Best places to live & work as a chefs in England
Every English local authority ranked by the Gera Settle Score for a family with two children. The ONS ASHE UK median for this occupation is £30,010; regional pay is joined to each area's house prices, schools, crime and GP access.
Where is the best place to live and work as a chefs in England?
As of June 2026, the best place in England to live and work as a chefs for a family with two children is Gateshead (North East), with a Gera Settle Score of 91.5/100 — local median pay £29,495, average home £158,885 (5.4 years of pay), and 96.9% Good/Outstanding Ofsted schools. Gera recomputes this quarterly.
| # | Local authority | Region | Settle Score | Regional pay | Avg price | Years to buy | Good+ schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gateshead | North East | 91.5 | £29,495 | £158,885 | 5.4 | 96.9% |
| 2 | Rutland | East Midlands | 91.1 | £28,019 | £305,174 | 10.9 | 100% |
| 3 | Sunderland | North East | 90.9 | £29,495 | £145,293 | 4.9 | 95.7% |
| 4 | Warrington | North West | 90.2 | £29,126 | £253,219 | 8.7 | 100% |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | North East | 89.9 | £29,495 | £139,005 | 4.7 | 95.8% |
| 6 | Doncaster | Yorkshire and The Humber | 89.6 | £28,939 | £173,624 | 6.0 | 95.5% |
| 7 | Blackburn with Darwen | North West | 89.3 | £29,126 | £165,813 | 5.7 | 92.9% |
| 8 | Calderdale | Yorkshire and The Humber | 89.0 | £28,939 | £190,555 | 6.6 | 94.4% |
| 9 | Bracknell Forest | South East | 88.2 | £30,304 | £397,667 | 13.1 | 100% |
| 10 | Wigan | North West | 87.6 | £29,126 | £190,802 | 6.6 | 96.2% |
| 11 | South Tyneside | North East | 87.5 | £29,495 | £156,931 | 5.3 | 92.3% |
| 12 | Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 87.1 | £29,125 | £152,101 | 5.2 | 88.1% |
| 13 | Stockton-on-Tees | North East | 86.8 | £29,495 | £169,540 | 5.7 | 93.3% |
| 14 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 86.6 | £29,125 | £215,264 | 7.4 | 90% |
| 15 | Milton Keynes | South East | 86.5 | £30,304 | £318,038 | 10.5 | 95.3% |
| 16 | Darlington | North East | 86.3 | £29,495 | £156,880 | 5.3 | 90.9% |
| 17 | Enfield | London | 86.1 | £34,120 | £465,031 | 13.6 | 100% |
| 18 | Westmorland and Furness | North West | 86.0 | £29,126 | £223,414 | 7.7 | 90.7% |
| 19 | Sandwell | West Midlands | 85.9 | £29,125 | £212,547 | 7.3 | 89.1% |
| 20 | North East Lincolnshire | Yorkshire and The Humber | 85.3 | £28,939 | £149,911 | 5.2 | 92.3% |
| 21 | Hounslow | London | 85.3 | £34,120 | £497,276 | 14.6 | 100% |
| 22 | Newcastle upon Tyne | North East | 85.0 | £29,495 | £209,071 | 7.1 | 91.2% |
| 23 | Slough | South East | 84.9 | £30,304 | £338,287 | 11.2 | 94.4% |
| 24 | Leeds | Yorkshire and The Humber | 84.8 | £28,939 | £246,882 | 8.5 | 91.5% |
| 25 | Cumberland | North West | 84.8 | £29,126 | £172,186 | 5.9 | 88.9% |
| 26 | Bradford | Yorkshire and The Humber | 84.7 | £28,939 | £188,505 | 6.5 | 89.5% |
| 27 | Northumberland | North East | 84.4 | £29,495 | £204,603 | 6.9 | 90.4% |
| 28 | York | Yorkshire and The Humber | 83.9 | £28,939 | £308,788 | 10.7 | 93.8% |
| 29 | Bolton | North West | 83.9 | £29,126 | £199,946 | 6.9 | 92.3% |
| 30 | Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire and The Humber | 83.7 | £28,939 | £135,051 | 4.7 | 90% |
Find your own best area
Change occupation or family size — the ranking recomputes live from real data.
