Pay vs Place

Barnet vs Bristol: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £250,000 (66%) more in Barnet than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Barnet: it takes 13.4× median annual pay, against 9.6× in Bristol.

Barnet, terraced
£630,000
Income typically needed: £126,000
Median full-time pay: £47,141
Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509

At a glance

Barnet Bristol
Buying a home Very 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 16% lower than in Barnet (£47,141), while a typical terraced house costs 40% less (£380,000 against £630,000). Set against local pay, Bristol is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 13.4× annual pay in Barnet and 9.6× in Bristol. Renting one takes 57% of pay in Barnet and 61% in Bristol. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Barnet, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Bristol.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnet is the 13th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnet is the 27th most expensive of 316 areas and Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Barnet would need about £24,000 in Bristol to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bristol would leave you better 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 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 93% higher in Bristol. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.0 per 1,000 in Barnet against 5.2 in Bristol.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Barnet Bristol
Median full-time pay £47,141 £39,509
House price ÷ pay 13.4× 9.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 37% 52%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 57% 61%

Buying, by property type

Type Barnet Bristol Difference
Detached £1,196,250 £536,500 -55% in Bristol
Semi-detached £805,000 £370,000 -54% in Bristol
Terraced £630,000 £380,000 -40% in Bristol
Flat £380,000 £265,000 -30% in Bristol

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Barnet Bristol Difference
Detached £3,018 £2,106 -30% in Bristol
Semi-detached £2,572 £2,091 -19% in Bristol
Terraced £2,231 £2,008 -10% in Bristol
Flat £1,738 £1,508 -13% in Bristol

Crime

Police recorded 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 93% higher in Bristol.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Barnet Bristol Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 67.8 131.0 +93% in Bristol
Violence against the person 19.4 47.4 +144% in Bristol
Sexual offences 2.0 5.2 +157% in Bristol
Robbery 1.9 3.0 +54% in Bristol
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 11.0 9.2 -16% in Bristol
Vehicle offences 8.4 9.8 +17% in Bristol
Theft from the person 2.2 0.8 -63% in Bristol
Criminal damage and arson 4.4 10.7 +141% 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.

Barnet: 201Bristol: 227
House prices in Barnet and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnet now 201, Bristol now 227.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Barnet and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Barnet now 201, Bristol now 227.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBarnetBristol
2005100100
2006104108
2007117121
2008118116
2009107103
2010119112
2011121112
2012128114
2013134118
2014154131
2015171144
2016188164
2017193173
2018191180
2019187182
2020188189
2021199201
2022213222
2023210225
2024209224
2025206227
12 months to July 2026201227

In 2005 the average home cost £296,425 in Barnet and £154,224 in Bristol. Now it is £594,641 and £350,147: Barnet is up 101% 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.

Barnet: 13.0 years of payBristol: 8.9 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnet and BristolBarnet now 13.0, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Barnet and BristolBarnet now 13.0, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnetBristol
200510.0 years of pay7.0 years of pay
201010.8 years of pay6.8 years of pay
201515.4 years of pay8.1 years of pay
202015.3 years of pay9.0 years of pay
202513.0 years of pay8.9 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 10.0 years of pay in Barnet and 7.0 years in Bristol. In 2025 it was 13.0 years and 8.9 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Barnet over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Barnet: 141Bristol: 177
Rents in Barnet and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnet now 141, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Barnet and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Barnet now 141, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBarnetBristol
2015100100
2016105108
2017106115
2018105118
2019106120
2020107125
2021107131
2022110143
2023119155
2024127165
2025136168
August 2026141177

In 2015 the average rent was £1,380 a month in Barnet and £1,064 in Bristol. Now it is £1,949 and £1,883: up 41% in Barnet 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 Barnet to Bristol

Earning in Barnet Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £18,000 £27,000
£40,000 £24,000 £36,000
£50,000 £30,000 £45,000
£60,000 £36,000 £54,000

Moving from Bristol to Barnet

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Barnet Equivalent to rent in Barnet
£30,000 £49,500 £33,500
£40,000 £66,500 £44,500
£50,000 £83,000 £55,500
£60,000 £99,500 £66,500
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 Barnet figures · All Bristol figures