Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Bromley: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £135,000 (36%) more in Bromley than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bromley: it takes 10.1× median annual pay, against 9.6× in Bristol.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Bromley, terraced
£515,000
Income typically needed: £103,000
Median full-time pay: £51,225

At a glance

Bristol Bromley
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime High 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 Bromley (£51,225) is 30% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 36% more (£515,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Bristol is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.6× annual pay in Bristol and 10.1× in Bromley. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 45% in Bromley. Renting is harder in Bristol; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Bromley is the 48th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Bromley is the 88th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £54,000 in Bromley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Bromley 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 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 69.1 in Bromley, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in Bromley. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 47.4 per 1,000 in Bristol against 20.1 in Bromley.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Bromley
Median full-time pay £39,509 £51,225
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 10.1×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 50%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 45%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Bromley Difference
Detached £536,500 £860,000 +60% in Bromley
Semi-detached £370,000 £625,000 +69% in Bromley
Terraced £380,000 £515,000 +36% in Bromley
Flat £265,000 £335,000 +26% in Bromley

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Bromley Difference
Detached £2,106 £2,897 +38% in Bromley
Semi-detached £2,091 £2,159 +3% in Bromley
Terraced £2,008 £1,913 -5% in Bromley
Flat £1,508 £1,511 +0% in Bromley

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 69.1 in Bromley, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in Bromley.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Bromley Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 69.1 -47% in Bromley
Violence against the person 47.4 20.1 -58% in Bromley
Sexual offences 5.2 2.3 -56% in Bromley
Robbery 3.0 1.9 -36% in Bromley
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 6.4 -30% in Bromley
Vehicle offences 9.8 9.5 -3% in Bromley
Theft from the person 0.8 1.6 +98% in Bromley
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 6.2 -42% in Bromley

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.

Bristol: 227Bromley: 212
House prices in Bristol and Bromley since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Bromley now 212.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Bromley since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Bromley now 212.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolBromley
2005100100
2006108104
2007121116
2008116116
2009103104
2010112113
2011112115
2012114118
2013118124
2014131145
2015144161
2016164178
2017173184
2018180185
2019182182
2020189181
2021201195
2022222210
2023225208
2024224204
2025227213
12 months to July 2026227212

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £243,927 in Bromley. Now it is £350,147 and £518,218: Bristol is up 127% and Bromley is up 112%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, 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.

Bristol: 8.9 years of payBromley: 10.1 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and BromleyBristol now 8.9, Bromley now 10.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and BromleyBristol now 8.9, Bromley now 10.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolBromley
20057.0 years of pay7.9 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay8.0 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay10.7 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay10.1 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay10.1 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 7.9 years in Bromley. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 10.1 years.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Bristol: 177Bromley: 145
Rents in Bristol and Bromley since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Bromley now 145.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Bromley since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Bromley now 145.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolBromley
2015100100
2016108104
2017115106
2018118106
2019120107
2020125109
2021131112
2022143117
2023155123
2024165133
2025168140
August 2026177145

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £1,163 in Bromley. Now it is £1,883 and £1,684: up 77% in Bristol and up 45% in Bromley. 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 Bristol to Bromley

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Bromley Equivalent to rent in Bromley
£30,000 £40,500 £28,500
£40,000 £54,000 £38,000
£50,000 £68,000 £47,500
£60,000 £81,500 £57,000

Moving from Bromley to Bristol

Earning in Bromley Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £22,000 £31,500
£40,000 £29,500 £42,000
£50,000 £37,000 £52,500
£60,000 £44,500 £63,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Bristol figures · All Bromley figures