Pay vs Place

Bexley vs Bristol: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £36,000 (9%) more in Bexley than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Bexley, terraced
£416,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £43,969
Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509

At a glance

Bexley Bristol
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Low 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 10% lower than in Bexley (£43,969), while a typical terraced house costs 9% less (£380,000 against £416,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 9.5× annual pay in Bexley and 9.6× in Bristol. Renting one takes 49% of pay in Bexley and 61% in Bristol. Renting is harder in Bristol; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bexley is the 61st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bexley is the 67th most expensive of 316 areas and Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bexley would need about £36,500 in Bristol to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £45,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bristol 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 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident in Bristol is 2.2 times the rate in Bexley. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.2 per 1,000 in Bexley against 5.2 in Bristol.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bexley Bristol
Median full-time pay £43,969 £39,509
House price ÷ pay 9.5× 9.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 53% 52%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 49% 61%

Buying, by property type

Type Bexley Bristol Difference
Detached £700,000 £536,500 -23% in Bristol
Semi-detached £500,000 £370,000 -26% in Bristol
Terraced £416,000 £380,000 -9% in Bristol
Flat £265,000 £265,000 0% in Bristol

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bexley Bristol Difference
Detached £2,268 £2,106 -7% in Bristol
Semi-detached £1,977 £2,091 +6% in Bristol
Terraced £1,790 £2,008 +12% in Bristol
Flat £1,387 £1,508 +9% in Bristol

Crime

Police recorded 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident in Bristol is 2.2 times the rate in Bexley.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bexley Bristol Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 60.2 131.0 +118% in Bristol
Violence against the person 20.6 47.4 +131% in Bristol
Sexual offences 2.2 5.2 +132% in Bristol
Robbery 1.3 3.0 +130% in Bristol
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.9 9.2 +57% in Bristol
Vehicle offences 6.2 9.8 +59% in Bristol
Theft from the person 0.8 0.8 +3% in Bristol
Criminal damage and arson 6.2 10.7 +71% 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.

Bexley: 219Bristol: 227
House prices in Bexley and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Bristol now 227.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bexley and Bristol since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Bristol now 227.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBexleyBristol
2005100100
2006103108
2007112121
2008113116
2009101103
2010108112
2011108112
2012109114
2013114118
2014131131
2015147144
2016172164
2017180173
2018184180
2019181182
2020184189
2021198201
2022215222
2023214225
2024215224
2025218227
12 months to July 2026219227

In 2005 the average home cost £186,507 in Bexley and £154,224 in Bristol. Now it is £409,139 and £350,147: Bexley is up 119% 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.

Bexley: 9.2 years of payBristol: 8.9 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bexley and BristolBexley now 9.2, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bexley and BristolBexley now 9.2, Bristol now 8.9 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyBristol
20056.9 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20106.4 years of pay6.8 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay8.1 years of pay
20208.6 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20259.2 years of pay8.9 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.9 years of pay in Bexley and 7.0 years in Bristol. In 2025 it was 9.2 years and 8.9 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bexley: 166Bristol: 177
Rents in Bexley and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bexley and Bristol since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Bristol now 177.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyBristol
2015100100
2016106108
2017109115
2018110118
2019112120
2020115125
2021121131
2022127143
2023135155
2024144165
2025160168
August 2026166177

In 2015 the average rent was £926 a month in Bexley and £1,064 in Bristol. Now it is £1,537 and £1,883: up 66% in Bexley 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 Bexley to Bristol

Earning in Bexley Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £27,500 £33,500
£40,000 £36,500 £45,000
£50,000 £45,500 £56,000
£60,000 £55,000 £67,500

Moving from Bristol to Bexley

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Bexley Equivalent to rent in Bexley
£30,000 £33,000 £26,500
£40,000 £44,000 £35,500
£50,000 £54,500 £44,500
£60,000 £65,500 £53,500
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 Bexley figures · All Bristol figures