Pay vs Place

Basildon vs Thurrock: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £15,750 (5%) more in Thurrock than in Basildon. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Basildon, terraced
£326,500
Income typically needed: £65,500
Median full-time pay: £39,734
Thurrock, terraced
£342,250
Income typically needed: £68,500
Median full-time pay: £41,997

At a glance

Basildon Thurrock
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 Thurrock (£41,997) is 6% higher than in Basildon (£39,734), while a typical terraced house costs 5% more (£342,250 against £326,500).

Buying a terraced house takes 8.2× annual pay in Basildon and 8.1× in Thurrock. Renting one takes 43% of pay in Basildon and 39% in Thurrock. Renting is harder in Basildon; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Basildon is the 88th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Thurrock is the 115th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Basildon is the 59th most expensive of 316 areas and Thurrock is the 89th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Basildon would need about £42,000 in Thurrock to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Thurrock 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 84.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Basildon and 85.6 in Thurrock: about the same. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 6.5 per 1,000 in Basildon against 9.4 in Thurrock.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Basildon Thurrock
Median full-time pay £39,734 £41,997
House price ÷ pay 8.2× 8.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 61% 61%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 43% 39%

Buying, by property type

Type Basildon Thurrock Difference
Detached £570,500 £550,000 -4% in Thurrock
Semi-detached £415,000 £400,000 -4% in Thurrock
Terraced £326,500 £342,250 +5% in Thurrock
Flat £200,000 £210,000 +5% in Thurrock

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Basildon Thurrock Difference
Detached £1,963 £1,931 -2% in Thurrock
Semi-detached £1,494 £1,502 +1% in Thurrock
Terraced £1,435 £1,349 -6% in Thurrock
Flat £1,131 £1,077 -5% in Thurrock

Crime

Police recorded 84.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Basildon and 85.6 in Thurrock: about the same.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Basildon Thurrock Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 84.8 85.6 +1% in Thurrock
Violence against the person 34.2 28.6 -17% in Thurrock
Sexual offences 3.3 2.9 -13% in Thurrock
Robbery 1.0 1.0 +1% in Thurrock
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.5 5.3 -2% in Thurrock
Vehicle offences 6.5 9.4 +44% in Thurrock
Theft from the person 0.5 0.6 +6% in Thurrock
Criminal damage and arson 8.2 8.8 +8% in Thurrock

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: 210Thurrock: 201
House prices in Basildon and Thurrock since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Basildon now 210, Thurrock now 201.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Basildon and Thurrock since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Basildon now 210, Thurrock now 201.5010015020025020102020
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YearBasildonThurrock
2005100100
2006103103
2007112111
2008112111
200910097
2010107102
2011107101
2012109103
2013111105
2014123115
2015137132
2016159155
2017171163
2018175170
2019173169
2020179172
2021189182
2022206198
2023207202
2024204196
2025210200
12 months to July 2026210201

In 2005 the average home cost £171,681 in Basildon and £162,781 in Thurrock. Now it is £360,838 and £327,428: Basildon is up 110% and Thurrock is up 101%. 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 payThurrock: 7.7 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Basildon and ThurrockBasildon now 9.1, Thurrock now 7.7 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Basildon and ThurrockBasildon now 9.1, Thurrock now 7.7 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
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YearBasildonThurrock
20057.1 years of pay6.7 years of pay
20106.5 years of pay5.9 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay7.1 years of pay
20209.4 years of pay8.3 years of pay
20259.1 years of pay7.7 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Basildon and 6.7 years in Thurrock. In 2025 it was 9.1 years and 7.7 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: 162Thurrock: 154
Rents in Basildon and Thurrock since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Basildon now 162, Thurrock now 154.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Basildon and Thurrock since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Basildon now 162, Thurrock now 154.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBasildonThurrock
2015100100
2016107107
2017112111
2018115114
2019118116
2020120119
2021124120
2022129121
2023135126
2024143135
2025153145
August 2026162154

In 2015 the average rent was £881 a month in Basildon and £897 in Thurrock. Now it is £1,424 and £1,380: up 62% in Basildon and up 54% in Thurrock. Rents have risen faster in Basildon.

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 Thurrock

Earning in Basildon Equivalent to buy in Thurrock Equivalent to rent in Thurrock
£30,000 £31,500 £28,000
£40,000 £42,000 £37,500
£50,000 £52,500 £47,000
£60,000 £63,000 £56,500

Moving from Thurrock to Basildon

Earning in Thurrock Equivalent to buy in Basildon Equivalent to rent in Basildon
£30,000 £28,500 £32,000
£40,000 £38,000 £42,500
£50,000 £47,500 £53,000
£60,000 £57,000 £64,000
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 Thurrock figures