Barnsley vs Bradford: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £17,000 (12%) more in Bradford than in Barnsley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bradford: it takes 4.6× median annual pay, against 3.8× in Barnsley.
At a glance
| Barnsley | Bradford | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 Bradford (£33,526) is 9% lower than in Barnsley (£36,652), while a typical terraced house costs 12% more (£155,000 against £138,000). Set against local pay, Barnsley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.8× annual pay in Barnsley and 4.6× in Bradford. Renting one takes 22% of pay in Barnsley and 26% in Bradford. Both are harder in Bradford, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnsley is the 21st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bradford is the 46th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnsley is the 11th least expensive of 316 areas and Bradford is the 65th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Barnsley would need about £45,000 in Bradford to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bradford 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 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 117.0 in Bradford, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Bradford. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 36.6 per 1,000 in Barnsley against 51.6 in Bradford.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Barnsley | Bradford |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,652 | £33,526 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.8× | 4.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 133% | 108% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 22% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Barnsley | Bradford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £300,000 | £370,000 | +23% in Bradford |
| Semi-detached | £180,000 | £202,000 | +12% in Bradford |
| Terraced | £138,000 | £155,000 | +12% in Bradford |
| Flat | £102,000 | £120,000 | +18% in Bradford |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Barnsley | Bradford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £951 | £1,052 | +11% in Bradford |
| Semi-detached | £746 | £787 | +5% in Bradford |
| Terraced | £672 | £718 | +7% in Bradford |
| Flat | £579 | £621 | +7% in Bradford |
Crime
Police recorded 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 117.0 in Bradford, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Bradford.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Barnsley | Bradford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 95.1 | 117.0 | +23% in Bradford |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 51.6 | +41% in Bradford |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 4.8 | +36% in Bradford |
| Robbery | 1.3 | 1.4 | +7% in Bradford |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 10.4 | 13.1 | +26% in Bradford |
| Vehicle offences | 6.1 | 7.5 | +23% in Bradford |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 0.9 | +161% in Bradford |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.4 | 9.9 | -5% in Bradford |
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 | Barnsley | Bradford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 114 |
| 2007 | 118 | 126 |
| 2008 | 116 | 124 |
| 2009 | 104 | 112 |
| 2010 | 104 | 114 |
| 2011 | 101 | 110 |
| 2012 | 100 | 107 |
| 2013 | 99 | 107 |
| 2014 | 103 | 112 |
| 2015 | 104 | 115 |
| 2016 | 108 | 121 |
| 2017 | 113 | 125 |
| 2018 | 118 | 127 |
| 2019 | 122 | 128 |
| 2020 | 127 | 132 |
| 2021 | 139 | 147 |
| 2022 | 155 | 158 |
| 2023 | 158 | 162 |
| 2024 | 162 | 169 |
| 2025 | 169 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 173 | 184 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,361 in Barnsley and £100,765 in Bradford. Now it is £173,949 and £185,379: Barnsley is up 73% and Bradford is up 84%. Prices have risen faster in Bradford, 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 | Barnsley | Bradford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.3 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.1 years of pay | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.7 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.6 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Barnsley and 5.2 years in Bradford. In 2025 it was 4.6 years and 5.4 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 | Barnsley | Bradford |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 100 | 102 |
| 2017 | 102 | 104 |
| 2018 | 104 | 107 |
| 2019 | 106 | 109 |
| 2020 | 108 | 112 |
| 2021 | 111 | 114 |
| 2022 | 116 | 119 |
| 2023 | 124 | 125 |
| 2024 | 135 | 134 |
| 2025 | 143 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 154 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £451 a month in Barnsley and £504 in Bradford. Now it is £696 and £745: up 54% in Barnsley and up 48% in Bradford. Rents have risen faster in Barnsley.
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 Barnsley to Bradford
| Earning in Barnsley | Equivalent to buy in Bradford | Equivalent to rent in Bradford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £45,000 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £56,000 | £53,500 |
| £60,000 | £67,500 | £64,000 |
Moving from Bradford to Barnsley
| Earning in Bradford | Equivalent to buy in Barnsley | Equivalent to rent in Barnsley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £35,500 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £44,500 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £53,500 | £56,000 |