In this guide
Between roughly £41,000 and £57,500 a single person takes home slightly less in Jersey; at £100,000 you keep about £5,600 more a year, and at £150,000 about £22,100 more. Housing is the catch: a two-bed flat in Jersey averaged £580,000 in Q2 2026, more than London's average home at about £554,000. Stamp duty, council tax and school fees are all much lower in Jersey.
- Take-home on £50,000Single employee, a year£38,964£39,520
- Take-home on £75,000Single employee, a year£55,612£54,057
- Take-home on £100,000Single employee, a year£74,135£68,557
- Take-home on £150,000Single employee, a year£113,385£91,286
- Stamp duty on £800,000Main home£17,590£30,000
- Council taxBand D, 2026/27; Jersey has small parish ratesNone£1,020 to £2,608
- Private day schoolVictoria College vs ISC London average, before VAT£2,989 a term£7,580 a term
Sources: Revenue Jersey, gov.uk 2026/27 rates, HMRC, Time Out council tax table, ISC census 2026.
Show as a table
| Jersey | London | |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home on £50,000 | £38,964 | £39,520 |
| Take-home on £75,000 | £55,612 | £54,057 |
| Take-home on £100,000 | £74,135 | £68,557 |
| Take-home on £150,000 | £113,385 | £91,286 |
| Stamp duty on £800,000 | £17,590 | £30,000 |
| Council tax | None | £1,020 to £2,608 |
| Private day school | £2,989 a term | £7,580 a term |
Most comparisons stop at "20 per cent tax". That is the headline, not the answer. Below are the figures that decide whether moving from London to Jersey, Channel Islands leaves you better or worse off, each dated and sourced.
Take-home pay at each salary
These figures are for a single employee with no other income, pension contributions, student loan or allowances. Jersey uses the 2026 rules: income tax at 20 per cent or, if lower, 26 per cent above the £21,250 exemption threshold, 6 per cent social security up to £72,744, and the long-term care charge. London uses the 2026/27 rules for England: the £12,570 personal allowance (tapered away above £100,000), income tax at 20, 40 and 45 per cent, and National Insurance at 8 per cent and 2 per cent.
| Salary | Take-home in Jersey | Take-home in London | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| £40,000 | £32,359 | £32,320 | About the same |
| £50,000 | £38,964 | £39,520 | £555 less in Jersey |
| £60,000 | £45,569 | £45,357 | £212 more in Jersey |
| £75,000 | £55,612 | £54,057 | £1,555 more in Jersey |
| £100,000 | £74,135 | £68,557 | £5,578 more in Jersey |
| £150,000 | £113,385 | £91,286 | £22,099 more in Jersey |
| £250,000 | £191,885 | £144,286 | £47,599 more in Jersey |
Why the dip in the middle? Jersey's tax-free threshold is higher than the UK personal allowance, but its marginal rate of 26 per cent is steep, and Jersey social security of 6 per cent runs up to £72,744 where UK National Insurance drops to 2 per cent above £50,270. The two effects cancel out until about £57,500. Above £100,000 the UK's 40 and 45 per cent bands and the loss of the personal allowance open a wide gap.
Try your own salary with the calculator on our Jersey tax guide. Couples are taxed differently in Jersey, so run each salary separately and read the notes there.
Renting
| Jersey | London | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical rent | 1-bed flat £1,300 to £1,700; 2-bed flat £1,600 to £2,500; 3-bed house £2,500 to £3,500 (asking rents, October 2026) | £2,338 a month average across all private rents (ONS, September 2026) |
| Change over the year | Advertised rents 2 per cent lower in Q2 2026 (Statistics Jersey) | Up 3.5 per cent in the year to September 2026 (ONS) |
| Deposit | About one month's rent, protected with mydeposits Jersey | Capped at five weeks' rent for most tenancies |
Rents look similar, but there is a Jersey-only catch. Unless your job brings Licensed status, you arrive on Standard status and can rent only Registered property, a smaller and pricier part of the market. Our renting guide explains what each status lets you rent.
