Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Fareham: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £80,000 (27%) more in Bristol than in Fareham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 6.9× in Fareham.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Fareham, terraced
£300,000
Income typically needed: £60,000
Median full-time pay: £43,740

At a glance

Bristol Fareham
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Fairly affordable
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 Fareham (£43,740) is 11% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 21% less (£300,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Fareham 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 6.9× in Fareham. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 32% in Fareham. 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 Fareham is around the middle of 316 areas (148th most expensive). For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Fareham is around the middle of 316 areas (169th most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £31,500 in Fareham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £23,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Fareham 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 52.0 in Fareham, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in Fareham. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.0 in Fareham.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Fareham
Median full-time pay £39,509 £43,740
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 6.9×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 73%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 32%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Fareham Difference
Detached £536,500 £507,500 -5% in Fareham
Semi-detached £370,000 £342,500 -7% in Fareham
Terraced £380,000 £300,000 -21% in Fareham
Flat £265,000 £175,000 -34% in Fareham

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Fareham Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,717 -18% in Fareham
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,285 -39% in Fareham
Terraced £2,008 £1,149 -43% in Fareham
Flat £1,508 £974 -35% in Fareham

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 52.0 in Fareham, so recorded crime per resident is 60% lower in Fareham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Fareham Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 52.0 -60% in Fareham
Violence against the person 47.4 22.6 -52% in Fareham
Sexual offences 5.2 2.6 -49% in Fareham
Robbery 3.0 0.5 -82% in Fareham
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 2.4 -74% in Fareham
Vehicle offences 9.8 2.0 -79% in Fareham
Theft from the person 0.8 0.2 -70% in Fareham
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 4.1 -62% in Fareham

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: 227Fareham: 186
House prices in Bristol and Fareham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Fareham now 186.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Fareham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Fareham now 186.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolFareham
2005100100
2006108104
2007121114
2008116112
2009103100
2010112109
2011112109
2012114110
2013118111
2014131120
2015144130
2016164142
2017173150
2018180155
2019182155
2020189158
2021201171
2022222188
2023225188
2024224184
2025227185
12 months to July 2026227186

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £177,519 in Fareham. Now it is £350,147 and £329,384: Bristol is up 127% and Fareham is up 86%. 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 payFareham: 7.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and FarehamBristol now 8.9, Fareham now 7.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and FarehamBristol now 8.9, Fareham now 7.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolFareham
20057.0 years of pay7.4 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay7.7 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay8.5 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay7.5 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 7.4 years in Fareham. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 7.5 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.

Bristol: 177Fareham: 150
Rents in Bristol and Fareham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Fareham now 150.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Fareham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Fareham now 150.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolFareham
2015100100
2016108105
2017115109
2018118111
2019120114
2020125116
2021131119
2022143122
2023155130
2024165141
2025168149
August 2026177150

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £783 in Fareham. Now it is £1,883 and £1,176: up 77% in Bristol and up 50% in Fareham. 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 Fareham

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Fareham Equivalent to rent in Fareham
£30,000 £23,500 £17,000
£40,000 £31,500 £23,000
£50,000 £39,500 £28,500
£60,000 £47,500 £34,500

Moving from Fareham to Bristol

Earning in Fareham Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £38,000 £52,500
£40,000 £50,500 £70,000
£50,000 £63,500 £87,500
£60,000 £76,000 £105,000
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 Fareham figures