Babergh vs Luton: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £17,500 (7%) more in Luton than in Babergh. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Luton: it takes 8.0× median annual pay, against 7.7× in Babergh.
At a glance
| Babergh | Luton | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very 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 Luton (£34,732) is 2% higher than in Babergh (£33,904), while a typical terraced house costs 7% more (£277,500 against £260,000). Set against local pay, Babergh 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 8.0× in Luton. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Babergh and 42% in Luton. Renting is harder in Luton; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Babergh is the 71st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Luton is the 80th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Babergh is around the middle of 316 areas (145th most expensive) and Luton is the 65th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Babergh would need about £42,500 in Luton to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £52,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Luton 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 82.2 in Luton, so recorded crime per resident is 76% higher in Luton. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.9 per 1,000 in Babergh against 7.1 in Luton.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Babergh | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £33,904 | £34,732 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.7× | 8.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 65% | 63% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 42% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Babergh | Luton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £437,000 | £435,000 | -0% in Luton |
| Semi-detached | £295,000 | £338,000 | +15% in Luton |
| Terraced | £260,000 | £277,500 | +7% in Luton |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Babergh | Luton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,294 | £1,604 | +24% in Luton |
| Semi-detached | £1,055 | £1,329 | +26% in Luton |
| Terraced | £935 | £1,217 | +30% in Luton |
Crime
Police recorded 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Babergh and 82.2 in Luton, so recorded crime per resident is 76% higher in Luton.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Babergh | Luton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 46.6 | 82.2 | +76% in Luton |
| Violence against the person | 20.2 | 30.4 | +50% in Luton |
| Sexual offences | 2.9 | 3.3 | +14% in Luton |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 1.5 | +485% in Luton |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.2 | 5.7 | +80% in Luton |
| Vehicle offences | 1.9 | 7.1 | +264% in Luton |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.0 | +385% in Luton |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.7 | 6.3 | +34% in Luton |
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 | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 103 |
| 2007 | 115 | 113 |
| 2008 | 111 | 111 |
| 2009 | 98 | 96 |
| 2010 | 107 | 103 |
| 2011 | 109 | 100 |
| 2012 | 111 | 103 |
| 2013 | 112 | 105 |
| 2014 | 121 | 113 |
| 2015 | 131 | 129 |
| 2016 | 142 | 152 |
| 2017 | 153 | 166 |
| 2018 | 158 | 168 |
| 2019 | 159 | 164 |
| 2020 | 160 | 162 |
| 2021 | 168 | 174 |
| 2022 | 185 | 192 |
| 2023 | 183 | 191 |
| 2024 | 177 | 189 |
| 2025 | 181 | 195 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 195 |
In 2005 the average home cost £180,773 in Babergh and £145,768 in Luton. Now it is £330,061 and £284,756: Babergh is up 83% and Luton is up 95%. Prices have risen faster in Luton, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Babergh | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.5 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | – | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.5 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.1 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.7 years of pay | 8.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.5 years of pay in Babergh and 6.6 years in Luton. In 2025 it was 9.7 years and 8.2 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 | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 107 |
| 2017 | 107 | 114 |
| 2018 | 110 | 116 |
| 2019 | 115 | 117 |
| 2020 | 116 | 118 |
| 2021 | 117 | 120 |
| 2022 | 123 | 125 |
| 2023 | 131 | 132 |
| 2024 | 141 | 145 |
| 2025 | 149 | 157 |
| August 2026 | 153 | 162 |
In 2015 the average rent was £629 a month in Babergh and £754 in Luton. Now it is £965 and £1,222: up 53% in Babergh and up 62% in Luton. Rents have risen faster in Luton.
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 Luton
| Earning in Babergh | Equivalent to buy in Luton | Equivalent to rent in Luton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £39,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £52,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £65,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £78,000 |
Moving from Luton to Babergh
| Earning in Luton | Equivalent to buy in Babergh | Equivalent to rent in Babergh |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £30,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £38,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,000 | £46,000 |