Buying
| Jersey | London | |
|---|---|---|
| Average price | 1-bed flat £326,000; 2-bed flat £580,000; 3-bed house £797,000 (means, Q2 2026) | About £554,000 across all homes (August 2026) |
| Annual change | Up 5 per cent | Down 2.2 per cent; flats down 5 per cent |
| Stamp duty on £580,000, main home | £10,490 | £19,000 |
| Stamp duty on £800,000, main home | £17,590 | £30,000 |
| Who can buy | Only Entitled or Licensed residents can buy a freehold home; anyone can buy a share transfer flat | Anyone |
So Jersey homes cost more, but cost less to buy. The bigger difference is the rules: most newcomers cannot buy a freehold home until they have lived in Jersey for ten years, unless a job brings Licensed status. See our buying guide.
Everyday costs
| Jersey | London | |
|---|---|---|
| Council tax | None. Parish rates are a few hundred pounds a year for most homes | Band D from £1,020 (Wandsworth) to £2,608 (Kingston) in 2026/27 |
| Sales tax | GST at 5 per cent, on food too | VAT at 20 per cent, food mostly zero-rated |
| Seeing a GP | £85 to £100 a visit for your first six months, then about £34 with a health card | Free on the NHS |
| Private day school | Victoria College £2,989 a term, Jersey College for Girls £2,920 (2026/27) | £7,580 a term on average before VAT (ISC census 2026); VAT has applied since January 2025 |
| Capital gains and inheritance tax | None | Both apply |
Groceries are the other way round: they cost roughly a third more than the cheapest UK supermarkets, and the gap with London is narrower. Our cost of living guide has full monthly budgets.
Who comes out ahead
- Earning under about £57,500. You will probably be no better off in tax, and Standard status limits your housing. Move for the life, not the money.
- Earning £75,000 to £100,000. A real gain of £1,500 to £5,600 a year in tax, more if you would otherwise pay private school fees in London. A job with Licensed status makes the housing work.
- Earning £150,000 or more. The gap is £22,000 a year and rising, before any saving on capital gains or inheritance tax. This is where most of the "Jersey is a no-brainer" stories come from.
- Families with school-age children. Fee-paying States schools at under £3,000 a term change the sums more than tax does for many middle earners. See schools.
Before you decide, check what status you would have. That shapes your housing far more than anything in this table; our housing status guide has a checker.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jersey cheaper than London?
Not across the board. Homes cost more to buy in Jersey, rents are similar, and groceries cost more. Council tax, stamp duty, sales tax and school fees are all lower, and above about £57,500 you take home more pay.
How much do you need to earn to be better off in Jersey?
On income tax and social security alone, a single person takes home more in Jersey above about £57,500 a year. Below that the difference is small either way, and between about £41,000 and £57,500 you keep slightly less.
Is it worth moving from London to Jersey for tax?
For higher earners, yes on the numbers: about £5,600 a year more at £100,000 and £22,100 more at £150,000. For most people the decision turns on housing status and lifestyle, not tax.
Sources
- https://www.gov.je/TaxesMoney/IncomeTax/Individuals/AllowancesReliefs/Pages/2026TaxAllowances.aspx
- https://www.gov.je/Working/Contributions/Employers/Pages/Tables.aspx
- https://gov.je/Benefits/LongTermCareScheme/Pages/Funding.aspx
- https://www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates
- https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance/how-much-you-pay
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/privaterentandhousepricesuk/october2026
- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-house-price-index-for-august-2026/uk-house-price-index-england-august-2026
- https://stats.je/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/R-House-Price-Index-Q2-2026-9GI-SJ20260806.pdf
- https://www.gov.je/TaxesMoney/PropertyTransactionTaxes/LandTransaction/pages/landtransactiontaxrates.aspx
- https://gov.je/LifeEvents/MovingToJersey/LivingInJersey/Pages/Healthcare.aspx
- https://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/residential-property-rates
- https://www.timeout.com/london/news/council-tax-is-going-up-in-33-london-boroughs-in-april-2026-heres-by-how-much-in-each-borough-021726
- https://www.isc.co.uk/media/5rmduu0j/2026-06-isc-census-2026.pdf
- https://www.gov.uk/deposit-protection-schemes-and-landlords