Barnet vs Hackney: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £555,000 (88%) more in Hackney than in Barnet. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Hackney: it takes 23.9× median annual pay, against 13.4× in Barnet.
At a glance
| Barnet | Hackney | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above 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 Hackney (£49,482) is 5% higher than in Barnet (£47,141), while a typical terraced house costs 88% more (£1,185,000 against £630,000). Set against local pay, Barnet 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 23.9× in Hackney. Renting one takes 57% of pay in Barnet and 77% in Hackney. Both are harder in Hackney, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnet is the 13th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Hackney is the 21st most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnet is the 27th most expensive of 316 areas and Hackney is the 5th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Barnet would need about £75,000 in Hackney to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £57,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Hackney 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 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 116.5 in Hackney, so recorded crime per resident is 72% higher in Hackney. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.0 per 1,000 in Barnet against 3.4 in Hackney.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Barnet | Hackney |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £47,141 | £49,482 |
| House price ÷ pay | 13.4× | 23.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 37% | 21% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 57% | 77% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Barnet | Hackney | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £630,000 | £1,185,000 | +88% in Hackney |
| Flat | £380,000 | £528,000 | +39% in Hackney |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Barnet | Hackney | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £2,231 | £3,186 | +43% in Hackney |
| Flat | £1,738 | £2,360 | +36% in Hackney |
Crime
Police recorded 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 116.5 in Hackney, so recorded crime per resident is 72% higher in Hackney.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Barnet | Hackney | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 67.8 | 116.5 | +72% in Hackney |
| Violence against the person | 19.4 | 30.0 | +54% in Hackney |
| Sexual offences | 2.0 | 3.4 | +69% in Hackney |
| Robbery | 1.9 | 5.9 | +203% in Hackney |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.0 | 12.1 | +10% in Hackney |
| Vehicle offences | 8.4 | 6.8 | -19% in Hackney |
| Theft from the person | 2.2 | 15.5 | +615% in Hackney |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 6.0 | +36% in Hackney |
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 | Barnet | Hackney |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 111 |
| 2007 | 117 | 127 |
| 2008 | 118 | 137 |
| 2009 | 107 | 124 |
| 2010 | 119 | 132 |
| 2011 | 121 | 135 |
| 2012 | 128 | 143 |
| 2013 | 134 | 163 |
| 2014 | 154 | 200 |
| 2015 | 171 | 222 |
| 2016 | 188 | 236 |
| 2017 | 193 | 241 |
| 2018 | 191 | 239 |
| 2019 | 187 | 243 |
| 2020 | 188 | 256 |
| 2021 | 199 | 252 |
| 2022 | 213 | 260 |
| 2023 | 210 | 260 |
| 2024 | 209 | 260 |
| 2025 | 206 | 265 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 201 | 265 |
In 2005 the average home cost £296,425 in Barnet and £235,667 in Hackney. Now it is £594,641 and £623,478: Barnet is up 101% and Hackney is up 165%. Prices have risen faster in Hackney, 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 | Barnet | Hackney |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10.0 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 10.8 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2015 | 15.4 years of pay | 16.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 15.3 years of pay | 16.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 13.0 years of pay | 12.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 10.0 years of pay in Barnet and 8.8 years in Hackney. In 2025 it was 13.0 years and 12.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Hackney over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Barnet | Hackney |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 106 | 105 |
| 2018 | 105 | 105 |
| 2019 | 106 | 107 |
| 2020 | 107 | 106 |
| 2021 | 107 | 104 |
| 2022 | 110 | 105 |
| 2023 | 119 | 114 |
| 2024 | 127 | 126 |
| 2025 | 136 | 138 |
| August 2026 | 141 | 144 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,380 a month in Barnet and £1,850 in Hackney. Now it is £1,949 and £2,658: up 41% in Barnet and up 44% in Hackney.
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 Hackney
| Earning in Barnet | Equivalent to buy in Hackney | Equivalent to rent in Hackney |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £56,500 | £43,000 |
| £40,000 | £75,000 | £57,000 |
| £50,000 | £94,000 | £71,500 |
| £60,000 | £113,000 | £85,500 |
Moving from Hackney to Barnet
| Earning in Hackney | Equivalent to buy in Barnet | Equivalent to rent in Barnet |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £16,000 | £21,000 |
| £40,000 | £21,500 | £28,000 |
| £50,000 | £26,500 | £35,000 |
| £60,000 | £32,000 | £42,000 |