change of +3.3%. United States sits at the highest point of its series — $86,977 in 2025 is also the historical peak, with a ten-year change of +13.0%. The shared direction still leaves room for different speeds: +2.1% for United States against +1.2% for United Kingdom, so the distance between the two levels keeps shifting. All changes here are measured in real, PPP-adjusted terms, so they describe purchasing-power movement rather than nominal pay increases.
Price Profile
United Kingdom's overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 84.3, and United States' reads 100, each measured against the United States reference of 100. United States reads higher in 7 of the 8 comparable categories, so the price profile leans consistently to one side. The widest separation is in Health: 72.1 for United Kingdom against 100 for United States, a gap of 27.9 index points. At the other end, Housing brings the two closest — 95.4 versus 100, a gap of just 4.6 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, United Kingdom reads above 100 in 1 of its 8 reported categories, and United States in 0 of its 8.
Wage and price data should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better to live in.