Your best places to live and work as a chefs (UK median £30,010/yr), ranked by Gera Settle Score for a family with two children:
| # | Local authority | Settle Score | Local pay | Avg price | Yrs to buy | Good+ schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GatesheadNorth East | 91.5 | £29,495 | £158,885 | 5.4 | 96.9% |
| 2 | RutlandEast Midlands | 91.1 | £28,019 | £305,174 | 10.9 | 100% |
| 3 | SunderlandNorth East | 90.9 | £29,495 | £145,293 | 4.9 | 95.7% |
| 4 | WarringtonNorth West | 90.2 | £29,126 | £253,219 | 8.7 | 100% |
| 5 | MiddlesbroughNorth East | 89.9 | £29,495 | £139,005 | 4.7 | 95.8% |
| 6 | DoncasterYorkshire and The Humber | 89.6 | £28,939 | £173,624 | 6.0 | 95.5% |
| 7 | Blackburn with DarwenNorth West | 89.3 | £29,126 | £165,813 | 5.7 | 92.9% |
| 8 | CalderdaleYorkshire and The Humber | 89.0 | £28,939 | £190,555 | 6.6 | 94.4% |
| 9 | Bracknell ForestSouth East | 88.2 | £30,304 | £397,667 | 13.1 | 100% |
| 10 | WiganNorth West | 87.6 | £29,126 | £190,802 | 6.6 | 96.2% |
| 11 | South TynesideNorth East | 87.5 | £29,495 | £156,931 | 5.3 | 92.3% |
| 12 | Stoke-on-TrentWest Midlands | 87.1 | £29,125 | £152,101 | 5.2 | 88.1% |
| 13 | Stockton-on-TeesNorth East | 86.8 | £29,495 | £169,540 | 5.7 | 93.3% |
| 14 | WolverhamptonWest Midlands | 86.6 | £29,125 | £215,264 | 7.4 | 90% |
| 15 | Milton KeynesSouth East | 86.5 | £30,304 | £318,038 | 10.5 | 95.3% |
Salary is the ONS ASHE full-time regional median for your occupation; every other figure is the real Land Registry, Ofsted, Home Office and NHS value for the area. See the Gera Settle Score methodology.
By region
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best place to live and work as a chefs in England?
- Gateshead (North East) tops the Gera Settle Score at 91.5/100, combining £29,495 regional pay, £158,885 average home price (5.4 years of pay) and 96.9% Good/Outstanding schools. Source: ONS ASHE + Land Registry + Ofsted, June 2026.
- What is the median salary for a chefs in the UK?
- The ONS ASHE 2025 full-time median gross annual pay for chefs is £30,010 (25th–75th percentile £25,894–£36,126), reference period April 2025, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- How is the Gera Settle Score calculated?
- It joins the ONS ASHE regional salary for your occupation to four real area datasets — affordability (Land Registry price ÷ regional pay), school quality (Ofsted % Good/Outstanding), safety (Home Office crime per 1,000) and GP access (NHS England) — each normalised 0–100, then weighted by your family size. Full method at /methodology/gera-settle-score.
- Which area scores lowest for a chefs?
- Kensington and Chelsea (London) has the lowest Gera Settle Score in this ranking at 57.9/100, mainly because a home there costs 37.3 years of local pay. All figures are real government data, June 2026.
Find a home in Gateshead
Browse rentals and homes in Gateshead — the top Settle Score area in England for your work and family.
Contains public sector information published by Gera Systems and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Gera Settle Score — ONS ASHE salary joined to HM Land Registry, Ofsted, Home Office and NHS England area data (June 2026, published 19 June 2026).