Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Havant: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £105,000 (38%) more in Bristol than in Havant. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 7.4× in Havant.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Havant, terraced
£275,000
Income typically needed: £55,000
Median full-time pay: £37,220

At a glance

Bristol Havant
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
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 Havant (£37,220) is 6% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 28% less (£275,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Havant 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 7.4× in Havant. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 38% in Havant. 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 Havant is the 109th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Havant is the 110th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £29,000 in Havant 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 Havant 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 75.8 in Havant, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Havant. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.5 in Havant.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Havant
Median full-time pay £39,509 £37,220
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 7.4×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 68%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 38%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Havant Difference
Detached £536,500 £470,000 -12% in Havant
Semi-detached £370,000 £340,000 -8% in Havant
Terraced £380,000 £275,000 -28% in Havant
Flat £265,000 £152,000 -43% in Havant

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Havant Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,545 -27% in Havant
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,315 -37% in Havant
Terraced £2,008 £1,172 -42% in Havant
Flat £1,508 £943 -37% in Havant

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 75.8 in Havant, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Havant.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Havant Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 75.8 -42% in Havant
Violence against the person 47.4 34.7 -27% in Havant
Sexual offences 5.2 3.5 -33% in Havant
Robbery 3.0 0.7 -76% in Havant
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 2.9 -69% in Havant
Vehicle offences 9.8 2.5 -75% in Havant
Theft from the person 0.8 0.4 -51% in Havant
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 6.6 -38% in Havant

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: 227Havant: 187
House prices in Bristol and Havant since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Havant now 187.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Havant since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Havant now 187.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolHavant
2005100100
2006108103
2007121112
2008116110
200910399
2010112107
2011112107
2012114108
2013118109
2014131118
2015144126
2016164138
2017173147
2018180153
2019182152
2020189156
2021201168
2022222184
2023225185
2024224179
2025227185
12 months to July 2026227187

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £169,139 in Havant. Now it is £350,147 and £315,987: Bristol is up 127% and Havant is up 87%. 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 payHavant: 8.4 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and HavantBristol now 8.9, Havant now 8.4 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and HavantBristol now 8.9, Havant now 8.4 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolHavant
20057.0 years of pay7.5 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay7.2 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay7.7 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay8.8 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay8.4 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 7.5 years in Havant. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 8.4 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: 177Havant: 154
Rents in Bristol and Havant since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Havant now 154.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Havant since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Havant now 154.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolHavant
2015100100
2016108105
2017115111
2018118112
2019120114
2020125115
2021131117
2022143125
2023155131
2024165142
2025168149
August 2026177154

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £747 in Havant. Now it is £1,883 and £1,151: up 77% in Bristol and up 54% in Havant. 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 Havant

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Havant Equivalent to rent in Havant
£30,000 £21,500 £17,500
£40,000 £29,000 £23,500
£50,000 £36,000 £29,000
£60,000 £43,500 £35,000

Moving from Havant to Bristol

Earning in Havant Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £41,500 £51,500
£40,000 £55,500 £68,500
£50,000 £69,000 £85,500
£60,000 £83,000 £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 Havant figures