The Real Living Wage is a voluntary pay rate set by the Living Wage Foundation, a campaigning foundation established in 2011 with the goal of advocating for a wage that allows all working people to afford a basic standard of living.
As of April 2026, the Real Living Wage in the UK is £13.45 (£14.80 in London) per hour to reflect the increased cost of living in the UK.
This is notably higher than the similarly named “National Living Wage” — the term created by the UK government to describe the minimum wage for adults aged 21 or older — which is currently set at £12.71 per hour.
While not a legal requirement, many businesses that pay their employees equivalent to the Real Living Wage, and who are affiliated members of the Living Wage Foundation, are keen to advertise the fact — seeing this as a way to stand out from the crowd when recruiting, and to demonstrate that they offer a positive employee experience to their staff.