Living in Cambridge

In Cambridge, the median gross salary is €3,916 a month (2025), tenants pay an average rent of €2,109 a month (2026) and unemployment is 4.6% (2023).

Cambridge (Cambridge) is a city in the United Kingdom. The city covered 36.1 km² in December 2022. Population density was 4,230.4 people per km² in 2021. The employment rate was 57.3% in March 2021. In March 2021, the foreign population was 58,160. In March 2021, Cambridge (Cambridge) had a population of 152,740.

Last checked 2026-09-2331 sources

Population152,740people21 Mar 2021Official source · Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.

Median gross salary3,916EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary

Average rent2,109EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority

Unemployment rate4.6%country median 3.4% — 35% aboveOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

Recorded crime9,140incidents per 100,000country median 9,646 — 5% belowOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

PM2.5, annual mean6.88µg/m³country median 6.5 — 6% aboveOfficial source · official estimated total annual mean background concentration

Higher unemployment than 78% of United Kingdom cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 64% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and dirtier air than 73% of United Kingdom cities that publish it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Cambridge?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Cambridge.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Owner occupation accounted for 45.6% of homes in March 2021.

No city-level rent figure is published for Cambridge. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month4 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Utilities, 85 m² flat€294

Transport pass€83

Internet, 60 Mbps€39

Mobile plan, 10 GB€16

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	38.72 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/³⁰Community estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	16.3 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/³⁰Community estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	83.36 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/³⁰Community estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	294.3 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/³⁰Community estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	55,335 count	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Rent price index, mean	2,109 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition²²Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	2,109 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority¹⁸Official

Is Cambridge a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker25%strong on work, weak on safety · range 17–33%

Skilled employee39%strong on work, weak on safety · range 31–47%

Student34%strong on education, weak on work · range 27–41%

Family28%strong on family, weak on cost · range 20–36%

Retirement25%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 16–34%

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Cambridge?

The median gross salary is about 3,916 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

Median gross salary: 3,916 EUR/month · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary¹⁶
Median gross salary (regional): 3,728 EUR/month · 2026-08-06 · Office for National Statistics (ONS)¹¹

What is the unemployment rate in Cambridge?

The unemployment rate is 4.6 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk²⁴

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Cambridge is 4.6%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Cambridge 4.6%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	93.79 %	Not stated	www.ofcom.org.uk³¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Employment rate	57.35 %	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley¹⁷Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Superfast broadband availability	98.73 %	Not stated	www.ofcom.org.uk³¹Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Median gross salary	3,916 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary¹⁶Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,728 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Office for National Statistics (ONS)¹¹Official · regional context
Average net monthly salary	3,857 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/³⁰Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate	4.6 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2023	www.ons.gov.uk²⁴Official

Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 1991–2023

2.3%

4.0%

5.8%

7.5%

4.6%199120042009201520172023

Unemployment rate fell 35.7% between 1991 and 2023, from 7.2% to 4.6%.

What does a salary buy in Cambridge?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€624of €3,165 take-home

Rent
Utilities
Transport
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€3,165
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority · 2026-08-31	− €2,109
Public transport pass€83 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-08-31	− €83
Utilities, 85 m²€294 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-08-31	− €294
Internet€39 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-08-31	− €39
Mobile plan€16 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-08-31	− €16
Left over	€624

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Cambridge Salary needed to live in Cambridge

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Cambridge. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim

Open official service

Open the United Kingdom service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Cambridge. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	66 count	7 Jul 2026	DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract³Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Primary schools	78 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)²Official
Schools	127 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)²Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16, and public school is free.

A country-wide rule for United Kingdom; Cambridge's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · 1996–2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	48 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS GP Practices report (epraccur)⁸Official
Pharmacies	42 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary)⁹Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Cambridge under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Cambridge?

Police recorded about 9,140 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk²⁵

Recorded crime across major citiesCambridge highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267

Bristol13,099

Liverpool12,409

Leeds11,462

Birmingham11,416

Leicester11,001

Sheffield9,693

Cardiff9,379

Belfast9,156

Cambridge9,140

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Burglaries per 100,000 residents	353.4 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)²¹Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	9,140 incidents per 100,000country median 9,646	27 Aug 2026	www.ons.gov.uk²⁵Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	2,741 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)²¹Official
Burglary per 100,000 residents	385 per 100,000	30 Apr 2026	data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary¹Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	153 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁹Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	36 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports²⁰Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	STN	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports²⁰Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 6.88 µg/m³ in 2025. Annual NO₂ was 8.06 µg/m³ in 2025. Annual PM10 was 12.3 µg/m³ in 2025.

