Pick two towns
It opens on Guildford against Sunderland, the dearest and the cheapest town for a decorator.
Guildford against Sunderland
Guildford is dearer for all 17 trades.
The widest gap is electrician, £105 more a day in Guildford.
| Trade | Guildford | Sunderland | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | £329 | £224 | £105 more |
| Plumber | £318 | £216 | £102 more |
| Bricklayer | £306 | £208 | £98 more |
| Gas and Heating Engineer | £305 | £207 | £98 more |
| General Builder | £298 | £202 | £96 more |
| Carpenter and joiner | £282 | £192 | £90 more |
| Roofer | £281 | £191 | £90 more |
| Plasterer | £271 | £184 | £87 more |
| Tiler | £269 | £183 | £86 more |
| Drainage Engineer | £265 | £180 | £85 more |
| Decorative Plasterer | £265 | £180 | £85 more |
| Groundworker | £251 | £170 | £81 more |
| Painter and decorator | £235 | £160 | £75 more |
| Handyman | £221 | £150 | £71 more |
| Cladding Installer | £206 | £140 | £66 more |
| Suspended Ceiling Installer | £206 | £140 | £66 more |
| General Labourer | £165 | £112 | £53 more |
Take this comparison
Every rate here is free to reproduce with attribution, under CC BY 4.0.
Where these figures come from
Every rate above is the modelled rate printed on that town's own page.
Each difference is our arithmetic on two of those rates, not a figure a guide publishes.
Every trade in a town is scaled from its national benchmark by one index for that town, so a town that is dearer for one trade is nearly always dearer for all of them.
Rate estimates blend the national decorator day rate benchmark, published against the spread named UK trade price guides print, with official ONS regional earnings and local house price data.
Figures are modelled estimates for guidance, not quotes.
Sources: ONS ASHE 2025, UK House Price Index April 2026.
The methodology sets out how a town figure is built from the national benchmark.
Your next step
Once you know what two towns are worth against each other, price a job in either one on your own costs.
The Rate Sorted calculator carries all 30 towns, so you pick the one the job is in and add your costs.