Pay vs Place

Brentwood: what a home costs and what you need to earn

East of England. House prices are based on 1,016 sales over the last 12 months.

Buying a home
Expensive
A typical home costs 10.6× median full-time pay
Renting a home
Very expensive
Average rent takes 41% of median pay
Recorded crime
About average
64.0 per 1,000 residents (England and Wales: 81.3)

How we rate: buying compares the typical home price with median pay (under 5× affordable, 5 to 8× fairly affordable, 8 to 11× expensive, over 11× very expensive). Renting compares a year of average rent with median pay (under 25% affordable, 25 to 33% fairly affordable, 33 to 40% expensive, over 40% very expensive). Crime compares the rate per resident with the England and Wales average.

Median full-time pay
£47,494
Gross a year, people living in Brentwood
Terraced house price ÷ pay
8.9×
A typical terraced house costs this many years of median pay
Renting a terraced house
40%
of median gross pay goes on rent (£1,566 a month)

What the numbers say about Brentwood

Across all property types, the typical home sold in Brentwood over the past year cost £505,000, which is 10.6× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, Brentwood is the 39th most expensive of 316 areas for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within the East of England it is the 6th most expensive of 45 areas.

For a terraced house at £425,000, a lender would typically look for an income of around £85,000, and the 10% deposit would be £42,500, about 11 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £47,494, 56% of the income needed, so on these assumptions it takes two median incomes, or one well above the median, to meet the test.

Renting a terraced house costs about £1,566 a month, which is 40% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £1,620 a month. Measured against pay, it is the 72nd most expensive of 316 areas for renting. Rents rose 2.5% over the latest year ONS measured, slower than the typical area (3.9%).

Median full-time pay of £47,494 is the 26th highest of 316 areas; the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in Brentwood, wherever they work. ONS rates the pay estimate for this area as less reliable than most, so treat it with caution.

Police recorded 64.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is 21% below average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it the 123rd lowest of 310 areas for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest above average is vehicle offences (52% above). The category furthest below average is sexual offences (47% below).

Buying

Property type Sales Median price Price ÷ pay Deposit (10%) Income typically needed
Detached 314 £826,000 17.4× £82,500 £165,000
Semi-detached 289 £530,000 11.2× £53,000 £106,000
Terraced 188 £425,000 8.9× £42,500 £85,000
Flat 225 £285,000 6.0× £28,500 £57,000

Renting

Property type Average rent a month Rent a year Share of median pay
Detached £2,202 £26,424 56%
Semi-detached £1,783 £21,396 45%
Terraced £1,566 £18,792 40%
Flat £1,275 £15,300 32%
Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in Brentwood, before tax, and rents are the ONS average for the area. Property types with fewer than 100 sales in the last 12 months are left out. The pay estimate for this area is less reliable than most.

How prices in Brentwood have changed

Average house price for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest 12 months.

Average house price in Brentwood, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £82,845 in 1995 to £517,751 now.£0£200k£400k£600k1995200020052010201520202025£517,751Average house price in Brentwood, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £82,845 in 1995 to £517,751 now.£0£200k£400k£600k200020102020£517,751
Show the figures
YearAverage price
1995£82,845
1996£84,972
1997£97,449
1998£110,614
1999£121,561
2000£144,336
2001£160,502
2002£189,468
2003£223,451
2004£238,727
2005£252,551
2006£265,651
2007£291,026
2008£287,124
2009£265,127
2010£289,312
2011£287,239
2012£291,603
2013£303,263
2014£338,107
2015£369,820
2016£422,106
2017£448,974
2018£454,171
2019£452,862
2020£455,458
2021£472,127
2022£504,930
2023£496,498
2024£494,625
2025£514,347
12 months to July 2026£517,751

The average home price in Brentwood was £422,106 in 2016 and £517,751 in the 12 months to July 2026, a rise of 23% over ten years. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 36%. That makes Brentwood the 63rd slowest-rising of 316 areas for ten-year price growth.

Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £252,551 to £517,751, which is 2.1 times as much (the typical area: 1.8 times).

Prices fell 9% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £291,026 in 2007 to £265,127 in 2009. They did not get back to their 2007 level until 2012.

Prices are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation, and come from the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, which uses a different method from the median prices above, so the two will not match exactly.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay, in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2025. A higher number means homes are harder to afford.

Brentwood: 10.8 years of payTypical area in England and Wales: 7.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Brentwood, 2010 to 2025Rose from 8.0 to 10.8 years of pay.0×5×10×15×2010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Brentwood, 2010 to 2025Rose from 8.0 to 10.8 years of pay.0×5×10×15×2010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBrentwoodTypical area in England and Wales
20108.0 years of pay6.5 years of pay
20159.3 years of pay7.1 years of pay
202010.4 years of pay7.8 years of pay
202510.8 years of pay7.5 years of pay

In 2010 the average home in Brentwood cost 8.0 years of median full-time pay. By 2025 it cost 10.8 years, so homes have become harder to afford relative to local pay.

Between 2010 and 2025, median pay in Brentwood rose 32% (from £36,104 to £47,494), while the average house price rose 78%.

The typical area of England and Wales needed 7.5 years of pay in 2025, so Brentwood is above the typical area.

Pay is the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax, in cash terms (not adjusted for inflation). The 2025 figure is provisional. Where ONS withheld a figure because it was unreliable, or the council did not exist in its current form, that year is left out.

How rents in Brentwood have changed

Average monthly rent for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest month.

Average monthly rent in Brentwood, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £1,132 a month in 2015 to £1,620 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500£2,000201620182020202220242026£1,620Average monthly rent in Brentwood, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £1,132 a month in 2015 to £1,620 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500£2,000201520202025£1,620
Show the figures
YearAverage rent
2015£1,132 a month
2016£1,217 a month
2017£1,240 a month
2018£1,258 a month
2019£1,262 a month
2020£1,263 a month
2021£1,315 a month
2022£1,368 a month
2023£1,430 a month
2024£1,528 a month
2025£1,587 a month
August 2026£1,620 a month

The average rent in Brentwood was £1,132 a month in 2015 and £1,620 in August 2026, a rise of 43%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes Brentwood the 53rd slowest-rising of 316 areas for rent growth since 2015.

Over the same period the average house price rose 40%. Rents and house prices have risen at a similar pace here.

Rent figures are from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents and are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation.

Crime

Police recorded crime in the year ending March 2026, per 1,000 residents, against the average for the areas of England and Wales covered here.

Type of crime Per 1,000 residents England and Wales average Compared with average Change on a year earlier
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 64.0 81.3 21% below average −2%
Violence against the person 21.3 31.0 31% below average +11%
Sexual offences 1.8 3.4 47% below average −10%
Robbery 0.5 1.4 63% below average –
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.4 6.2 28% below average −21%
Vehicle offences 7.4 4.9 52% above average −20%
Theft from the person 0.4 1.6 76% below average –
Criminal damage and arson 4.5 7.1 36% below average −14%

Recorded crime in Brentwood was 65.6 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 64.0 in the year ending March 2026, down 2%. Across England and Wales it was down 4%.

Violence against the person was up 11% over the same year.

Changes are left blank where the rate is very low, as a few extra crimes would look like a big swing. This is one year's change only, so it can reflect one-off events or changes in how police record crime, not just a real trend. Rates per resident use ONS population estimates for each year.

Rates use the resident population, so areas with many daytime visitors, students or a busy night-time economy, such as city centres, show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on how likely crimes are to be reported and how police record them. Residential burglary is per 1,000 households. Robbery and theft from the person are concentrated in a few city centres, so most areas sit well below the national average for them.

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