Young people, private renters and those living in London face the highest housing cost to income ratios.
Notes
Housing cost is gross of housing benefit (i.e. before any deductions for housing benefit) and no principal. We deduct the principal from the housing costs of mortgagors because, in contrast to the interest paid on a mortgage, it is not a payment for housing services but instead a form of wealth accumulation.
The breakdown by tenure shows the impact that principal repayments have on the proportion of income spent on housing of mortgagors.
Data is in fiscal years i.e. 1994 represents 1994-95 fiscal year.
Source
RF analysis of DWP, Households Below Average Income.
Data
Update frequency: annual. Next update: Q2, 2026.
