Pay vs Place

Bath and North East Somerset vs Bristol: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £22,500 (6%) more in Bristol than in Bath and North East Somerset. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 8.8× in Bath and North East Somerset.

Bath and North East Somerset, terraced
£357,500
Income typically needed: £71,500
Median full-time pay: £40,448
Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509

At a glance

Bath and North East Somerset Bristol
Buying a home Expensive 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 Bristol (£39,509) is 2% lower than in Bath and North East Somerset (£40,448), while a typical terraced house costs 6% more (£380,000 against £357,500). Set against local pay, Bath and North East Somerset is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.8× annual pay in Bath and North East Somerset and 9.6× in Bristol. Renting one takes 60% of pay in Bath and North East Somerset and 61% in Bristol. Buying is harder in Bristol; renting is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bath and North East Somerset is the 67th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bath and North East Somerset is the 16th most expensive of 316 areas and Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bath and North East Somerset would need about £42,500 in Bristol to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £39,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bristol 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 79.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bath and North East Somerset and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in Bristol. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.5 per 1,000 in Bath and North East Somerset against 9.8 in Bristol.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bath and North East Somerset Bristol
Median full-time pay £40,448 £39,509
House price ÷ pay 8.8× 9.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 57% 52%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 60% 61%

Buying, by property type

Type Bath and North East Somerset Bristol Difference
Detached £570,000 £536,500 -6% in Bristol
Semi-detached £400,000 £370,000 -8% in Bristol
Terraced £357,500 £380,000 +6% in Bristol
Flat £280,500 £265,000 -6% in Bristol

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bath and North East Somerset Bristol Difference
Detached £2,399 £2,106 -12% in Bristol
Semi-detached £2,003 £2,091 +4% in Bristol
Terraced £2,021 £2,008 -1% in Bristol
Flat £1,392 £1,508 +8% in Bristol

Crime

Police recorded 79.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bath and North East Somerset and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in Bristol.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bath and North East Somerset Bristol Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 79.1 131.0 +66% in Bristol
Violence against the person 31.5 47.4 +51% in Bristol
Sexual offences 3.1 5.2 +65% in Bristol
Robbery 1.2 3.0 +153% in Bristol
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.0 9.2 +52% in Bristol
Vehicle offences 3.5 9.8 +181% in Bristol
Theft from the person 0.4 0.8 +111% in Bristol
Criminal damage and arson 6.1 10.7 +76% in Bristol

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.

Bath and North East Somerset: 204Bristol: 227
House prices in Bath and North East Somerset and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bath and North East Somerset now 204, Bristol now 227.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bath and North East Somerset and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bath and North East Somerset now 204, Bristol now 227.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBath and North East SomersetBristol
2005100100
2006104108
2007115121
2008111116
2009101103
2010112112
2011112112
2012115114
2013119118
2014126131
2015135144
2016148164
2017155173
2018162180
2019159182
2020165189
2021178201
2022200222
2023201225
2024203224
2025203227
12 months to July 2026204227

In 2005 the average home cost £202,782 in Bath and North East Somerset and £154,224 in Bristol. Now it is £412,867 and £350,147: Bath and North East Somerset is up 104% and Bristol is up 127%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, 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.

Bath and North East Somerset: 10.2 years of payBristol: 8.9 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bath and North East Somerset and BristolBath and North East Somerset now 10.2, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bath and North East Somerset and BristolBath and North East Somerset now 10.2, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBath and North East SomersetBristol
20058.8 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20108.6 years of pay6.8 years of pay
20159.7 years of pay8.1 years of pay
202010.8 years of pay9.0 years of pay
202510.2 years of pay8.9 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.8 years of pay in Bath and North East Somerset and 7.0 years in Bristol. In 2025 it was 10.2 years and 8.9 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bristol over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bath and North East Somerset: 173Bristol: 177
Rents in Bath and North East Somerset and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bath and North East Somerset now 173, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bath and North East Somerset and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bath and North East Somerset now 173, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBath and North East SomersetBristol
2015100100
2016105108
2017114115
2018117118
2019118120
2020119125
2021120131
2022129143
2023136155
2024145165
2025160168
August 2026173177

In 2015 the average rent was £1,091 a month in Bath and North East Somerset and £1,064 in Bristol. Now it is £1,885 and £1,883: up 73% in Bath and North East Somerset and up 77% in Bristol.

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 Bath and North East Somerset to Bristol

Earning in Bath and North East Somerset Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £32,000 £30,000
£40,000 £42,500 £39,500
£50,000 £53,000 £49,500
£60,000 £64,000 £59,500

Moving from Bristol to Bath and North East Somerset

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Bath and North East Somerset Equivalent to rent in Bath and North East Somerset
£30,000 £28,000 £30,000
£40,000 £37,500 £40,500
£50,000 £47,000 £50,500
£60,000 £56,500 £60,500
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 Bath and North East Somerset figures · All Bristol figures