Brent vs Merton: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £10,000 (2%) more in Brent than in Merton. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Brent: it takes 16.9× median annual pay, against 13.1× in Merton.
At a glance
| Brent | Merton | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Low |
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 Merton (£50,844) is 27% higher than in Brent (£39,944), while a typical terraced house costs 1% less (£665,000 against £675,000). Set against local pay, Merton is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 16.9× annual pay in Brent and 13.1× in Merton. Renting one takes 70% of pay in Brent and 58% in Merton. Both are harder in Brent, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Brent is the 4th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Merton is the 40th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Brent is the 11th most expensive of 316 areas and Merton is the 22nd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Brent would need about £39,500 in Merton to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Merton 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 89.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Brent and 59.3 in Merton, so recorded crime per resident is 34% lower in Merton. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 10.1 per 1,000 in Brent against 6.8 in Merton.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Brent | Merton |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,944 | £50,844 |
| House price ÷ pay | 16.9× | 13.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 30% | 38% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 70% | 58% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Brent | Merton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £660,000 | £840,000 | +27% in Merton |
| Terraced | £675,000 | £665,000 | -1% in Merton |
| Flat | £420,000 | £389,000 | -7% in Merton |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Brent | Merton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £2,628 | £2,967 | +13% in Merton |
| Terraced | £2,332 | £2,462 | +6% in Merton |
| Flat | £1,801 | £1,931 | +7% in Merton |
Crime
Police recorded 89.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Brent and 59.3 in Merton, so recorded crime per resident is 34% lower in Merton.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Brent | Merton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 89.3 | 59.3 | -34% in Merton |
| Violence against the person | 27.8 | 19.6 | -29% in Merton |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 2.5 | -2% in Merton |
| Robbery | 3.7 | 1.6 | -56% in Merton |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 10.1 | 6.8 | -32% in Merton |
| Vehicle offences | 7.4 | 5.7 | -23% in Merton |
| Theft from the person | 5.2 | 1.4 | -74% in Merton |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.5 | 4.5 | -18% in Merton |
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 | Brent | Merton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 104 |
| 2007 | 119 | 121 |
| 2008 | 121 | 122 |
| 2009 | 109 | 110 |
| 2010 | 120 | 122 |
| 2011 | 124 | 124 |
| 2012 | 130 | 129 |
| 2013 | 141 | 140 |
| 2014 | 163 | 171 |
| 2015 | 182 | 186 |
| 2016 | 203 | 203 |
| 2017 | 202 | 208 |
| 2018 | 204 | 208 |
| 2019 | 196 | 205 |
| 2020 | 202 | 213 |
| 2021 | 203 | 220 |
| 2022 | 216 | 228 |
| 2023 | 215 | 230 |
| 2024 | 217 | 229 |
| 2025 | 216 | 234 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 212 | 234 |
In 2005 the average home cost £260,579 in Brent and £263,240 in Merton. Now it is £551,875 and £615,908: Brent is up 112% and Merton is up 134%. Prices have risen faster in Merton, 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 | Brent | Merton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10.6 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 11.5 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 16.0 years of pay | 14.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 15.4 years of pay | 13.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 14.1 years of pay | 12.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 10.6 years of pay in Brent and 9.0 years in Merton. In 2025 it was 14.1 years and 12.1 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 | Brent | Merton |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 105 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 107 | 105 |
| 2019 | 107 | 106 |
| 2020 | 105 | 110 |
| 2021 | 106 | 110 |
| 2022 | 107 | 114 |
| 2023 | 113 | 121 |
| 2024 | 145 | 130 |
| 2025 | 144 | 139 |
| August 2026 | 145 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,389 a month in Brent and £1,478 in Merton. Now it is £2,014 and £2,172: up 45% in Brent and up 47% in Merton.
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 Brent to Merton
| Earning in Brent | Equivalent to buy in Merton | Equivalent to rent in Merton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £39,500 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £49,500 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £59,000 | £63,500 |
Moving from Merton to Brent
| Earning in Merton | Equivalent to buy in Brent | Equivalent to rent in Brent |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £40,500 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,000 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,000 | £57,000 |