Bristol vs East Hertfordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £35,000 (9%) more in East Hertfordshire than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 8.0× in East Hertfordshire.
At a glance
| Bristol | East Hertfordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | High | Low |
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 East Hertfordshire (£52,184) is 32% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 9% more (£415,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, East Hertfordshire 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 8.0× in East Hertfordshire. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 33% in East Hertfordshire. 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 East Hertfordshire is the 111th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and East Hertfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (127th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £43,500 in East Hertfordshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £28,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to East Hertfordshire 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 51.6 in East Hertfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 61% lower in East Hertfordshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 3.4 in East Hertfordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | East Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £52,184 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 8.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 63% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 33% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | East Hertfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £730,000 | +36% in East Hertfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £490,000 | +32% in East Hertfordshire |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £415,000 | +9% in East Hertfordshire |
| Flat | £265,000 | £260,000 | -2% in East Hertfordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | East Hertfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £2,156 | +2% in East Hertfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £1,661 | -21% in East Hertfordshire |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £1,423 | -29% in East Hertfordshire |
| Flat | £1,508 | £1,255 | -17% in East Hertfordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 51.6 in East Hertfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 61% lower in East Hertfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | East Hertfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 51.6 | -61% in East Hertfordshire |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 21.9 | -54% in East Hertfordshire |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 2.0 | -61% in East Hertfordshire |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.5 | -85% in East Hertfordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 4.8 | -48% in East Hertfordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 3.4 | -65% in East Hertfordshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.4 | -49% in East Hertfordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 4.1 | -61% in East Hertfordshire |
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 | East Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 121 | 115 |
| 2008 | 116 | 114 |
| 2009 | 103 | 104 |
| 2010 | 112 | 111 |
| 2011 | 112 | 113 |
| 2012 | 114 | 114 |
| 2013 | 118 | 117 |
| 2014 | 131 | 130 |
| 2015 | 144 | 143 |
| 2016 | 164 | 161 |
| 2017 | 173 | 170 |
| 2018 | 180 | 173 |
| 2019 | 182 | 170 |
| 2020 | 189 | 173 |
| 2021 | 201 | 175 |
| 2022 | 222 | 187 |
| 2023 | 225 | 186 |
| 2024 | 224 | 185 |
| 2025 | 227 | 190 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 194 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £232,893 in East Hertfordshire. Now it is £350,147 and £452,521: Bristol is up 127% and East Hertfordshire is up 94%. 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 | East Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 10.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 7.7 years in East Hertfordshire. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 8.5 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | East Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 105 |
| 2017 | 115 | 107 |
| 2018 | 118 | 109 |
| 2019 | 120 | 111 |
| 2020 | 125 | 112 |
| 2021 | 131 | 117 |
| 2022 | 143 | 122 |
| 2023 | 155 | 127 |
| 2024 | 165 | 133 |
| 2025 | 168 | 145 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 152 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £1,008 in East Hertfordshire. Now it is £1,883 and £1,533: up 77% in Bristol and up 52% in East Hertfordshire. 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 East Hertfordshire
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in East Hertfordshire | Equivalent to rent in East Hertfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,000 | £21,500 |
| £40,000 | £43,500 | £28,500 |
| £50,000 | £54,500 | £35,500 |
| £60,000 | £65,500 | £42,500 |
Moving from East Hertfordshire to Bristol
| Earning in East Hertfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £42,500 |
| £40,000 | £36,500 | £56,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,000 | £70,500 |
| £60,000 | £55,000 | £84,500 |