Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Gosport: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £135,000 (55%) more in Bristol than in Gosport. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 6.6× in Gosport.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Gosport, terraced
£245,000
Income typically needed: £49,000
Median full-time pay: £37,060

At a glance

Bristol Gosport
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive 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 Gosport (£37,060) is 6% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 36% less (£245,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Gosport 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 6.6× in Gosport. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 38% in Gosport. 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 Gosport is the 122nd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Gosport is the 102nd most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £26,000 in Gosport to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £23,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Gosport 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 71.8 in Gosport, so recorded crime per resident is 45% lower in Gosport. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.9 in Gosport.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Gosport
Median full-time pay £39,509 £37,060
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 6.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 76%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Gosport Difference
Detached £536,500 £490,000 -9% in Gosport
Semi-detached £370,000 £305,000 -18% in Gosport
Terraced £380,000 £245,000 -36% in Gosport
Flat £265,000 £150,000 -43% in Gosport

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Gosport Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,571 -25% in Gosport
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,321 -37% in Gosport
Terraced £2,008 £1,171 -42% in Gosport
Flat £1,508 £960 -36% in Gosport

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 71.8 in Gosport, so recorded crime per resident is 45% lower in Gosport.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Gosport Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 71.8 -45% in Gosport
Violence against the person 47.4 32.3 -32% in Gosport
Sexual offences 5.2 4.1 -21% in Gosport
Robbery 3.0 0.5 -83% in Gosport
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 2.8 -69% in Gosport
Vehicle offences 9.8 2.9 -70% in Gosport
Theft from the person 0.8 0.3 -57% in Gosport
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 5.8 -45% in Gosport

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: 227Gosport: 180
House prices in Bristol and Gosport since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Gosport now 180.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Gosport since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Gosport now 180.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolGosport
2005100100
2006108102
2007121110
2008116107
200910399
2010112105
2011112104
2012114106
2013118106
2014131113
2015144121
2016164133
2017173143
2018180149
2019182150
2020189151
2021201162
2022222180
2023225182
2024224175
2025227179
12 months to July 2026227180

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £131,258 in Gosport. Now it is £350,147 and £236,645: Bristol is up 127% and Gosport is up 80%. 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 payGosport: 6.3 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and GosportBristol now 8.9, Gosport 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 GosportBristol now 8.9, Gosport now 6.3 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolGosport
20057.0 years of pay6.2 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay5.5 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay5.8 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay6.6 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 6.2 years in Gosport. 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: 177Gosport: 159
Rents in Bristol and Gosport since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Gosport now 159.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Gosport since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Gosport now 159.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolGosport
2015100100
2016108103
2017115106
2018118108
2019120110
2020125112
2021131116
2022143120
2023155128
2024165139
2025168150
August 2026177159

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £734 in Gosport. Now it is £1,883 and £1,169: up 77% in Bristol and up 59% in Gosport. 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 Gosport

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Gosport Equivalent to rent in Gosport
£30,000 £19,500 £17,500
£40,000 £26,000 £23,500
£50,000 £32,000 £29,000
£60,000 £38,500 £35,000

Moving from Gosport to Bristol

Earning in Gosport Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £46,500 £51,500
£40,000 £62,000 £68,500
£50,000 £77,500 £85,500
£60,000 £93,000 £103,000
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 Gosport figures