Decorator day rate calculator, Cambridge 2026, after tax
Typical: £226 a day. Work out yours below.
Tell us the take home pay you want.
We show you the day rate to charge in Cambridge.
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Hiring a decorator in Cambridge? See what a fair quote looks like.
A painter and decorator in Cambridge typically charges £226 a day.
To take home £35,500 a year after real costs you need £256 a day.
Both are labour only, from the rate model and the calculator's default assumptions.
Change the inputs and your own number takes over. Quote that one.
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According to the Office for National Statistics, local pay differs enough by area to move a day rate.
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Data from HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index sets the second local input, per the October 2026 review.
Reviewed on .
These figures use the same sums as the free calculator. The two always agree.
Where these figures come from
Rate estimates blend the national median decorator day rate from five UK directories.
Those five are Checkatrade, HaMuch, MyBuilder, CostEstimator, MyJobQuote.
To that we add official ONS regional earnings and local house price data.
Sources: ONS ASHE 2025, UK House Price Index April 2026.
Rates reviewed October 2026.
Where does Cambridge sit among the 31 modelled towns?
Each dot is one modelled town, stacked where towns share a rate.
Cambridge is number 4 of 31, with 3 above it and 27 below.
The shaded band is the local range decorators here quote inside.
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What is decorating work like in Cambridge?
Cambridge's population was about 145,700 in 2021, after growing 17.6 per cent from 2011.
The ONS says this was the largest percentage increase in the East of England.
Private renting accounted for 31.4 per cent of Cambridge households in 2021, up from 26.2 per cent in 2011.
Sources for this local context
Why do tradespeople undercharge?
Pricing off the going rate.
Pricing off what everyone else charges feels safe.
But the going rate says what customers are used to paying, not what your business needs.
The calculator on this page starts from the take home you want and adds your real costs.
The number it gives is the one to quote.
We argue why the going rate is not a fair rate on its own page.
What do decorators in Cambridge ask about rates?
What do decorators charge in Cambridge in a day?
For Cambridge, the modelled benchmark is £226 a day and the default target is £256.
The first is the market.
The second is what your costs ask for.
Is Cambridge a growing market for decorators?
Cambridge's population was about 145,700 in 2021, after growing 17.6 per cent from 2011.
The ONS says this was the largest percentage increase in the East of England.
More people means more homes to keep up.
That is steady work, as long as the rate is right.
How much Cambridge decorating is for landlords?
Private renting accounted for 31.4 per cent of Cambridge households in 2021, up from 26.2 per cent in 2011.
Landlord work turns round between tenants, so a tight finish date is part of what you are pricing.
What do decorators charge in other towns?
The homepage shows what decorators charge a day across the UK, town by town.