Barnet vs Islington: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £835,000 (133%) more in Islington than in Barnet. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Islington: it takes 28.9× median annual pay, against 13.4× in Barnet.
At a glance
| Barnet | Islington | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Very 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 Islington (£50,692) is 8% higher than in Barnet (£47,141), while a typical terraced house costs 133% more (£1,465,000 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 28.9× in Islington. Renting one takes 57% of pay in Barnet and 91% in Islington. Both are harder in Islington, 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 Islington is the 10th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnet is the 27th most expensive of 316 areas and Islington is the 4th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Barnet would need about £93,000 in Islington to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £68,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Islington 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 131.2 in Islington, so recorded crime per resident is 94% higher in Islington. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 19.4 per 1,000 in Barnet against 32.1 in Islington.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Barnet | Islington |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £47,141 | £50,692 |
| House price ÷ pay | 13.4× | 28.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 37% | 17% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 57% | 91% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Barnet | Islington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £630,000 | £1,465,000 | +133% in Islington |
| Flat | £380,000 | £565,000 | +49% in Islington |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Barnet | Islington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £2,231 | £3,827 | +72% in Islington |
| Flat | £1,738 | £2,483 | +43% in Islington |
Crime
Police recorded 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnet and 131.2 in Islington, so recorded crime per resident is 94% higher in Islington.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Barnet | Islington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 67.8 | 131.2 | +94% in Islington |
| Violence against the person | 19.4 | 32.1 | +65% in Islington |
| Sexual offences | 2.0 | 3.3 | +63% in Islington |
| Robbery | 1.9 | 5.7 | +190% in Islington |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.0 | 10.0 | -9% in Islington |
| Vehicle offences | 8.4 | 7.8 | -6% in Islington |
| Theft from the person | 2.2 | 14.3 | +557% in Islington |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 6.8 | +52% in Islington |
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 | Islington |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 108 |
| 2007 | 117 | 131 |
| 2008 | 118 | 131 |
| 2009 | 107 | 117 |
| 2010 | 119 | 135 |
| 2011 | 121 | 144 |
| 2012 | 128 | 150 |
| 2013 | 134 | 168 |
| 2014 | 154 | 198 |
| 2015 | 171 | 218 |
| 2016 | 188 | 218 |
| 2017 | 193 | 220 |
| 2018 | 191 | 220 |
| 2019 | 187 | 215 |
| 2020 | 188 | 224 |
| 2021 | 199 | 230 |
| 2022 | 213 | 235 |
| 2023 | 210 | 235 |
| 2024 | 209 | 240 |
| 2025 | 206 | 238 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 201 | 235 |
In 2005 the average home cost £296,425 in Barnet and £295,275 in Islington. Now it is £594,641 and £693,753: Barnet is up 101% and Islington is up 135%. Prices have risen faster in Islington, 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 | Islington |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10.0 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 10.8 years of pay | 11.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 15.4 years of pay | 18.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 15.3 years of pay | 14.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 13.0 years of pay | 13.9 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 10.8 years of pay in Barnet and 11.7 years in Islington. In 2025 it was 13.0 years and 13.9 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 | Barnet | Islington |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 106 | 102 |
| 2018 | 105 | 103 |
| 2019 | 106 | 104 |
| 2020 | 107 | 107 |
| 2021 | 107 | 101 |
| 2022 | 110 | 103 |
| 2023 | 119 | 113 |
| 2024 | 127 | 129 |
| 2025 | 136 | 138 |
| August 2026 | 141 | 146 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,380 a month in Barnet and £1,960 in Islington. Now it is £1,949 and £2,868: up 41% in Barnet and up 46% in Islington. Rents have risen faster in Islington.
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 Islington
| Earning in Barnet | Equivalent to buy in Islington | Equivalent to rent in Islington |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £70,000 | £51,500 |
| £40,000 | £93,000 | £68,500 |
| £50,000 | £116,500 | £86,000 |
| £60,000 | £139,500 | £103,000 |
Moving from Islington to Barnet
| Earning in Islington | Equivalent to buy in Barnet | Equivalent to rent in Barnet |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £13,000 | £17,500 |
| £40,000 | £17,000 | £23,500 |
| £50,000 | £21,500 | £29,000 |
| £60,000 | £26,000 | £35,000 |