Babergh vs Colchester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £12,500 (5%) more in Colchester than in Babergh. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Babergh: it takes 7.7× median annual pay, against 6.9× in Colchester.
At a glance
| Babergh | Colchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Colchester (£39,353) is 16% higher than in Babergh (£33,904), while a typical terraced house costs 5% more (£272,500 against £260,000). Set against local pay, Colchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.7× annual pay in Babergh and 6.9× in Colchester. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Babergh and 37% in Colchester. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Babergh, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Colchester.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Babergh is the 71st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Colchester is around the middle of 316 areas (133rd most expensive). For renting against pay, Babergh is around the middle of 316 areas (145th most expensive) and Colchester is the 116th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Babergh would need about £42,000 in Colchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £52,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Colchester 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 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Babergh and 82.6 in Colchester, so recorded crime per resident is 77% higher in Colchester. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.9 per 1,000 in Babergh against 5.4 in Colchester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Babergh | Colchester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £33,904 | £39,353 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.7× | 6.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 65% | 72% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Babergh | Colchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £437,000 | £442,960 | +1% in Colchester |
| Semi-detached | £295,000 | £325,000 | +10% in Colchester |
| Terraced | £260,000 | £272,500 | +5% in Colchester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Babergh | Colchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,294 | £1,566 | +21% in Colchester |
| Semi-detached | £1,055 | £1,268 | +20% in Colchester |
| Terraced | £935 | £1,229 | +31% in Colchester |
Crime
Police recorded 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Babergh and 82.6 in Colchester, so recorded crime per resident is 77% higher in Colchester.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Babergh | Colchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 46.6 | 82.6 | +77% in Colchester |
| Violence against the person | 20.2 | 35.7 | +77% in Colchester |
| Sexual offences | 2.9 | 4.0 | +40% in Colchester |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.9 | +235% in Colchester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.2 | 5.5 | +73% in Colchester |
| Vehicle offences | 1.9 | 5.4 | +179% in Colchester |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.5 | +140% in Colchester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.7 | 6.6 | +41% in Colchester |
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.
Show the figures
| Year | Babergh | Colchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 115 | 113 |
| 2008 | 111 | 105 |
| 2009 | 98 | 93 |
| 2010 | 107 | 103 |
| 2011 | 109 | 103 |
| 2012 | 111 | 104 |
| 2013 | 112 | 106 |
| 2014 | 121 | 115 |
| 2015 | 131 | 126 |
| 2016 | 142 | 140 |
| 2017 | 153 | 152 |
| 2018 | 158 | 155 |
| 2019 | 159 | 154 |
| 2020 | 160 | 154 |
| 2021 | 168 | 162 |
| 2022 | 185 | 179 |
| 2023 | 183 | 180 |
| 2024 | 177 | 175 |
| 2025 | 181 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 177 |
In 2005 the average home cost £180,773 in Babergh and £167,925 in Colchester. Now it is £330,061 and £297,216: Babergh is up 83% and Colchester is up 77%. Prices have risen faster in Babergh, so the gap between the two has widened.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Babergh | Colchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.5 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | – | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.5 years of pay | 7.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.1 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.7 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.5 years of pay in Babergh and 6.6 years in Colchester. In 2025 it was 9.7 years and 7.6 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Babergh | Colchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 103 |
| 2017 | 107 | 108 |
| 2018 | 110 | 112 |
| 2019 | 115 | 116 |
| 2020 | 116 | 115 |
| 2021 | 117 | 123 |
| 2022 | 123 | 127 |
| 2023 | 131 | 134 |
| 2024 | 141 | 145 |
| 2025 | 149 | 159 |
| August 2026 | 153 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £629 a month in Babergh and £735 in Colchester. Now it is £965 and £1,197: up 53% in Babergh and up 63% in Colchester. Rents have risen faster in Colchester.
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 Babergh to Colchester
| Earning in Babergh | Equivalent to buy in Colchester | Equivalent to rent in Colchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,500 | £39,500 |
| £40,000 | £42,000 | £52,500 |
| £50,000 | £52,500 | £65,500 |
| £60,000 | £63,000 | £79,000 |
Moving from Colchester to Babergh
| Earning in Colchester | Equivalent to buy in Babergh | Equivalent to rent in Babergh |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,500 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,000 | £30,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,500 | £38,000 |
| £60,000 | £57,000 | £45,500 |