Bedford vs Bristol: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £85,000 (29%) more in Bristol than in Bedford. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 7.2× in Bedford.
At a glance
| Bedford | Bristol | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | 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 4% lower than in Bedford (£41,214), while a typical terraced house costs 29% more (£380,000 against £295,000). Set against local pay, Bedford is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.2× annual pay in Bedford and 9.6× in Bristol. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Bedford and 61% in Bristol. Both are harder in Bristol, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bedford is the 120th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bedford is around the middle of 316 areas (146th most expensive) and Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bedford would need about £51,500 in Bristol to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £70,000 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 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 71% higher in Bristol. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.1 per 1,000 in Bedford against 9.2 in Bristol.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bedford | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,214 | £39,509 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.2× | 9.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 70% | 52% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 61% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bedford | Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £489,000 | £536,500 | +10% in Bristol |
| Semi-detached | £343,688 | £370,000 | +8% in Bristol |
| Terraced | £295,000 | £380,000 | +29% in Bristol |
| Flat | £185,000 | £265,000 | +43% in Bristol |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bedford | Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,599 | £2,106 | +32% in Bristol |
| Semi-detached | £1,313 | £2,091 | +59% in Bristol |
| Terraced | £1,147 | £2,008 | +75% in Bristol |
| Flat | £915 | £1,508 | +65% in Bristol |
Crime
Police recorded 76.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bedford and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 71% higher in Bristol.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bedford | Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.7 | 131.0 | +71% in Bristol |
| Violence against the person | 29.1 | 47.4 | +63% in Bristol |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 5.2 | +59% in Bristol |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 3.0 | +187% in Bristol |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 9.2 | +125% in Bristol |
| Vehicle offences | 5.7 | 9.8 | +72% in Bristol |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.8 | +51% in Bristol |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.2 | 10.7 | +72% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 108 |
| 2007 | 112 | 121 |
| 2008 | 110 | 116 |
| 2009 | 97 | 103 |
| 2010 | 103 | 112 |
| 2011 | 103 | 112 |
| 2012 | 105 | 114 |
| 2013 | 107 | 118 |
| 2014 | 117 | 131 |
| 2015 | 128 | 144 |
| 2016 | 145 | 164 |
| 2017 | 157 | 173 |
| 2018 | 163 | 180 |
| 2019 | 161 | 182 |
| 2020 | 160 | 189 |
| 2021 | 170 | 201 |
| 2022 | 187 | 222 |
| 2023 | 190 | 225 |
| 2024 | 189 | 224 |
| 2025 | 195 | 227 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 200 | 227 |
In 2005 the average home cost £164,542 in Bedford and £154,224 in Bristol. Now it is £328,694 and £350,147: Bedford is up 100% 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.1 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.5 years of pay | 8.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.6 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.8 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Bedford and 7.0 years in Bristol. In 2025 it was 7.8 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bedford | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 108 |
| 2017 | 114 | 115 |
| 2018 | 118 | 118 |
| 2019 | 118 | 120 |
| 2020 | 119 | 125 |
| 2021 | 122 | 131 |
| 2022 | 130 | 143 |
| 2023 | 136 | 155 |
| 2024 | 144 | 165 |
| 2025 | 157 | 168 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 177 |
In 2015 the average rent was £718 a month in Bedford and £1,064 in Bristol. Now it is £1,173 and £1,883: up 63% in Bedford and up 77% in Bristol. Rents have risen faster 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 Bedford to Bristol
| Earning in Bedford | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,500 | £52,500 |
| £40,000 | £51,500 | £70,000 |
| £50,000 | £64,500 | £87,500 |
| £60,000 | £77,500 | £105,000 |
Moving from Bristol to Bedford
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Bedford | Equivalent to rent in Bedford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,500 | £17,000 |
| £40,000 | £31,000 | £23,000 |
| £50,000 | £39,000 | £28,500 |
| £60,000 | £46,500 | £34,500 |