Pay vs Place

Ashford vs Canterbury: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £12,000 (4%) more in Canterbury than in Ashford. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Ashford, terraced
£285,000
Income typically needed: £57,000
Median full-time pay: £37,440
Canterbury, terraced
£297,000
Income typically needed: £59,500
Median full-time pay: £37,682

At a glance

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

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 Canterbury (£37,682) is 1% higher than in Ashford (£37,440), while a typical terraced house costs 4% more (£297,000 against £285,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 7.6× annual pay in Ashford and 7.9× in Canterbury. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Ashford and 43% in Canterbury. On both measures the two areas are close.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Ashford is the 79th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Canterbury is the 83rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Ashford is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas and Canterbury is the 75th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Ashford would need about £41,500 in Canterbury to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Canterbury 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 79.7 in Canterbury, so recorded crime per resident is 22% higher in Canterbury. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Ashford against 3.6 in Canterbury.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Ashford Canterbury
Median full-time pay £37,440 £37,682
House price ÷ pay 7.6× 7.9×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 66% 63%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 41% 43%

Buying, by property type

Type Ashford Canterbury Difference
Detached £515,000 £475,000 -8% in Canterbury
Semi-detached £337,000 £340,000 +1% in Canterbury
Terraced £285,000 £297,000 +4% in Canterbury
Flat £175,000 £194,750 +11% in Canterbury

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Ashford Canterbury Difference
Detached £1,783 £1,666 -7% in Canterbury
Semi-detached £1,333 £1,469 +10% in Canterbury
Terraced £1,268 £1,337 +5% in Canterbury
Flat £1,045 £1,025 -2% in Canterbury

Crime

Police recorded 65.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Ashford and 79.7 in Canterbury, so recorded crime per resident is 22% higher in Canterbury.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Ashford Canterbury Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 65.3 79.7 +22% in Canterbury
Violence against the person 27.0 28.5 +6% in Canterbury
Sexual offences 2.9 2.9 -1% in Canterbury
Robbery 0.5 1.1 +116% in Canterbury
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.6 4.2 -8% in Canterbury
Vehicle offences 2.4 3.6 +53% in Canterbury
Theft from the person 0.3 0.4 +50% in Canterbury
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 8.2 +17% in Canterbury

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: 191Canterbury: 189
House prices in Ashford and Canterbury since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Canterbury now 189.10012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Ashford and Canterbury since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Ashford now 191, Canterbury now 189.10012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearAshfordCanterbury
2005100100
2006107105
2007117116
2008113116
2009102104
2010110114
2011106113
2012109114
2013114118
2014121131
2015131140
2016143153
2017152163
2018159169
2019161170
2020163174
2021173181
2022188195
2023190196
2024188187
2025189188
12 months to July 2026191189

In 2005 the average home cost £180,701 in Ashford and £178,637 in Canterbury. Now it is £345,734 and £338,096: Ashford is up 91% and Canterbury is up 89%.

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 payCanterbury: 8.9 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and CanterburyAshford now 9.1, Canterbury now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Ashford and CanterburyAshford now 9.1, Canterbury now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordCanterbury
20058.0 years of pay6.9 years of pay
20108.1 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20158.5 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay10.2 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 6.9 years in Canterbury. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 8.9 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Canterbury over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Ashford: 164Canterbury: 144
Rents in Ashford and Canterbury since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Canterbury now 144.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Ashford and Canterbury since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Ashford now 164, Canterbury now 144.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearAshfordCanterbury
2015100100
2016103104
2017108109
2018112109
2019114111
2020116111
2021119114
2022127119
2023134124
2024146130
2025157136
August 2026164144

In 2015 the average rent was £762 a month in Ashford and £890 in Canterbury. Now it is £1,248 and £1,280: up 64% in Ashford and up 44% in Canterbury. Rents have risen faster in Ashford.

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 Canterbury

Earning in Ashford Equivalent to buy in Canterbury Equivalent to rent in Canterbury
£30,000 £31,500 £31,500
£40,000 £41,500 £42,000
£50,000 £52,000 £52,500
£60,000 £62,500 £63,500

Moving from Canterbury to Ashford

Earning in Canterbury Equivalent to buy in Ashford Equivalent to rent in Ashford
£30,000 £29,000 £28,500
£40,000 £38,500 £38,000
£50,000 £48,000 £47,500
£60,000 £57,500 £57,000
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 Canterbury figures