Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Horsham: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (4%) more in Bristol than in Horsham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 8.4× in Horsham.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Horsham, terraced
£365,000
Income typically needed: £73,000
Median full-time pay: £43,487

At a glance

Bristol Horsham
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very 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 Horsham (£43,487) is 10% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 4% less (£365,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Horsham 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 8.4× in Horsham. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 41% in Horsham. 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 Horsham is the 56th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Horsham is the 78th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £38,500 in Horsham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Horsham 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 44.4 in Horsham, so recorded crime per resident is 66% lower in Horsham. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.0 in Horsham.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Horsham
Median full-time pay £39,509 £43,487
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 8.4×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 60%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 41%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Horsham Difference
Detached £536,500 £668,000 +25% in Horsham
Semi-detached £370,000 £445,000 +20% in Horsham
Terraced £380,000 £365,000 -4% in Horsham
Flat £265,000 £229,000 -14% in Horsham

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Horsham Difference
Detached £2,106 £2,105 -0% in Horsham
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,636 -22% in Horsham
Terraced £2,008 £1,479 -26% in Horsham
Flat £1,508 £1,159 -23% in Horsham

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 44.4 in Horsham, so recorded crime per resident is 66% lower in Horsham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Horsham Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 44.4 -66% in Horsham
Violence against the person 47.4 16.2 -66% in Horsham
Sexual offences 5.2 2.0 -62% in Horsham
Robbery 3.0 0.5 -85% in Horsham
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 3.2 -65% in Horsham
Vehicle offences 9.8 2.0 -80% in Horsham
Theft from the person 0.8 0.2 -75% in Horsham
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 4.7 -56% in Horsham

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: 227Horsham: 186
House prices in Bristol and Horsham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Horsham now 186.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Horsham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Horsham now 186.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolHorsham
2005100100
2006108105
2007121117
2008116116
2009103103
2010112114
2011112114
2012114116
2013118121
2014131131
2015144141
2016164153
2017173160
2018180161
2019182159
2020189159
2021201164
2022222178
2023225179
2024224176
2025227184
12 months to July 2026227186

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £238,882 in Horsham. Now it is £350,147 and £443,182: Bristol is up 127% and Horsham 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 payHorsham: 10.1 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and HorshamBristol now 8.9, Horsham now 10.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and HorshamBristol now 8.9, Horsham now 10.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolHorsham
20057.0 years of pay8.8 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay–
20158.1 years of pay–
20209.0 years of pay11.1 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay10.1 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 8.8 years in Horsham. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 10.1 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: 177Horsham: 156
Rents in Bristol and Horsham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Horsham now 156.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Horsham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Horsham now 156.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolHorsham
2015100100
2016108104
2017115108
2018118111
2019120112
2020125114
2021131116
2022143123
2023155129
2024165141
2025168150
August 2026177156

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £943 in Horsham. Now it is £1,883 and £1,474: up 77% in Bristol and up 56% in Horsham. 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 Horsham

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Horsham Equivalent to rent in Horsham
£30,000 £29,000 £22,000
£40,000 £38,500 £29,500
£50,000 £48,000 £37,000
£60,000 £57,500 £44,000

Moving from Horsham to Bristol

Earning in Horsham Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £31,000 £40,500
£40,000 £41,500 £54,500
£50,000 £52,000 £68,000
£60,000 £62,500 £81,500
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 Horsham figures