Bristol vs Merthyr Tydfil: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £255,500 (205%) more in Bristol than in Merthyr Tydfil. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 3.5× in Merthyr Tydfil.
At a glance
| Bristol | Merthyr Tydfil | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Affordable |
| 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 Merthyr Tydfil (£35,152) is 11% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 67% less (£124,500 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Merthyr Tydfil 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 3.5× in Merthyr Tydfil. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 23% in Merthyr Tydfil. Both are harder in Bristol, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Merthyr Tydfil is the 3rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Merthyr Tydfil is the 44th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £13,000 in Merthyr Tydfil to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £13,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Merthyr Tydfil 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 76.5 in Merthyr Tydfil, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Merthyr Tydfil. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.2 per 1,000 in Bristol against 3.4 in Merthyr Tydfil.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £35,152 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 3.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 141% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 23% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | Merthyr Tydfil | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £183,000 | -51% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £124,500 | -67% in Merthyr Tydfil |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | Merthyr Tydfil | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £765 | -63% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £684 | -66% in Merthyr Tydfil |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 76.5 in Merthyr Tydfil, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Merthyr Tydfil.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | Merthyr Tydfil | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 76.5 | -42% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 34.0 | -28% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 3.5 | -31% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.4 | -86% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 3.4 | -63% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 3.6 | -63% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.3 | -60% in Merthyr Tydfil |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 7.1 | -33% in Merthyr Tydfil |
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 | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 113 |
| 2007 | 121 | 124 |
| 2008 | 116 | 116 |
| 2009 | 103 | 106 |
| 2010 | 112 | 107 |
| 2011 | 112 | 105 |
| 2012 | 114 | 105 |
| 2013 | 118 | 103 |
| 2014 | 131 | 107 |
| 2015 | 144 | 112 |
| 2016 | 164 | 115 |
| 2017 | 173 | 120 |
| 2018 | 180 | 125 |
| 2019 | 182 | 133 |
| 2020 | 189 | 136 |
| 2021 | 201 | 158 |
| 2022 | 222 | 181 |
| 2023 | 225 | 187 |
| 2024 | 224 | 187 |
| 2025 | 227 | 190 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 192 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £77,602 in Merthyr Tydfil. Now it is £350,147 and £149,087: Bristol is up 127% and Merthyr Tydfil is up 92%. 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 4.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 3.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 4.1 years in Merthyr Tydfil. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 4.2 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 | Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 101 |
| 2017 | 115 | 102 |
| 2018 | 118 | 105 |
| 2019 | 120 | 108 |
| 2020 | 125 | 112 |
| 2021 | 131 | 115 |
| 2022 | 143 | 127 |
| 2023 | 155 | 137 |
| 2024 | 165 | 149 |
| 2025 | 168 | 166 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 166 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £453 in Merthyr Tydfil. Now it is £1,883 and £754: up 77% in Bristol and up 66% in Merthyr Tydfil. 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 Merthyr Tydfil
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to rent in Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| £40,000 | £13,000 | £13,500 |
| £50,000 | £16,500 | £17,000 |
| £60,000 | £19,500 | £20,500 |
Moving from Merthyr Tydfil to Bristol
| Earning in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £91,500 | £88,000 |
| £40,000 | £122,000 | £117,500 |
| £50,000 | £152,500 | £147,000 |
| £60,000 | £183,000 | £176,000 |