Pay vs Place

Bexley vs Croydon: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £22,000 (5%) more in Croydon than in Bexley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Croydon: it takes 9.9× median annual pay, against 9.5× in Bexley.

Bexley, terraced
£416,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £43,969
Croydon, terraced
£438,000
Income typically needed: £87,500
Median full-time pay: £44,326

At a glance

Bexley Croydon
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Low 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 Croydon (£44,326) is 1% higher than in Bexley (£43,969), while a typical terraced house costs 5% more (£438,000 against £416,000). Set against local pay, Bexley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.5× annual pay in Bexley and 9.9× in Croydon. Renting one takes 49% of pay in Bexley and 49% in Croydon. On both measures the two areas are close.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bexley is the 61st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Croydon is the 69th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bexley is the 67th most expensive of 316 areas and Croydon is the 62nd most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bexley would need about £42,000 in Croydon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Croydon 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 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 80.4 in Croydon, so recorded crime per resident is 34% higher in Croydon. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.9 per 1,000 in Bexley against 8.2 in Croydon.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bexley Croydon
Median full-time pay £43,969 £44,326
House price ÷ pay 9.5× 9.9×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 53% 51%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 49% 49%

Buying, by property type

Type Bexley Croydon Difference
Detached £700,000 £713,000 +2% in Croydon
Semi-detached £500,000 £545,000 +9% in Croydon
Terraced £416,000 £438,000 +5% in Croydon
Flat £265,000 £275,000 +4% in Croydon

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bexley Croydon Difference
Detached £2,268 £2,623 +16% in Croydon
Semi-detached £1,977 £1,999 +1% in Croydon
Terraced £1,790 £1,797 +0% in Croydon
Flat £1,387 £1,437 +4% in Croydon

Crime

Police recorded 60.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bexley and 80.4 in Croydon, so recorded crime per resident is 34% higher in Croydon.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bexley Croydon Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 60.2 80.4 +34% in Croydon
Violence against the person 20.6 27.4 +34% in Croydon
Sexual offences 2.2 3.0 +36% in Croydon
Robbery 1.3 2.7 +105% in Croydon
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.9 8.2 +40% in Croydon
Vehicle offences 6.2 8.1 +31% in Croydon
Theft from the person 0.8 1.8 +131% in Croydon
Criminal damage and arson 6.2 6.1 -2% in Croydon

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: 219Croydon: 190
House prices in Bexley and Croydon since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Croydon now 190.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bexley and Croydon since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bexley now 219, Croydon now 190.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBexleyCroydon
2005100100
2006103104
2007112114
2008113115
2009101100
2010108107
2011108105
2012109109
2013114115
2014131134
2015147150
2016172174
2017180182
2018184181
2019181179
2020184183
2021198190
2022215200
2023214197
2024215192
2025218193
12 months to July 2026219190

In 2005 the average home cost £186,507 in Bexley and £207,244 in Croydon. Now it is £409,139 and £394,758: Bexley is up 119% and Croydon is up 90%. Prices have risen faster in Bexley, 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 payCroydon: 9.0 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bexley and CroydonBexley now 9.2, Croydon now 9.0 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bexley and CroydonBexley now 9.2, Croydon now 9.0 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyCroydon
20056.9 years of pay7.9 years of pay
20106.4 years of pay7.4 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay9.5 years of pay
20208.6 years of pay10.1 years of pay
20259.2 years of pay9.0 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.9 years of pay in Bexley and 7.9 years in Croydon. In 2025 it was 9.2 years and 9.0 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bexley over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bexley: 166Croydon: 149
Rents in Bexley and Croydon since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Croydon now 149.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bexley and Croydon since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bexley now 166, Croydon now 149.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBexleyCroydon
2015100100
2016106104
2017109106
2018110108
2019112108
2020115111
2021121114
2022127117
2023135121
2024144134
2025160143
August 2026166149

In 2015 the average rent was £926 a month in Bexley and £1,063 in Croydon. Now it is £1,537 and £1,582: up 66% in Bexley and up 49% in Croydon. Rents have risen faster in Bexley.

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 Croydon

Earning in Bexley Equivalent to buy in Croydon Equivalent to rent in Croydon
£30,000 £31,500 £30,000
£40,000 £42,000 £40,000
£50,000 £52,500 £50,000
£60,000 £63,000 £60,000

Moving from Croydon to Bexley

Earning in Croydon Equivalent to buy in Bexley Equivalent to rent in Bexley
£30,000 £28,500 £30,000
£40,000 £38,000 £40,000
£50,000 £47,500 £50,000
£60,000 £57,000 £60,000
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 Bexley figures · All Croydon figures