Tower Hamlets: what a home costs and what you need to earn
London. House prices are based on 1,845 sales over the last 12 months.
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.
What the numbers say about Tower Hamlets
Across all property types, the typical home sold in Tower Hamlets over the past year cost £465,000, which is 8.9× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, Tower Hamlets is the 92nd most expensive of 316 areas for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within London it is the least expensive of 32 areas.
For a terraced house at £832,250, a lender would typically look for an income of around £166,500, and the 10% deposit would be £83,000, about 19 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £52,000, 31% of the income needed, so on these assumptions even two median incomes would fall short of the test.
Renting a terraced house costs about £2,735 a month, which is 63% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £2,453 a month. Measured against pay, it is the 15th most expensive of 316 areas for renting. Rents rose 3.5% over the latest year ONS measured, in line with the typical area (3.9%). Renting is relatively harder here than buying: the area ranks much higher for rents against pay than for house prices against pay.
Median full-time pay of £52,000 is the 9th highest of 316 areas; the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in Tower Hamlets, wherever they work.
Police recorded 106.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is 31% above average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it the 40th highest of 310 areas for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest above average is residential burglary (78% above). The category furthest below average is criminal damage and arson (18% below).
Buying
| Property type | Sales | Median price | Price ÷ pay | Deposit (10%) | Income typically needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | 178 | £832,250 | 16.0× | £83,000 | £166,500 |
| Flat | 1,655 | £444,500 | 8.5× | £44,500 | £89,000 |
Renting
| Property type | Average rent a month | Rent a year | Share of median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £2,735 | £32,820 | 63% |
| Flat | £2,284 | £27,408 | 53% |
How prices in Tower Hamlets have changed
Average house price for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest 12 months.
Show the figures
| Year | Average price |
|---|---|
| 1995 | £69,873 |
| 1996 | £76,945 |
| 1997 | £94,141 |
| 1998 | £105,937 |
| 1999 | £124,083 |
| 2000 | £155,096 |
| 2001 | £178,388 |
| 2002 | £205,593 |
| 2003 | £228,221 |
| 2004 | £241,487 |
| 2005 | £247,681 |
| 2006 | £266,786 |
| 2007 | £315,239 |
| 2008 | £327,127 |
| 2009 | £283,488 |
| 2010 | £310,383 |
| 2011 | £315,338 |
| 2012 | £313,351 |
| 2013 | £339,256 |
| 2014 | £419,600 |
| 2015 | £463,182 |
| 2016 | £501,806 |
| 2017 | £504,166 |
| 2018 | £490,142 |
| 2019 | £481,512 |
| 2020 | £511,605 |
| 2021 | £544,681 |
| 2022 | £545,215 |
| 2023 | £506,484 |
| 2024 | £508,120 |
| 2025 | £510,744 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | £474,233 |
The average home price in Tower Hamlets was £501,806 in 2016 and £474,233 in the 12 months to July 2026, a fall of 5% over ten years. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 36%. That makes Tower Hamlets the 2nd slowest-rising of 316 areas for ten-year price growth.
Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £247,681 to £474,233, a rise of 91% (the typical area: a rise of 84%).
Prices fell 13% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £327,127 in 2008 to £283,488 in 2009. They did not get back to their 2008 level until 2013.
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.
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| Year | Tower Hamlets | Typical area in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 9.0 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 13.4 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 12.3 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.8 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2010 the average home in Tower Hamlets cost 9.0 years of median full-time pay. By 2025 it cost 9.8 years, so homes have become harder to afford relative to local pay.
Homes were hardest to afford in 2015, at 13.4 years of pay. It has eased since.
Between 2010 and 2025, median pay in Tower Hamlets rose 51% (from £34,364 to £52,000), while the average house price rose 65%.
The typical area of England and Wales needed 7.5 years of pay in 2025, so Tower Hamlets 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 Tower Hamlets have changed
Average monthly rent for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest month.
Show the figures
| Year | Average rent |
|---|---|
| 2015 | £1,729 a month |
| 2016 | £1,830 a month |
| 2017 | £1,876 a month |
| 2018 | £1,865 a month |
| 2019 | £1,888 a month |
| 2020 | £1,900 a month |
| 2021 | £1,794 a month |
| 2022 | £1,787 a month |
| 2023 | £2,020 a month |
| 2024 | £2,240 a month |
| 2025 | £2,365 a month |
| August 2026 | £2,453 a month |
The average rent in Tower Hamlets was £1,729 a month in 2015 and £2,453 in August 2026, a rise of 42%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes Tower Hamlets the 42nd slowest-rising of 316 areas for rent growth since 2015.
Over the same period the average house price rose 2%. Rents have risen faster than house prices here, by 39 percentage points.
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) | 106.6 | 81.3 | 31% above average | −3% |
| Violence against the person | 31.3 | 31.0 | about average | +5% |
| Sexual offences | 3.7 | 3.4 | 10% above average | +17% |
| Robbery | 3.8 | 1.4 | 176% above average | −11% |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 10.9 | 6.2 | 78% above average | −5% |
| Vehicle offences | 7.2 | 4.9 | 48% above average | −20% |
| Theft from the person | 7.6 | 1.6 | 369% above average | −22% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 7.1 | 18% below average | −9% |
Recorded crime in Tower Hamlets was 109.5 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 106.6 in the year ending March 2026, down 3%. Across England and Wales it was down 4%.
Violence against the person was up 5% 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.