Braintree vs Harlow: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £45,000 (16%) more in Harlow than in Braintree. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Harlow: it takes 8.7× median annual pay, against 7.3× in Braintree.
At a glance
| Braintree | Harlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | 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 Harlow (£38,380) is 3% lower than in Braintree (£39,712), while a typical terraced house costs 16% more (£335,000 against £290,000). Set against local pay, Braintree is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.3× annual pay in Braintree and 8.7× in Harlow. Renting one takes 36% of pay in Braintree and 47% in Harlow. Both are harder in Harlow, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Braintree is the 114th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Harlow is the 98th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Braintree is the 111th most expensive of 316 areas and Harlow is the 35th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Braintree would need about £46,000 in Harlow to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £51,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Harlow 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 53.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Braintree and 92.4 in Harlow, so recorded crime per resident is 73% higher in Harlow. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.7 per 1,000 in Braintree against 5.5 in Harlow.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Braintree | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,712 | £38,380 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.3× | 8.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 68% | 57% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 36% | 47% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Braintree | Harlow | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £490,000 | £537,000 | +10% in Harlow |
| Semi-detached | £345,000 | £425,000 | +23% in Harlow |
| Terraced | £290,000 | £335,000 | +16% in Harlow |
| Flat | £175,000 | £215,000 | +23% in Harlow |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Braintree | Harlow | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,682 | £2,182 | +30% in Harlow |
| Semi-detached | £1,302 | £1,684 | +29% in Harlow |
| Terraced | £1,184 | £1,508 | +27% in Harlow |
| Flat | £969 | £1,127 | +16% in Harlow |
Crime
Police recorded 53.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Braintree and 92.4 in Harlow, so recorded crime per resident is 73% higher in Harlow.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Braintree | Harlow | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 53.3 | 92.4 | +73% in Harlow |
| Violence against the person | 23.7 | 36.6 | +54% in Harlow |
| Sexual offences | 2.7 | 3.7 | +38% in Harlow |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 1.1 | +137% in Harlow |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.9 | 5.1 | +31% in Harlow |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 5.5 | +101% in Harlow |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.7 | +187% in Harlow |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.3 | 7.9 | +85% in Harlow |
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 | Braintree | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 113 | 111 |
| 2008 | 112 | 110 |
| 2009 | 97 | 99 |
| 2010 | 106 | 103 |
| 2011 | 105 | 105 |
| 2012 | 106 | 107 |
| 2013 | 108 | 110 |
| 2014 | 120 | 120 |
| 2015 | 130 | 138 |
| 2016 | 144 | 160 |
| 2017 | 156 | 170 |
| 2018 | 161 | 173 |
| 2019 | 159 | 172 |
| 2020 | 161 | 172 |
| 2021 | 167 | 176 |
| 2022 | 182 | 191 |
| 2023 | 184 | 194 |
| 2024 | 179 | 191 |
| 2025 | 182 | 189 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 192 |
In 2005 the average home cost £177,753 in Braintree and £162,541 in Harlow. Now it is £324,516 and £311,939: Braintree is up 83% and Harlow is up 92%. Prices have risen faster in Harlow, 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 | Braintree | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.3 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.9 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.6 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.1 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.3 years of pay in Braintree and 7.6 years in Harlow. In 2025 it was 8.1 years and 8.0 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Braintree | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 106 |
| 2017 | 109 | 112 |
| 2018 | 112 | 116 |
| 2019 | 115 | 119 |
| 2020 | 117 | 121 |
| 2021 | 121 | 126 |
| 2022 | 127 | 131 |
| 2023 | 137 | 134 |
| 2024 | 150 | 146 |
| 2025 | 161 | 159 |
| August 2026 | 164 | 168 |
In 2015 the average rent was £738 a month in Braintree and £908 in Harlow. Now it is £1,213 and £1,521: up 64% in Braintree and up 68% in Harlow.
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 Braintree to Harlow
| Earning in Braintree | Equivalent to buy in Harlow | Equivalent to rent in Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,500 | £38,000 |
| £40,000 | £46,000 | £51,000 |
| £50,000 | £58,000 | £63,500 |
| £60,000 | £69,500 | £76,500 |
Moving from Harlow to Braintree
| Earning in Harlow | Equivalent to buy in Braintree | Equivalent to rent in Braintree |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £34,500 | £31,500 |
| £50,000 | £43,500 | £39,500 |
| £60,000 | £52,000 | £47,000 |