UK trade cost comparison 2026: which trade costs more, and by how much?
Which UK tradesperson is the most expensive per hour?
In the UK in 2026, the most expensive home trade per hour is a locksmith (£60–£120/hr), while the cheapest is a cleaner (£15–£25/hr) — a maximum Gera Cost Comparison Delta of 350% between any two trades. The ONS CPIH services index for maintenance and repair of the dwelling (CP0432) stood at 110.6 in January 2026 (2015=100), up 0.6% year-on-year. Compare any two UK trades using the interactive tool below.
Sources: ONS CPIH01 dataset (CP0432, January 2026, OGL v3.0) · GeraHome Trade Cost Guides 2026 · Updated annually (last refreshed 2026-06-20).
Interactive cost comparison tool
Highest-premium trade comparisons
Ranked by Gera Cost Comparison Delta — the hourly premium of trade A over trade B, national typical rates 2026.
| Trade A | Trade B | Trade A £/hr | Trade B £/hr | GCCD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locksmith | Cleaner | £90/hr | £20/hr | +350% |
| Boiler Engineer | Cleaner | £75/hr | £20/hr | +275% |
| Locksmith | Painter & Decorator | £90/hr | £25/hr | +260% |
| Locksmith | Plasterer | £90/hr | £25/hr | +260% |
| Electrician | Cleaner | £65/hr | £20/hr | +225% |
| Locksmith | Carpenter | £90/hr | £28.125/hr | +220% |
| Plumber | Cleaner | £60/hr | £20/hr | +200% |
| Boiler Engineer | Painter & Decorator | £75/hr | £25/hr | +200% |
| Boiler Engineer | Plasterer | £75/hr | £25/hr | +200% |
| Boiler Engineer | Carpenter | £75/hr | £28.125/hr | +166.7% |
| Electrician | Painter & Decorator | £65/hr | £25/hr | +160% |
| Electrician | Plasterer | £65/hr | £25/hr | +160% |
| Plumber | Painter & Decorator | £60/hr | £25/hr | +140% |
| Plumber | Plasterer | £60/hr | £25/hr | +140% |
| Locksmith | Gardener | £90/hr | £37.5/hr | +140% |
| Electrician | Carpenter | £65/hr | £28.125/hr | +131.1% |
| Handyman | Cleaner | £45/hr | £20/hr | +125% |
| Plumber | Carpenter | £60/hr | £28.125/hr | +113.3% |
| Boiler Engineer | Gardener | £75/hr | £37.5/hr | +100% |
| Locksmith | Handyman | £90/hr | £45/hr | +100% |
All 44 trade comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which UK tradesperson is the most expensive per hour?
In 2026, a locksmith is typically the most expensive UK tradesperson at around £60–£120 per hour (midpoint £90/hr), followed by a boiler engineer at £50–£100/hr and an electrician at £40–£90/hr. The maximum Gera Cost Comparison Delta across all trades is 350%.
Which UK tradesperson is the cheapest per hour?
A cleaner is typically the cheapest UK home service trade at £15–£25 per hour (midpoint £20/hr), followed by a painter and decorator or plasterer at £150–£250/day (equivalent to approximately £25/hr). These are national typical rates; London and the South East run 20–40% higher.
How much more expensive is a plumber than a handyman?
A plumber (£40–£80/hr, midpoint £60/hr) typically costs 33% more per hour than a handyman (£30–£60/hr, midpoint £45/hr) on a like-for-like basis. Over a 4-hour job, that is typically a £60 difference (£240 vs £180). A handyman cannot do notifiable plumbing work, so book the specialist when the mains water supply or gas is involved.
How is the Gera Cost Comparison Delta calculated?
The Gera Cost Comparison Delta (GCCD) = ((midpointA − midpointB) / midpointB) × 100, where midpoints are the arithmetic means of each trade's national typical hourly rate band from the GeraHome UK Trade Cost Guides 2026. Day-rate trades are converted to hourly equivalents (day rate ÷ 8). The ONS CPIH services sub-index for maintenance and repair (CP0432, 110.6, January 2026, OGL v3.0) is cited as inflation context. See /cost-comparison/methodology for the full formula.
Are trade costs going up or down?
The ONS CPIH services sub-index for maintenance and repair of the dwelling (CP0432) rose 0.6% year-on-year to January 2026 (110.6, 2015=100). Materials for maintenance and repair (CP0431) rose 0.5% in the same period. Trade service cost inflation has been moderating compared to 2022–2023 peaks.
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Trade rate midpoints: GeraHome UK Trade Cost Guides 2026 (gerahome.com/cost-guides), based on publicly published UK tradesperson rate surveys. ONS CPIH context: ONS Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) — dataset CPIH01, Office for National Statistics, published 18 February 2026, fetched 2026-06-20. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are national typical rate midpoints, not a prediction for any individual quote. Full methodology.