Pay vs Place

Basildon vs Bedford: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £31,500 (11%) more in Basildon than in Bedford. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Basildon: it takes 8.2× median annual pay, against 7.2× in Bedford.

Basildon, terraced
£326,500
Income typically needed: £65,500
Median full-time pay: £39,734
Bedford, terraced
£295,000
Income typically needed: £59,000
Median full-time pay: £41,214

At a glance

Basildon Bedford
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime About average About 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 Bedford (£41,214) is 4% higher than in Basildon (£39,734), while a typical terraced house costs 10% less (£295,000 against £326,500). Set against local pay, Bedford is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.2× annual pay in Basildon and 7.2× in Bedford. Renting one takes 43% of pay in Basildon and 33% in Bedford. Both are harder in Basildon, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Basildon is the 88th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bedford is the 120th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Basildon is the 59th most expensive of 316 areas and Bedford is around the middle of 316 areas (146th most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Basildon would need about £36,000 in Bedford to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bedford 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 84.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Basildon and 76.7 in Bedford, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Bedford. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.5 per 1,000 in Basildon against 4.1 in Bedford.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Basildon Bedford
Median full-time pay £39,734 £41,214
House price ÷ pay 8.2× 7.2×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 61% 70%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 43% 33%

Buying, by property type

Type Basildon Bedford Difference
Detached £570,500 £489,000 -14% in Bedford
Semi-detached £415,000 £343,688 -17% in Bedford
Terraced £326,500 £295,000 -10% in Bedford
Flat £200,000 £185,000 -8% in Bedford

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Basildon Bedford Difference
Detached £1,963 £1,599 -19% in Bedford
Semi-detached £1,494 £1,313 -12% in Bedford
Terraced £1,435 £1,147 -20% in Bedford
Flat £1,131 £915 -19% in Bedford

Crime

Police recorded 84.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Basildon and 76.7 in Bedford, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Bedford.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Basildon Bedford Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 84.8 76.7 -10% in Bedford
Violence against the person 34.2 29.1 -15% in Bedford
Sexual offences 3.3 3.3 -2% in Bedford
Robbery 1.0 1.1 +5% in Bedford
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.5 4.1 -25% in Bedford
Vehicle offences 6.5 5.7 -13% in Bedford
Theft from the person 0.5 0.5 -2% in Bedford
Criminal damage and arson 8.2 6.2 -24% in Bedford

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.

Basildon: 210Bedford: 200
House prices in Basildon and Bedford since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Basildon now 210, Bedford now 200.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Basildon and Bedford since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Basildon now 210, Bedford now 200.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBasildonBedford
2005100100
2006103104
2007112112
2008112110
200910097
2010107103
2011107103
2012109105
2013111107
2014123117
2015137128
2016159145
2017171157
2018175163
2019173161
2020179160
2021189170
2022206187
2023207190
2024204189
2025210195
12 months to July 2026210200

In 2005 the average home cost £171,681 in Basildon and £164,542 in Bedford. Now it is £360,838 and £328,694: Basildon is up 110% and Bedford is up 100%. Prices have risen faster in Basildon, 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.

Basildon: 9.1 years of payBedford: 7.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Basildon and BedfordBasildon now 9.1, Bedford now 7.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Basildon and BedfordBasildon now 9.1, Bedford now 7.8 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBasildonBedford
20057.1 years of pay7.1 years of pay
20106.5 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay7.5 years of pay
20209.4 years of pay7.6 years of pay
20259.1 years of pay7.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Basildon and 7.1 years in Bedford. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 7.8 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Basildon over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Basildon: 162Bedford: 163
Rents in Basildon and Bedford since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Basildon now 162, Bedford now 163.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Basildon and Bedford since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Basildon now 162, Bedford now 163.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBasildonBedford
2015100100
2016107108
2017112114
2018115118
2019118118
2020120119
2021124122
2022129130
2023135136
2024143144
2025153157
August 2026162163

In 2015 the average rent was £881 a month in Basildon and £718 in Bedford. Now it is £1,424 and £1,173: up 62% in Basildon and up 63% in Bedford.

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 Basildon to Bedford

Earning in Basildon Equivalent to buy in Bedford Equivalent to rent in Bedford
£30,000 £27,000 £24,000
£40,000 £36,000 £32,000
£50,000 £45,000 £40,000
£60,000 £54,000 £48,000

Moving from Bedford to Basildon

Earning in Bedford Equivalent to buy in Basildon Equivalent to rent in Basildon
£30,000 £33,000 £37,500
£40,000 £44,500 £50,000
£50,000 £55,500 £62,500
£60,000 £66,500 £75,000
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 Basildon figures · All Bedford figures