Pay vs Place

Ashford vs Bristol: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £95,000 (33%) more in Bristol than in Ashford. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 7.6× in Ashford.

Ashford, terraced
£285,000
Income typically needed: £57,000
Median full-time pay: £37,440
Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509

At a glance

Ashford Bristol
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime About average High

Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.

What the numbers say

Median full-time pay in Bristol (£39,509) is 6% higher than in Ashford (£37,440), while a typical terraced house costs 33% more (£380,000 against £285,000). Set against local pay, Ashford is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 7.6× annual pay in Ashford and 9.6× in Bristol. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Ashford and 61% in Bristol. Both are harder in Bristol, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Ashford is the 79th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Ashford is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas and Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Ashford would need about £53,500 in Bristol to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £63,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bristol would leave you worse placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.

Police recorded 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident in Bristol is 2.0 times the rate in Ashford. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Ashford against 9.8 in Bristol.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Ashford Bristol
Median full-time pay £37,440 £39,509
House price ÷ pay 7.6× 9.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 66% 52%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 41% 61%

Buying, by property type

Type Ashford Bristol Difference
Detached £515,000 £536,500 +4% in Bristol
Semi-detached £337,000 £370,000 +10% in Bristol
Terraced £285,000 £380,000 +33% in Bristol
Flat £175,000 £265,000 +51% in Bristol

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Ashford Bristol Difference
Detached £1,783 £2,106 +18% in Bristol
Semi-detached £1,333 £2,091 +57% in Bristol
Terraced £1,268 £2,008 +58% in Bristol
Flat £1,045 £1,508 +44% in Bristol

Crime

Police recorded 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident in Bristol is 2.0 times the rate in Ashford.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Ashford Bristol Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 65.3 131.0 +101% in Bristol
Violence against the person 27.0 47.4 +76% in Bristol
Sexual offences 2.9 5.2 +77% in Bristol
Robbery 0.5 3.0 +490% in Bristol
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.6 9.2 +102% in Bristol
Vehicle offences 2.4 9.8 +314% in Bristol
Theft from the person 0.3 0.8 +186% in Bristol
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 10.7 +53% in Bristol

Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.

How prices have changed in each area

Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.

Ashford: 191Bristol: 227
House prices in Ashford and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Bristol now 227.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Ashford and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Bristol now 227.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearAshfordBristol
2005100100
2006107108
2007117121
2008113116
2009102103
2010110112
2011106112
2012109114
2013114118
2014121131
2015131144
2016143164
2017152173
2018159180
2019161182
2020163189
2021173201
2022188222
2023190225
2024188224
2025189227
12 months to July 2026191227

In 2005 the average home cost £180,701 in Ashford and £154,224 in Bristol. Now it is £345,734 and £350,147: Ashford is up 91% and Bristol is up 127%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, so the gap between the two has narrowed.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Ashford: 9.1 years of payBristol: 8.9 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and BristolAshford now 9.1, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and BristolAshford now 9.1, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordBristol
20058.0 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20108.1 years of pay6.8 years of pay
20158.5 years of pay8.1 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20259.1 years of pay8.9 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.0 years of pay in Ashford and 7.0 years in Bristol. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 8.9 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bristol over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Ashford: 164Bristol: 177
Rents in Ashford and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Ashford and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordBristol
2015100100
2016103108
2017108115
2018112118
2019114120
2020116125
2021119131
2022127143
2023134155
2024146165
2025157168
August 2026164177

In 2015 the average rent was £762 a month in Ashford and £1,064 in Bristol. Now it is £1,248 and £1,883: up 64% in Ashford and up 77% in Bristol. Rents have risen faster in Bristol.

What your salary is worth in each area

Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.

Moving from Ashford to Bristol

Earning in Ashford Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £40,000 £47,500
£40,000 £53,500 £63,500
£50,000 £66,500 £79,000
£60,000 £80,000 £95,000

Moving from Bristol to Ashford

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Ashford Equivalent to rent in Ashford
£30,000 £22,500 £19,000
£40,000 £30,000 £25,500
£50,000 £37,500 £31,500
£60,000 £45,000 £38,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. 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. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Ashford figures · All Bristol figures