Boston vs Chesterfield: buying or renting a home
A typical semi-detached house costs £31,035 (19%) more in Chesterfield than in Boston. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Boston | Chesterfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above 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 Chesterfield (£35,920) is 21% higher than in Boston (£29,805), while a typical semi-detached house costs 19% more (£192,000 against £160,965).
Buying a semi-detached house takes 5.4× annual pay in Boston and 5.3× in Chesterfield. Renting one takes 35% of pay in Boston and 27% in Chesterfield. Renting is harder in Boston; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Boston is the 112th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Chesterfield is the 43rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Boston is around the middle of 316 areas (165th most expensive) and Chesterfield is the 36th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Boston would need about £47,500 in Chesterfield to be equally placed to buy a semi-detached house, and about £37,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Chesterfield 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 88.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Boston and 100.8 in Chesterfield, so recorded crime per resident is 14% higher in Chesterfield. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 8.3 per 1,000 in Boston against 4.6 in Chesterfield.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Semi-detached house | Boston | Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £29,805 | £35,920 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.4× | 5.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 93% | 94% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 35% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Boston | Chesterfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £253,000 | £325,000 | +28% in Chesterfield |
| Semi-detached | £160,965 | £192,000 | +19% in Chesterfield |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Boston | Chesterfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,035 | £978 | -6% in Chesterfield |
| Semi-detached | £861 | £810 | -6% in Chesterfield |
Crime
Police recorded 88.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Boston and 100.8 in Chesterfield, so recorded crime per resident is 14% higher in Chesterfield.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Boston | Chesterfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 88.4 | 100.8 | +14% in Chesterfield |
| Violence against the person | 34.1 | 45.1 | +32% in Chesterfield |
| Sexual offences | 4.0 | 3.9 | -3% in Chesterfield |
| Robbery | 1.3 | 1.1 | -18% in Chesterfield |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 8.3 | 4.6 | -44% in Chesterfield |
| Vehicle offences | 3.1 | 4.3 | +38% in Chesterfield |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 0.8 | +124% in Chesterfield |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.4 | 8.7 | +3% in Chesterfield |
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 | Boston | Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 107 |
| 2007 | 113 | 114 |
| 2008 | 108 | 112 |
| 2009 | 95 | 99 |
| 2010 | 98 | 102 |
| 2011 | 98 | 100 |
| 2012 | 94 | 102 |
| 2013 | 95 | 103 |
| 2014 | 103 | 109 |
| 2015 | 110 | 113 |
| 2016 | 115 | 119 |
| 2017 | 118 | 125 |
| 2018 | 123 | 130 |
| 2019 | 126 | 132 |
| 2020 | 128 | 136 |
| 2021 | 138 | 149 |
| 2022 | 153 | 161 |
| 2023 | 154 | 164 |
| 2024 | 151 | 162 |
| 2025 | 151 | 168 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 153 | 171 |
In 2005 the average home cost £120,538 in Boston and £117,169 in Chesterfield. Now it is £184,684 and £199,810: Boston is up 53% and Chesterfield is up 71%. Prices have risen faster in Chesterfield, 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 | Boston | Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 5.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.5 years of pay | 5.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Boston and 5.3 years in Chesterfield. In 2025 it was 6.1 years and 5.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Chesterfield 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 | Boston | Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 100 |
| 2017 | 104 | 104 |
| 2018 | 106 | 106 |
| 2019 | 109 | 109 |
| 2020 | 108 | 111 |
| 2021 | 110 | 115 |
| 2022 | 115 | 120 |
| 2023 | 121 | 122 |
| 2024 | 131 | 134 |
| 2025 | 139 | 143 |
| August 2026 | 143 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £563 a month in Boston and £508 in Chesterfield. Now it is £806 and £758: up 43% in Boston and up 49% in Chesterfield. Rents have risen faster in Chesterfield.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (semi-detached), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Boston to Chesterfield
| Earning in Boston | Equivalent to buy in Chesterfield | Equivalent to rent in Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,000 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,500 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £71,500 | £56,500 |
Moving from Chesterfield to Boston
| Earning in Chesterfield | Equivalent to buy in Boston | Equivalent to rent in Boston |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £42,000 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £50,500 | £64,000 |