Brentwood vs Cambridge: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £67,500 (16%) more in Cambridge than in Brentwood. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cambridge: it takes 11.3× median annual pay, against 8.9× in Brentwood.
At a glance
| Brentwood | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 Cambridge (£43,741) is 8% lower than in Brentwood (£47,494), while a typical terraced house costs 16% more (£492,500 against £425,000). Set against local pay, Brentwood is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.9× annual pay in Brentwood and 11.3× in Cambridge. Renting one takes 40% of pay in Brentwood and 50% in Cambridge. Both are harder in Cambridge, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Brentwood is the 39th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Cambridge is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Brentwood is the 72nd most expensive of 316 areas and Cambridge is the 28th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Brentwood would need about £46,500 in Cambridge to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £47,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Cambridge 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 64.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Brentwood and 91.7 in Cambridge, so recorded crime per resident is 43% higher in Cambridge. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 7.4 per 1,000 in Brentwood against 4.2 in Cambridge.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Brentwood | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £47,494 | £43,741 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.9× | 11.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 56% | 44% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 40% | 50% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Brentwood | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £826,000 | £810,153 | -2% in Cambridge |
| Semi-detached | £530,000 | £550,138 | +4% in Cambridge |
| Terraced | £425,000 | £492,500 | +16% in Cambridge |
| Flat | £285,000 | £320,000 | +12% in Cambridge |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Brentwood | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,202 | £2,342 | +6% in Cambridge |
| Semi-detached | £1,783 | £2,008 | +13% in Cambridge |
| Terraced | £1,566 | £1,833 | +17% in Cambridge |
| Flat | £1,275 | £1,455 | +14% in Cambridge |
Crime
Police recorded 64.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Brentwood and 91.7 in Cambridge, so recorded crime per resident is 43% higher in Cambridge.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Brentwood | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 64.0 | 91.7 | +43% in Cambridge |
| Violence against the person | 21.3 | 27.4 | +29% in Cambridge |
| Sexual offences | 1.8 | 3.0 | +70% in Cambridge |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 1.2 | +144% in Cambridge |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.4 | 6.8 | +53% in Cambridge |
| Vehicle offences | 7.4 | 4.2 | -43% in Cambridge |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 2.3 | +500% in Cambridge |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.5 | 7.0 | +57% in Cambridge |
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 | Brentwood | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 111 |
| 2007 | 115 | 124 |
| 2008 | 114 | 116 |
| 2009 | 105 | 111 |
| 2010 | 115 | 123 |
| 2011 | 114 | 126 |
| 2012 | 115 | 135 |
| 2013 | 120 | 147 |
| 2014 | 134 | 163 |
| 2015 | 146 | 184 |
| 2016 | 167 | 193 |
| 2017 | 178 | 199 |
| 2018 | 180 | 201 |
| 2019 | 179 | 198 |
| 2020 | 180 | 201 |
| 2021 | 187 | 200 |
| 2022 | 200 | 221 |
| 2023 | 197 | 219 |
| 2024 | 196 | 217 |
| 2025 | 204 | 214 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 205 | 211 |
In 2005 the average home cost £252,551 in Brentwood and £225,245 in Cambridge. Now it is £517,751 and £475,300: Brentwood is up 105% and Cambridge is up 111%. Prices have risen faster in Cambridge, 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 | Brentwood | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 8.0 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.3 years of pay | 13.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.4 years of pay | 13.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.8 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 8.0 years of pay in Brentwood and 9.0 years in Cambridge. In 2025 it was 10.8 years and 11.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Brentwood 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 | Brentwood | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 107 |
| 2017 | 110 | 109 |
| 2018 | 111 | 109 |
| 2019 | 111 | 111 |
| 2020 | 112 | 112 |
| 2021 | 116 | 114 |
| 2022 | 121 | 119 |
| 2023 | 126 | 127 |
| 2024 | 135 | 137 |
| 2025 | 140 | 145 |
| August 2026 | 143 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,132 a month in Brentwood and £1,223 in Cambridge. Now it is £1,620 and £1,805: up 43% in Brentwood and up 48% in Cambridge.
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 Brentwood to Cambridge
| Earning in Brentwood | Equivalent to buy in Cambridge | Equivalent to rent in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,000 | £35,000 |
| £40,000 | £46,500 | £47,000 |
| £50,000 | £58,000 | £58,500 |
| £60,000 | £69,500 | £70,000 |
Moving from Cambridge to Brentwood
| Earning in Cambridge | Equivalent to buy in Brentwood | Equivalent to rent in Brentwood |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £25,500 |
| £40,000 | £34,500 | £34,000 |
| £50,000 | £43,000 | £42,500 |
| £60,000 | £52,000 | £51,500 |