Barnsley vs Doncaster: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £11,000 (9%) more in Barnsley than in Doncaster. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Barnsley | Doncaster | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | 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 Doncaster (£34,967) is 5% lower than in Barnsley (£36,652), while a typical terraced house costs 8% less (£127,000 against £138,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 3.8× annual pay in Barnsley and 3.6× in Doncaster. Renting one takes 22% of pay in Barnsley and 24% in Doncaster. Renting is harder in Doncaster; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Barnsley is the 21st least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Doncaster is the 28th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Barnsley is the 11th least expensive of 316 areas and Doncaster is the 28th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Barnsley would need about £37,000 in Doncaster to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £41,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Doncaster 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 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 117.2 in Doncaster, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Doncaster. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 6.1 per 1,000 in Barnsley against 9.6 in Doncaster.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Barnsley | Doncaster |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,652 | £34,967 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.8× | 3.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 133% | 138% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 22% | 24% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Barnsley | Doncaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £300,000 | £284,500 | -5% in Doncaster |
| Semi-detached | £180,000 | £170,000 | -6% in Doncaster |
| Terraced | £138,000 | £127,000 | -8% in Doncaster |
| Flat | £102,000 | £107,500 | +5% in Doncaster |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Barnsley | Doncaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £951 | £925 | -3% in Doncaster |
| Semi-detached | £746 | £749 | +0% in Doncaster |
| Terraced | £672 | £697 | +4% in Doncaster |
| Flat | £579 | £551 | -5% in Doncaster |
Crime
Police recorded 95.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Barnsley and 117.2 in Doncaster, so recorded crime per resident is 23% higher in Doncaster.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Barnsley | Doncaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 95.1 | 117.2 | +23% in Doncaster |
| Violence against the person | 36.6 | 43.5 | +19% in Doncaster |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 4.2 | +20% in Doncaster |
| Robbery | 1.3 | 1.9 | +43% in Doncaster |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 10.4 | 10.8 | +4% in Doncaster |
| Vehicle offences | 6.1 | 9.6 | +59% in Doncaster |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 0.6 | +67% in Doncaster |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.4 | 11.8 | +13% in Doncaster |
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 | Doncaster |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 108 |
| 2007 | 118 | 114 |
| 2008 | 116 | 110 |
| 2009 | 104 | 99 |
| 2010 | 104 | 102 |
| 2011 | 101 | 99 |
| 2012 | 100 | 98 |
| 2013 | 99 | 98 |
| 2014 | 103 | 101 |
| 2015 | 104 | 103 |
| 2016 | 108 | 109 |
| 2017 | 113 | 111 |
| 2018 | 118 | 112 |
| 2019 | 122 | 116 |
| 2020 | 127 | 121 |
| 2021 | 139 | 136 |
| 2022 | 155 | 149 |
| 2023 | 158 | 151 |
| 2024 | 162 | 154 |
| 2025 | 169 | 161 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 173 | 166 |
In 2005 the average home cost £100,361 in Barnsley and £103,612 in Doncaster. Now it is £173,949 and £171,501: Barnsley is up 73% and Doncaster is up 66%. Prices have risen faster in Barnsley, 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 | Barnsley | Doncaster |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.3 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.1 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.7 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.6 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Barnsley and 5.2 years in Doncaster. In 2025 it was 4.6 years and 4.8 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 | Doncaster |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 100 | 102 |
| 2017 | 102 | 104 |
| 2018 | 104 | 104 |
| 2019 | 106 | 106 |
| 2020 | 108 | 109 |
| 2021 | 111 | 112 |
| 2022 | 116 | 116 |
| 2023 | 124 | 122 |
| 2024 | 135 | 129 |
| 2025 | 143 | 137 |
| August 2026 | 154 | 144 |
In 2015 the average rent was £451 a month in Barnsley and £481 in Doncaster. Now it is £696 and £694: up 54% in Barnsley and up 44% in Doncaster. 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 Doncaster
| Earning in Barnsley | Equivalent to buy in Doncaster | Equivalent to rent in Doncaster |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,000 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,000 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £55,000 | £62,000 |
Moving from Doncaster to Barnsley
| Earning in Doncaster | Equivalent to buy in Barnsley | Equivalent to rent in Barnsley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £43,500 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £54,500 | £48,000 |
| £60,000 | £65,000 | £58,000 |