Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Dacorum: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £35,000 (9%) more in Dacorum than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Dacorum, terraced
£415,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £44,485

At a glance

Bristol Dacorum
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 Dacorum (£44,485) is 13% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 9% more (£415,000 against £380,000).

Buying a terraced house takes 9.6× annual pay in Bristol and 9.3× in Dacorum. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 41% in Dacorum. 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 Dacorum is the 50th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Dacorum is the 60th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £43,500 in Dacorum to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Dacorum 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 65.9 in Dacorum, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in Dacorum. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 4.8 in Dacorum.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Dacorum
Median full-time pay £39,509 £44,485
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 9.3×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 54%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 41%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Dacorum Difference
Detached £536,500 £795,000 +48% in Dacorum
Semi-detached £370,000 £540,000 +46% in Dacorum
Terraced £380,000 £415,000 +9% in Dacorum
Flat £265,000 £255,000 -4% in Dacorum

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Dacorum Difference
Detached £2,106 £2,195 +4% in Dacorum
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,737 -17% in Dacorum
Terraced £2,008 £1,527 -24% in Dacorum
Flat £1,508 £1,251 -17% in Dacorum

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 65.9 in Dacorum, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in Dacorum.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Dacorum Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 65.9 -50% in Dacorum
Violence against the person 47.4 25.7 -46% in Dacorum
Sexual offences 5.2 2.7 -48% in Dacorum
Robbery 3.0 0.8 -74% in Dacorum
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 6.4 -30% in Dacorum
Vehicle offences 9.8 4.8 -51% in Dacorum
Theft from the person 0.8 0.6 -28% in Dacorum
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 5.7 -47% in Dacorum

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: 227Dacorum: 213
House prices in Bristol and Dacorum since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Dacorum now 213.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Dacorum since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Dacorum now 213.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolDacorum
2005100100
2006108105
2007121116
2008116116
2009103104
2010112115
2011112115
2012114118
2013118121
2014131135
2015144151
2016164172
2017173180
2018180180
2019182178
2020189181
2021201192
2022222203
2023225205
2024224204
2025227212
12 months to July 2026227213

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £214,986 in Dacorum. Now it is £350,147 and £457,149: Bristol is up 127% and Dacorum is up 113%. 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 payDacorum: 10.2 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and DacorumBristol now 8.9, Dacorum now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and DacorumBristol now 8.9, Dacorum now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolDacorum
20057.0 years of pay7.9 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay8.4 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay10.2 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay11.1 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay10.2 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 7.9 years in Dacorum. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 10.2 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bristol: 177Dacorum: 149
Rents in Bristol and Dacorum since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Dacorum now 149.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Dacorum since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Dacorum now 149.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolDacorum
2015100100
2016108105
2017115110
2018118113
2019120113
2020125114
2021131117
2022143122
2023155129
2024165136
2025168146
August 2026177149

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £1,068 in Dacorum. Now it is £1,883 and £1,594: up 77% in Bristol and up 49% in Dacorum. 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 Dacorum

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Dacorum Equivalent to rent in Dacorum
£30,000 £33,000 £23,000
£40,000 £43,500 £30,500
£50,000 £54,500 £38,000
£60,000 £65,500 £45,500

Moving from Dacorum to Bristol

Earning in Dacorum Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £27,500 £39,500
£40,000 £36,500 £52,500
£50,000 £46,000 £65,500
£60,000 £55,000 £79,000
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 Dacorum figures