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Living in Cambridge

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.

Higher unemployment than 78% of United Kingdom cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 63% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and dirtier air than 75% 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
Cambridge recurring monthly costs, € per month€294Utilities, 85 m² flat€83Transport pass€39Internet, 60 Mbps€16Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited38.72 EUR/month31 Aug 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/20Community estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB16.3 EUR/month31 Aug 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/20Community estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass83.36 EUR/month31 Aug 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/20Community estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home294.3 EUR/month31 Aug 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/20Community estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings55,335 count21 Mar 2021ONS 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

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. the regional series (home-region basis, {period}) is a separate labelled row in the table — shown in the table below.

  • Median gross salary: 3,916 EUR/month · ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary14
  • Median gross salary (regional): 3,728 EUR/month · 2026-08-06 · Office for National Statistics (ONS)9

What is the unemployment rate in Cambridge?

The unemployment rate is 4.6 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk18

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Cambridge is 4.6%. Of 1,007 cities with data, 657 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in United Kingdom per band24 cities: 0% to under 2%240–2657 cities: 2% to under 4%6572–4265 cities: 4% to under 6%2654–6Cambridge 4.6%49 cities: 6% to under 8%496–87 cities: 8% to under 10%78–104 cities: 10% to under 12%410–121 city: 16% to under 18%116–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Gigabit broadband availability93.79 %Not statedwww.ofcom.org.uk21Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Employment rate57.35 %21 Mar 2021ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley15Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Superfast broadband availability98.73 %Not statedwww.ofcom.org.uk21Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Median gross salary3,916 EUR/month31 Dec 2025ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary14Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,728 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Office for National Statistics (ONS)9Official · regional context
Salary Net Avg Eur Month3,857 EUR/month31 Aug 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/20Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate4.6 %country median 3.4%31 Dec 2023www.ons.gov.uk18Official
Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 1991–2023
Unemployment rate in Cambridge by year, %2.3%4.0%5.8%7.5%1991200420092015201720234.6%%

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

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Schools66 count7 Jul 2026DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract3Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Primary School Count78 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)2Official
School Count127 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)2Official

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.uk19

Recorded crime across major citiesCambridge highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Cambridge highlighted14,267Manchester13,099Bristol12,409Liverpool11,462Leeds11,416Birmingham11,001Leicester9,693Sheffield9,379Cardiff9,140Cambridge8,836Coventry757Glasgow549Edinburghrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents9,140 incidents per 100,000country median 9,66927 Aug 2026www.ons.gov.uk19Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents3,228 per 100,000Apr 2026data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary1Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Burglary per 100,000 residents385 per 100,000Apr 2026data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary1Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count153 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights16Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km36 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports17Official
Nearest Major Airport IataSTN3 Aug 2026OurAirports17Official

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 concentration13
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Cambridge annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5256.9PM2.5154012.3PM1010408.1NO₂µg/m³

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 864 cities with data, 448 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in United Kingdom per band1 city: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³13–428 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³284–5203 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³2035–6448 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³4486–7Cambridge 6.9174 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³1747–88 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³88–91 city: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³19–101 city: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³113–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean8.06 µg/m³country median 7.12025official estimated total annual mean background concentration11Official
PM10 — annual mean12.33 µg/m³country median 11.32025official estimated total annual mean background concentration12Official
PM2.5 — annual mean6.88 µg/m³country median 6.52025official estimated total annual mean background concentration13Official
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 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 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · coordinate grid
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -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 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by monthJan 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 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · coordinate grid

Cities of a similar size in United Kingdom

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All United Kingdom cities
Ipswich151,565 residentsDundee150,200 residentsBlackpool149,070 residentsTelford156,910 residentsMiddlesbrough148,215 residentsYork141,685 residents

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
Cambridge residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport61.9%Foreign residents38.1%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area36.11 km²Dec 2022ONS 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 area36.11 km²Dec 2022Exact 2022 Built Up Area polygon area for BUA22CD in EPSG:27700, converted from square metres to km2.4Official
Foreign residents58,160 people21 Mar 2021Exact 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 residents1.11 per 10,000 people7 Jul 2026NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates7Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Schools per 10,000 residents4.32 per 10,000 people7 Jul 2026DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract3Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Population density4,230 people/km²21 Mar 2021www.ons.gov.uk5Official · built-up-area figure
Population152,740 people21 Mar 2021Census 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 groupPeopleShare
Europe: United Kingdom94,58061.9%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)34,00022.3%
Europe: EU countries24,16015.8%

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

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 worker56%strong on work, weak on housing · range 46–66%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on housing · range 55–73%
Student64%strong on education, weak on housing · range 55–73%
Family58%strong on family, weak on housing · range 49–67%
Retirement53%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 42–64%
Foreign residents58,160 people21 Mar 2021Official source · Exact BUA non-UK-born population derived as the sum of the published Europe: EU countries and Non-EU countries (including British Overseas) counts.
Population152,740 people21 Mar 2021Official source · Census 2021 usual resident population count for the exact Built Up Area (BUA), England excluding London or Wales.
Dwellings55,335 count21 Mar 2021Official source · ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley
Gigabit broadband availability93.79 %Not statedIndependent source · www.ofcom.org.uk
Employment rate57.35 %21 Mar 2021Official source · ONS Census 2021 towns and cities dataset Figure 9 individual BUA employment row for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley
Superfast broadband availability98.73 %Not statedIndependent source · www.ofcom.org.uk
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-05

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Owner-occupied homes45.6 %21 Mar 2021ONS 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
GP practices17 count7 Jul 2026NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates7Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context · built-up-area figure
Residents born abroad38.1 %21 Mar 2021ONS 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
G07 Bachelors Or Higher Share Pct55.8 %31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics8Official
G09 Total Workers 16plus74,760 workers31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics8Official
Median age31 years21 Mar 2021ONS 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
Universities1 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students10Official

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.

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.

How many people born in Europe: EU countries live in Cambridge?

The official country of birth distribution records 24,160 people (15.8%) 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, September 14). Cambridge, United Kingdom: salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; version approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/cambridge/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_cambridge-united-kingdom-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_f59190a061a3,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Cambridge, United Kingdom: salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab},
  snapshot = {approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/cambridge/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Cambridge, United Kingdom: salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/cambridge/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; version approved-static-8975a8c3d87026ab; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

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
  1. data.police.uk all-crime polygon replay, filtered to Burglary data.police.uk · checked 2026-07-07
  2. Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  3. DfE Get Information About Schools all establishments extract get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-07
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
  7. NHS ODS GP Practices report + ONSPD Live postcode coordinates digital.nhs.uk · checked 2026-07-07
  8. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
  9. Office for National Statistics (ONS) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06
  10. Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
Show 11 more sources
  1. official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
  2. official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
  3. official estimated total annual mean background concentration uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-15
  4. ONS ASHE workplace analysis — exact city gross salary ONS ASHE workplace analysis · nomisweb.co.uk · checked 2026-09-05
  5. 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
  6. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  7. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  8. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
  9. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
  10. Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/cambridge/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05
  11. www.ofcom.org.uk ofcom.org.uk · checked 2026-07-15

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