Bristol vs East Staffordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £215,000 (130%) more in Bristol than in East Staffordshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 4.5× in East Staffordshire.
At a glance
| Bristol | East Staffordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 East Staffordshire (£36,848) is 7% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 57% less (£165,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, East Staffordshire 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 4.5× in East Staffordshire. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 27% in East Staffordshire. 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 Staffordshire is the 95th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and East Staffordshire is the 85th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £17,500 in East Staffordshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £16,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to East Staffordshire 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 65.2 in East Staffordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in East Staffordshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.8 in East Staffordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | East Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £36,848 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 4.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 112% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | East Staffordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £355,000 | -34% in East Staffordshire |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £225,000 | -39% in East Staffordshire |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £165,000 | -57% in East Staffordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | East Staffordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,173 | -44% in East Staffordshire |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £916 | -56% in East Staffordshire |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £838 | -58% in East Staffordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 65.2 in East Staffordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 50% lower in East Staffordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | East Staffordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 65.2 | -50% in East Staffordshire |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 30.2 | -36% in East Staffordshire |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 3.0 | -42% in East Staffordshire |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.9 | -71% in East Staffordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 4.0 | -56% in East Staffordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 2.8 | -72% in East Staffordshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.3 | -64% in East Staffordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 4.7 | -56% in East Staffordshire |
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 Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 108 |
| 2007 | 121 | 112 |
| 2008 | 116 | 108 |
| 2009 | 103 | 98 |
| 2010 | 112 | 104 |
| 2011 | 112 | 100 |
| 2012 | 114 | 99 |
| 2013 | 118 | 104 |
| 2014 | 131 | 108 |
| 2015 | 144 | 114 |
| 2016 | 164 | 118 |
| 2017 | 173 | 124 |
| 2018 | 180 | 129 |
| 2019 | 182 | 130 |
| 2020 | 189 | 135 |
| 2021 | 201 | 144 |
| 2022 | 222 | 158 |
| 2023 | 225 | 160 |
| 2024 | 224 | 164 |
| 2025 | 227 | 169 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 173 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £130,940 in East Staffordshire. Now it is £350,147 and £226,837: Bristol is up 127% and East Staffordshire is up 73%. 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | East Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 6.1 years in East Staffordshire. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 6.0 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 Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 104 |
| 2017 | 115 | 106 |
| 2018 | 118 | 109 |
| 2019 | 120 | 111 |
| 2020 | 125 | 114 |
| 2021 | 131 | 118 |
| 2022 | 143 | 124 |
| 2023 | 155 | 130 |
| 2024 | 165 | 140 |
| 2025 | 168 | 148 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 158 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £544 in East Staffordshire. Now it is £1,883 and £858: up 77% in Bristol and up 58% in East Staffordshire. 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 Staffordshire
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in East Staffordshire | Equivalent to rent in East Staffordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £13,000 | £12,500 |
| £40,000 | £17,500 | £16,500 |
| £50,000 | £21,500 | £21,000 |
| £60,000 | £26,000 | £25,000 |
Moving from East Staffordshire to Bristol
| Earning in East Staffordshire | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £69,000 | £72,000 |
| £40,000 | £92,000 | £96,000 |
| £50,000 | £115,000 | £120,000 |
| £60,000 | £138,000 | £144,000 |