Bristol vs Malvern Hills: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £142,000 (60%) more in Bristol than in Malvern Hills. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 6.7× in Malvern Hills.
At a glance
| Bristol | Malvern Hills | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| 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 Malvern Hills (£35,429) is 10% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 37% less (£238,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Malvern Hills 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 6.7× in Malvern Hills. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 31% in Malvern Hills. 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 Malvern Hills is the 74th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Malvern Hills is around the middle of 316 areas (170th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £25,000 in Malvern Hills to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £18,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Malvern Hills 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 63.6 in Malvern Hills, so recorded crime per resident is 51% lower in Malvern Hills. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.8 in Malvern Hills.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | Malvern Hills |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £35,429 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 6.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 74% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 31% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | Malvern Hills | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £460,000 | -14% in Malvern Hills |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £295,000 | -20% in Malvern Hills |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £238,000 | -37% in Malvern Hills |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | Malvern Hills | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,231 | -42% in Malvern Hills |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £1,014 | -52% in Malvern Hills |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £915 | -54% in Malvern Hills |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 63.6 in Malvern Hills, so recorded crime per resident is 51% lower in Malvern Hills.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | Malvern Hills | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 63.6 | -51% in Malvern Hills |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 25.1 | -47% in Malvern Hills |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 2.8 | -46% in Malvern Hills |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.8 | -74% in Malvern Hills |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 6.0 | -35% in Malvern Hills |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 2.8 | -72% in Malvern Hills |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.2 | -71% in Malvern Hills |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 6.0 | -44% in Malvern Hills |
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 | Malvern Hills |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 121 | 113 |
| 2008 | 116 | 106 |
| 2009 | 103 | 98 |
| 2010 | 112 | 103 |
| 2011 | 112 | 103 |
| 2012 | 114 | 101 |
| 2013 | 118 | 102 |
| 2014 | 131 | 108 |
| 2015 | 144 | 113 |
| 2016 | 164 | 119 |
| 2017 | 173 | 124 |
| 2018 | 180 | 129 |
| 2019 | 182 | 132 |
| 2020 | 189 | 133 |
| 2021 | 201 | 144 |
| 2022 | 222 | 156 |
| 2023 | 225 | 159 |
| 2024 | 224 | 158 |
| 2025 | 227 | 159 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 164 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £208,484 in Malvern Hills. Now it is £350,147 and £342,672: Bristol is up 127% and Malvern Hills is up 64%. 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | Malvern Hills |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 9.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 9.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 8.6 years in Malvern Hills. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 9.3 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | Malvern Hills |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 102 |
| 2017 | 115 | 104 |
| 2018 | 118 | 105 |
| 2019 | 120 | 107 |
| 2020 | 125 | 109 |
| 2021 | 131 | 112 |
| 2022 | 143 | 115 |
| 2023 | 155 | 125 |
| 2024 | 165 | 134 |
| 2025 | 168 | 139 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £636 in Malvern Hills. Now it is £1,883 and £946: up 77% in Bristol and up 49% in Malvern Hills. 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 Malvern Hills
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Malvern Hills | Equivalent to rent in Malvern Hills |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,000 | £13,500 |
| £40,000 | £25,000 | £18,000 |
| £50,000 | £31,500 | £23,000 |
| £60,000 | £37,500 | £27,500 |
Moving from Malvern Hills to Bristol
| Earning in Malvern Hills | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £48,000 | £66,000 |
| £40,000 | £64,000 | £88,000 |
| £50,000 | £80,000 | £109,500 |
| £60,000 | £96,000 | £131,500 |