Bristol vs Cambridge: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £112,500 (30%) more in Cambridge than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cambridge: it takes 11.3× median annual pay, against 9.6× in Bristol.
At a glance
| Bristol | Cambridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very 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 Cambridge (£43,741) is 11% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 30% more (£492,500 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 11.3× in Cambridge. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 50% in Cambridge. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Cambridge, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Bristol.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Cambridge is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Cambridge is the 28th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £52,000 in Cambridge to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,500 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 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 91.7 in Cambridge, so recorded crime per resident is 30% lower in Cambridge. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 4.2 in Cambridge.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £43,741 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 11.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 44% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 50% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £810,153 | +51% in Cambridge |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £550,138 | +49% in Cambridge |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £492,500 | +30% in Cambridge |
| Flat | £265,000 | £320,000 | +21% in Cambridge |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £2,342 | +11% in Cambridge |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £2,008 | -4% in Cambridge |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £1,833 | -9% in Cambridge |
| Flat | £1,508 | £1,455 | -4% in Cambridge |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 91.7 in Cambridge, so recorded crime per resident is 30% lower in Cambridge.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | Cambridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 91.7 | -30% in Cambridge |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 27.4 | -42% in Cambridge |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 3.0 | -42% in Cambridge |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 1.2 | -59% in Cambridge |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 6.8 | -27% in Cambridge |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 4.2 | -57% in Cambridge |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 2.3 | +192% in Cambridge |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 7.0 | -34% 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 | Bristol | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 111 |
| 2007 | 121 | 124 |
| 2008 | 116 | 116 |
| 2009 | 103 | 111 |
| 2010 | 112 | 123 |
| 2011 | 112 | 126 |
| 2012 | 114 | 135 |
| 2013 | 118 | 147 |
| 2014 | 131 | 163 |
| 2015 | 144 | 184 |
| 2016 | 164 | 193 |
| 2017 | 173 | 199 |
| 2018 | 180 | 201 |
| 2019 | 182 | 198 |
| 2020 | 189 | 201 |
| 2021 | 201 | 200 |
| 2022 | 222 | 221 |
| 2023 | 225 | 219 |
| 2024 | 224 | 217 |
| 2025 | 227 | 214 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 211 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £225,245 in Cambridge. Now it is £350,147 and £475,300: Bristol is up 127% and Cambridge is up 111%. 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 13.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 13.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 6.8 years of pay in Bristol and 9.0 years in Cambridge. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 11.0 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 | Bristol | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 107 |
| 2017 | 115 | 109 |
| 2018 | 118 | 109 |
| 2019 | 120 | 111 |
| 2020 | 125 | 112 |
| 2021 | 131 | 114 |
| 2022 | 143 | 119 |
| 2023 | 155 | 127 |
| 2024 | 165 | 137 |
| 2025 | 168 | 145 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £1,223 in Cambridge. Now it is £1,883 and £1,805: up 77% in Bristol and up 48% in Cambridge. 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 Cambridge
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Cambridge | Equivalent to rent in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £39,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £52,000 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £65,000 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £78,000 | £55,000 |
Moving from Cambridge to Bristol
| Earning in Cambridge | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,000 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £31,000 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £38,500 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £46,500 | £65,500 |