Blaenau Gwent vs Bristol: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £255,000 (204%) more in Bristol than in Blaenau Gwent. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 3.6× in Blaenau Gwent.
At a glance
| Blaenau Gwent | Bristol | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Affordable | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 14% higher than in Blaenau Gwent (£34,797), while a typical terraced house costs 204% more (£380,000 against £125,000). Set against local pay, Blaenau Gwent is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.6× annual pay in Blaenau Gwent and 9.6× in Bristol. Renting one takes 22% of pay in Blaenau Gwent and 61% in Bristol. Both are harder in Bristol, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Blaenau Gwent is the least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Blaenau Gwent is the 25th least expensive of 316 areas and Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Blaenau Gwent would need about £121,500 in Bristol to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £124,500 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 114.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blaenau Gwent and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 14% higher in Bristol. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 17.1 per 1,000 in Blaenau Gwent against 10.7 in Bristol.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Blaenau Gwent | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £34,797 | £39,509 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.6× | 9.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 139% | 52% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 22% | 61% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Blaenau Gwent | Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £185,000 | £370,000 | +100% in Bristol |
| Terraced | £125,000 | £380,000 | +204% in Bristol |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Blaenau Gwent | Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £720 | £2,091 | +190% in Bristol |
| Terraced | £646 | £2,008 | +211% in Bristol |
Crime
Police recorded 114.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Blaenau Gwent and 131.0 in Bristol, so recorded crime per resident is 14% higher in Bristol.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Blaenau Gwent | Bristol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.5 | 131.0 | +14% in Bristol |
| Violence against the person | 45.0 | 47.4 | +5% in Bristol |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 5.2 | +17% in Bristol |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 3.0 | +363% in Bristol |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.8 | 9.2 | +19% in Bristol |
| Vehicle offences | 7.3 | 9.8 | +34% in Bristol |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 0.8 | +700% in Bristol |
| Criminal damage and arson | 17.1 | 10.7 | -37% 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 | Blaenau Gwent | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 108 |
| 2007 | 115 | 121 |
| 2008 | 111 | 116 |
| 2009 | 98 | 103 |
| 2010 | 99 | 112 |
| 2011 | 94 | 112 |
| 2012 | 92 | 114 |
| 2013 | 92 | 118 |
| 2014 | 92 | 131 |
| 2015 | 97 | 144 |
| 2016 | 104 | 164 |
| 2017 | 108 | 173 |
| 2018 | 113 | 180 |
| 2019 | 121 | 182 |
| 2020 | 125 | 189 |
| 2021 | 144 | 201 |
| 2022 | 167 | 222 |
| 2023 | 168 | 225 |
| 2024 | 172 | 224 |
| 2025 | 179 | 227 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 184 | 227 |
In 2005 the average home cost £76,002 in Blaenau Gwent and £154,224 in Bristol. Now it is £139,791 and £350,147: Blaenau Gwent is up 84% and Bristol is up 127%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 | Blaenau Gwent | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.5 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 3.9 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 3.2 years of pay | 8.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 3.6 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 3.9 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.5 years of pay in Blaenau Gwent and 7.0 years in Bristol. In 2025 it was 3.9 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 | Blaenau Gwent | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 100 | 108 |
| 2017 | 100 | 115 |
| 2018 | 101 | 118 |
| 2019 | 101 | 120 |
| 2020 | 102 | 125 |
| 2021 | 108 | 131 |
| 2022 | 119 | 143 |
| 2023 | 131 | 155 |
| 2024 | 142 | 165 |
| 2025 | 155 | 168 |
| August 2026 | 166 | 177 |
In 2015 the average rent was £410 a month in Blaenau Gwent and £1,064 in Bristol. Now it is £681 and £1,883: up 66% in Blaenau Gwent 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 Blaenau Gwent to Bristol
| Earning in Blaenau Gwent | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £91,000 | £93,500 |
| £40,000 | £121,500 | £124,500 |
| £50,000 | £152,000 | £155,500 |
| £60,000 | £182,500 | £186,500 |
Moving from Bristol to Blaenau Gwent
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Blaenau Gwent | Equivalent to rent in Blaenau Gwent |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £10,000 | £9,500 |
| £40,000 | £13,000 | £13,000 |
| £50,000 | £16,500 | £16,000 |
| £60,000 | £19,500 | £19,500 |