With just over an hour commutable distance to London on the train, Swindon has become a growing town in the last decade.
Link many towns in the UK, the reason for the growth is that the logistics, tech, and finance industries have set up home near the Capital, with the headquarters of Nationwide Building Society and the presence of Zurich Insurance in Swindon.
So, this begs the question: is it worth moving to Swindon to advance your career? How do the average salaries in Swindon, in these areas, compare to other towns in the UK?
The Average Wage
Starting at the top, it has been noted that the average weekly wage in Swindon is slightly below the average compared to other UK towns.
In 2025, the average weekly wage is £713 per week, versus £730 being the national average. The average salary of a job in Swindon is £ 27.7k, whereas in other towns in the UK, the average is £31.3k. That’s quite a difference and should be considered if you want to move to Swindon.
If you are looking to set up a business in Swindon, you will likely need the help of a specialist HR team, like HR Swindon, to help you attract and retain the right talent. Even though there is a wage gap difference regionally, you could set your business apart by addressing this gap.
Gender Pay Gaps
With The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017), companies are required to publish their gender pay gap figures, so it is easy to find the information on individual companies and their data, if they are registered on the government website.
For example, New College Swindon’s 2024 report states that the mean gender pay gap is 14.95%, and the average hourly pay for men is £24.99, while the average pay for women is £21.26 in comparison.
Nationally, in 2024, the pay gap was down to 7% from 7.5% from the previous year, so along with the lower wages in Swindon, the pay gap could also be higher in the town across the board, although there are no up-to-date, statistics on the area as a whole.
Cost Of Living and Housing
With lower wages overall and with women potentially earning less than men, you may be asking how this stacks up against the cost of living in Swindon.
A core concern that many workers in the UK have in 2025 is the cost of living, with rents, mortgages, household bills, and even food costing more than many can comfortably afford, especially in London.
Luckily, in Swindon, the cost of living is lower than the national average, with housing rental prices being lower than in other towns like Woking, so wages will go further. For example, a three-bedroom home in Swindon outside of the town centre has an average cost of £1,200 per month, whereas a home that is the same size in Woking will cost £1,600 per calendar month.
Looking at food prices, a McDonald’s meal in Swindon will cost around £6.50 and, in Woking, it will cost £7.50, which is quite a difference! Finally, looking at transport costs, in Woking, you can expect a monthly public transport pass to cost you around £70, but in Swindon, the same pass will cost around £60.
Compared to other towns in the UK, Swindon offers more affordability to single individuals, making it a great place to move to if you want to start your career and build a life.
Job Satisfaction
So, in Swindon, it is cheaper to get around, to eat, and to rent, making it a great place to start your working life, as the salary goes further.
Of course, with such an emphasis on tech firms, you may be wondering how job satisfaction in Swindon stacks up against other towns in the UK.
For starters, Swindon has been recognised as an economic powerhouse in the UK, with jobs, income, health, and commuting time to work all being rated as excellent. This suggests that there is a good work-life balance, which makes this a positive environment to work in.
Going back to 2016, Swindon was recognized as one of the UK’s top places to work, with an average job score of 3.6 out of 5. This rating was based on job satisfaction and hiring opportunities.
How does this compare to other towns? Looking at Woking, this town also received an average job score of 3.6 out of 5 and, in the 2024 UK Vitality Index, Woking came second, outperforming Edinburgh and Milton Keynes. This was based on employability, job satisfaction, pay, and overall worker health.
Overall, it seems that Swindon can offer workers a better quality of life, even though the salaries may not be exactly on par with those in other towns. The higher job satisfaction, employment market, and cheaper living make it an appealing option for single people or those who are new to working life.
