Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Dudley: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £170,000 (81%) more in Bristol than in Dudley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 5.9× in Dudley.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Dudley, terraced
£210,000
Income typically needed: £42,000
Median full-time pay: £35,486

At a glance

Bristol Dudley
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Fairly affordable
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 Dudley (£35,486) is 10% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 45% less (£210,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Dudley 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 5.9× in Dudley. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 29% in Dudley. Both are harder in Bristol, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Dudley is the 111th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Dudley is the 107th least expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £22,000 in Dudley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £17,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Dudley 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 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 74.5 in Dudley, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in Dudley. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 5.2 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.8 in Dudley.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Dudley
Median full-time pay £39,509 £35,486
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 5.9×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 84%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 29%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Dudley Difference
Detached £536,500 £360,000 -33% in Dudley
Semi-detached £370,000 £243,500 -34% in Dudley
Terraced £380,000 £210,000 -45% in Dudley
Flat £265,000 £132,500 -50% in Dudley

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Dudley Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,084 -49% in Dudley
Semi-detached £2,091 £913 -56% in Dudley
Terraced £2,008 £870 -57% in Dudley
Flat £1,508 £681 -55% in Dudley

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 74.5 in Dudley, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in Dudley.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Dudley Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 74.5 -43% in Dudley
Violence against the person 47.4 30.6 -35% in Dudley
Sexual offences 5.2 2.8 -46% in Dudley
Robbery 3.0 1.0 -66% in Dudley
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 7.7 -17% in Dudley
Vehicle offences 9.8 6.9 -29% in Dudley
Theft from the person 0.8 0.3 -61% in Dudley
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 6.4 -40% in Dudley

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: 227Dudley: 188
House prices in Bristol and Dudley since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Dudley now 188.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Dudley since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Dudley now 188.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolDudley
2005100100
2006108105
2007121111
2008116108
2009103100
2010112104
2011112100
2012114100
2013118101
2014131106
2015144110
2016164117
2017173124
2018180131
2019182136
2020189140
2021201156
2022222171
2023225177
2024224178
2025227184
12 months to July 2026227188

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £122,392 in Dudley. Now it is £350,147 and £229,956: Bristol is up 127% and Dudley is up 88%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, 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.

Bristol: 8.9 years of payDudley: 6.3 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and DudleyBristol now 8.9, Dudley now 6.3 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and DudleyBristol now 8.9, Dudley now 6.3 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolDudley
20057.0 years of pay6.1 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay5.3 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay5.5 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay6.3 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 6.1 years in Dudley. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 6.3 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Bristol over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Bristol: 177Dudley: 155
Rents in Bristol and Dudley since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Dudley now 155.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Dudley since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Dudley now 155.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolDudley
2015100100
2016108101
2017115103
2018118105
2019120108
2020125111
2021131117
2022143124
2023155132
2024165139
2025168147
August 2026177155

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £553 in Dudley. Now it is £1,883 and £858: up 77% in Bristol and up 55% in Dudley. 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 Dudley

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Dudley Equivalent to rent in Dudley
£30,000 £16,500 £13,000
£40,000 £22,000 £17,500
£50,000 £27,500 £21,500
£60,000 £33,000 £26,000

Moving from Dudley to Bristol

Earning in Dudley Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £54,500 £69,000
£40,000 £72,500 £92,500
£50,000 £90,500 £115,500
£60,000 £108,500 £138,500
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 Dudley figures