Is the air quality good in Cambridge?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 6.9 µg/m³ (2025) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 6.88 µg/m³ · official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹⁵

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.56.9WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1012.3WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂8.1WHO 10 · EU 40

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Cambridge is 6.9 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

211

487

200

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Cambridge 6.9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	8.06 µg/m³country median 7.2	2025	official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹³Official
PM10 — annual mean	12.33 µg/m³country median 11.3	2025	official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹⁴Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	6.88 µg/m³country median 6.5	2025	official estimated total annual mean background concentration¹⁵Official
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 13.35 · Feb 17.08 · Mar 19.42 · Apr 25.35 · May 26.57 · Jun 28.77 · Jul 33.76 · Aug 32.34 · Sep 28.77 · Oct 27.12 · Nov 18.41 · Dec 14.17 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁶Official · coordinate grid
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -7.47 · Feb -7.2 · Mar -4.6 · Apr -3.47 · May -0.18 · Jun 3.41 · Jul 7.2 · Aug 5.43 · Sep 2.45 · Oct -3.48 · Nov -4.76 · Dec -6.02 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁶Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by month	Jan 3.91 · Feb 4.11 · Mar 5.94 · Apr 8.86 · May 12.12 · Jun 15.25 · Jul 17.39 · Aug 17.07 · Sep 14.41 · Oct 11.03 · Nov 7.06 · Dec 4.57 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁶Official · coordinate grid

Population and city profile

How many people live in Cambridge?

The published population was 152,740 people in March 2021. Source: Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.⁵

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport61.9%
Foreign residents38.1%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	36.11 km²	Dec 2022	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
City area	36.11 km²	Dec 2022	Exact 2022 Built Up Area polygon area for BUA22CD in EPSG:27700, converted from square metres to km2.⁴Official
Foreign-resident share	38.08 %	21 Mar 2021	Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts.⁵Official
Foreign residents	58,160 people	21 Mar 2021	Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts.⁵Official
GP practices per 10,000 residents	1.11 per 10,000 people	7 Jul 2026	NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates⁷Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Schools per 10,000 residents	4.32 per 10,000 people	7 Jul 2026	DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract³Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Population density	4,230 people/km²	21 Mar 2021	www.ons.gov.uk⁵Official · built-up-area figure
Population	152,740 people	21 Mar 2021	Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.⁵Official

International community in Cambridge

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Usual residents living in the individual ONS Built-up Area on Census Day 21 March 2021 · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Europe: United Kingdom	94,580	61.9%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)	34,000	22.3%
Europe: EU countries	24,160	15.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Owner-occupied homes	45.6 %	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Residents born abroad	38.1 %	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	55.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics¹⁰Official
Workers aged 16 and over	74,760 workers	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics¹⁰Official
Median age	31 years	21 Mar 2021	ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Universities	1 count	3 Aug 2026	Office for Students¹²Official

Alternatives for people set on Cambridge

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Royston as a Cambridge alternative in the same region

20 km away, better on 1 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 3.0% Royston vs 4.6% Cambridge−35%
Residents: 17,445 Royston vs 152,740 Cambridge−89%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,953 (2025) Royston vs 9,140 (2026) Cambridgeno percentage
Median gross pay, region: €3,681 Royston vs €3,728 Cambridgesame level
Annual PM2.5: 6.8 µg/m³ Royston vs 6.9 µg/m³ Cambridgesame level

Full comparison More about Royston

Cities near Cambridge

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom to compare with Cambridge, nearest in population first.

All United Kingdom cities

Ipswich151,565 residents Dundee150,200 residents Blackpool149,070 residents Telford156,910 residents Middlesbrough148,215 residents York141,685 residents

How does Cambridge compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Cambridge's.

Open the full comparison

Cambridge in rankings

#3 of 21 in Most international cities in United Kingdom #8 of 30 in Highest salary cities in United Kingdom #18 of 30 in Cities with the highest foreign-population share #23 of 30 in Safest cities in United Kingdom by recorded crime #28 of 30 in Cities with cleanest air in United Kingdom

Put Cambridge's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Cambridge?

The published population was 152,740 people in March 2021. Source: Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales..

Is the air quality good in Cambridge?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 6.9 µg/m³ (2025) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: official estimated total annual mean background concentration.

How safe is Cambridge?

Police recorded about 9,140 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the typical salary in Cambridge?

The median gross salary is about 3,916 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary.

What is the unemployment rate in Cambridge?

The unemployment rate is 4.6 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the typical salary around Cambridge?

The median gross salary is 3,728 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Cambridge a good place to live?

Cambridge may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Cambridge?

Histon and Impington, Royston, Saint Ives, Huntingdon are near Cambridge. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Europe: United Kingdom live in Cambridge?

The official country of birth distribution records 94,580 people (61.9%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Cambridge, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version af3dae692a90cd94e412c6685d28496b]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/cambridge/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_cambridge-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-jobs_e590ab220e57,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Cambridge, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {af3dae692a90cd94e412c6685d28496b},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/cambridge/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Cambridge, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/cambridge/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version af3dae692a90cd94e412c6685d28496b; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary data.police.uk · checked 2026-07-07
Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-07
Exact 2022 Built Up Area polygon area for BUA22CD in EPSG:27700, converted from square metres to km2. services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-07-15
Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts. ons.gov.uk · checked 2021-03-21
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates digital.nhs.uk · checked 2026-07-07
ODS GP Practices report (epraccur) odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk · checked 2026-09-15
ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary) odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk · checked 2026-09-15
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07

Show 21 more sources

Office for National Statistics (ONS) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06
Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary ONS ASHE workplace analysis · nomisweb.co.uk · checked 2026-09-05
ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-05
ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-23
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-18
Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-18
Travel to Work Areas (December 2011) full extent boundaries in the United Kingdom services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-19
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05
www.ofcom.org.uk ofcom.org.uk · checked 2026-07-15

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