Bristol vs North Northamptonshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £175,000 (85%) more in Bristol than in North Northamptonshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 5.4× in North Northamptonshire.
At a glance
| Bristol | North Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly 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 North Northamptonshire (£37,951) is 4% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 46% less (£205,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, North Northamptonshire 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 5.4× in North Northamptonshire. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 31% in North Northamptonshire. 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 North Northamptonshire is the 113th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and North Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (182nd most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £21,500 in North Northamptonshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £19,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to North Northamptonshire 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 68.8 in North Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in North Northamptonshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 4.1 in North Northamptonshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | North Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £37,951 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 5.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 93% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 31% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | North Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £370,000 | -31% in North Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £250,000 | -32% in North Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £205,000 | -46% in North Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £265,000 | £127,000 | -52% in North Northamptonshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | North Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,331 | -37% in North Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £1,029 | -51% in North Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £965 | -52% in North Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £1,508 | £796 | -47% in North Northamptonshire |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 68.8 in North Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 47% lower in North Northamptonshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | North Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 68.8 | -47% in North Northamptonshire |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 27.5 | -42% in North Northamptonshire |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 3.6 | -30% in North Northamptonshire |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 1.2 | -61% in North Northamptonshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 4.6 | -50% in North Northamptonshire |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 4.1 | -58% in North Northamptonshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.2 | -76% in North Northamptonshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 5.7 | -46% in North Northamptonshire |
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 | North Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 121 | 114 |
| 2008 | 116 | 110 |
| 2009 | 103 | 96 |
| 2010 | 112 | 101 |
| 2011 | 112 | 101 |
| 2012 | 114 | 101 |
| 2013 | 118 | 104 |
| 2014 | 131 | 112 |
| 2015 | 144 | 120 |
| 2016 | 164 | 133 |
| 2017 | 173 | 145 |
| 2018 | 180 | 155 |
| 2019 | 182 | 157 |
| 2020 | 189 | 160 |
| 2021 | 201 | 172 |
| 2022 | 222 | 191 |
| 2023 | 225 | 194 |
| 2024 | 224 | 189 |
| 2025 | 227 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 196 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £129,839 in North Northamptonshire. Now it is £350,147 and £255,079: Bristol is up 127% and North Northamptonshire is up 96%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 | North Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 105 |
| 2017 | 115 | 111 |
| 2018 | 118 | 116 |
| 2019 | 120 | 121 |
| 2020 | 125 | 122 |
| 2021 | 131 | 124 |
| 2022 | 143 | 130 |
| 2023 | 155 | 139 |
| 2024 | 165 | 147 |
| 2025 | 168 | 159 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 170 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £583 in North Northamptonshire. Now it is £1,883 and £992: up 77% in Bristol and up 70% in North Northamptonshire. 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 North Northamptonshire
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in North Northamptonshire | Equivalent to rent in North Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £16,000 | £14,500 |
| £40,000 | £21,500 | £19,000 |
| £50,000 | £27,000 | £24,000 |
| £60,000 | £32,500 | £29,000 |
Moving from North Northamptonshire to Bristol
| Earning in North Northamptonshire | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £55,500 | £62,500 |
| £40,000 | £74,000 | £83,000 |
| £50,000 | £92,500 | £104,000 |
| £60,000 | £111,000 | £125,000 |