Blaby vs Charnwood: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £5,000 (2%) more in Blaby than in Charnwood. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Blaby | Charnwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Charnwood (£38,078) is 1% lower than in Blaby (£38,279), while a typical terraced house costs 2% less (£215,000 against £220,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 5.7× annual pay in Blaby and 5.6× in Charnwood. Renting one takes 31% of pay in Blaby and 29% in Charnwood. Renting is harder in Blaby; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Blaby is around the middle of 316 areas (167th most expensive) to buy in, and Charnwood is around the middle of 316 areas (183rd most expensive). For renting against pay, Blaby is around the middle of 316 areas (183rd most expensive) and Charnwood is the 126th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Blaby would need about £39,000 in Charnwood 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 Charnwood 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 59.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blaby and 67.9 in Charnwood, so recorded crime per resident is 15% higher in Charnwood. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 5.5 per 1,000 in Blaby against 7.7 in Charnwood.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Blaby | Charnwood |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,279 | £38,078 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.7× | 5.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 87% | 89% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 31% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Blaby | Charnwood | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £366,500 | £393,000 | +7% in Charnwood |
| Semi-detached | £266,000 | £261,000 | -2% in Charnwood |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £215,000 | -2% in Charnwood |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Blaby | Charnwood | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,329 | £1,276 | -4% in Charnwood |
| Semi-detached | £1,026 | £1,008 | -2% in Charnwood |
| Terraced | £994 | £931 | -6% in Charnwood |
Crime
Police recorded 59.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blaby and 67.9 in Charnwood, so recorded crime per resident is 15% higher in Charnwood.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Blaby | Charnwood | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 59.2 | 67.9 | +15% in Charnwood |
| Violence against the person | 21.5 | 24.1 | +12% in Charnwood |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 2.8 | -12% in Charnwood |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.5 | +44% in Charnwood |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.5 | 7.1 | +9% in Charnwood |
| Vehicle offences | 3.6 | 4.4 | +21% in Charnwood |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 0.5 | +27% in Charnwood |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.5 | 7.7 | +38% in Charnwood |
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 | Blaby | Charnwood |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 103 | 104 |
| 2007 | 109 | 112 |
| 2008 | 106 | 106 |
| 2009 | 96 | 97 |
| 2010 | 102 | 103 |
| 2011 | 101 | 102 |
| 2012 | 100 | 100 |
| 2013 | 101 | 102 |
| 2014 | 109 | 109 |
| 2015 | 115 | 114 |
| 2016 | 122 | 121 |
| 2017 | 131 | 126 |
| 2018 | 141 | 134 |
| 2019 | 144 | 138 |
| 2020 | 149 | 142 |
| 2021 | 160 | 152 |
| 2022 | 177 | 169 |
| 2023 | 181 | 173 |
| 2024 | 182 | 170 |
| 2025 | 181 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 180 |
In 2005 the average home cost £156,658 in Blaby and £152,252 in Charnwood. Now it is £287,387 and £273,407: Blaby is up 83% and Charnwood is up 80%.
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 | Blaby | Charnwood |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.3 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.8 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.6 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.4 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.3 years of pay in Blaby and 6.7 years in Charnwood. In 2025 it was 7.4 years and 7.1 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Blaby 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 | Blaby | Charnwood |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 103 |
| 2017 | 107 | 107 |
| 2018 | 110 | 109 |
| 2019 | 113 | 112 |
| 2020 | 115 | 115 |
| 2021 | 117 | 118 |
| 2022 | 123 | 121 |
| 2023 | 130 | 129 |
| 2024 | 142 | 142 |
| 2025 | 154 | 155 |
| August 2026 | 164 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £607 a month in Blaby and £589 in Charnwood. Now it is £998 and £960: up 64% in Blaby and up 63% in Charnwood.
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 Blaby to Charnwood
| Earning in Blaby | Equivalent to buy in Charnwood | Equivalent to rent in Charnwood |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £49,000 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £56,000 |
Moving from Charnwood to Blaby
| Earning in Charnwood | Equivalent to buy in Blaby | Equivalent to rent in Blaby |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £51,000 | £53,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,500 | £64,000 |