Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Nottingham: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £200,000 (111%) more in Bristol than in Nottingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 5.8× in Nottingham.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Nottingham, terraced
£180,000
Income typically needed: £36,000
Median full-time pay: £30,798

At a glance

Bristol Nottingham
Buying a home Expensive Fairly affordable
Renting a home Very expensive Expensive
Recorded crime High Above 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 Nottingham (£30,798) is 22% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 53% less (£180,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Nottingham 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 5.8× in Nottingham. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 39% in Nottingham. 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 Nottingham is the 92nd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Nottingham is the 87th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £19,000 in Nottingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £20,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Nottingham 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 124.9 in Nottingham, so recorded crime per resident is 5% lower in Nottingham. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 6.9 in Nottingham.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Nottingham
Median full-time pay £39,509 £30,798
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 5.8×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 86%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 39%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Nottingham Difference
Detached £536,500 £310,000 -42% in Nottingham
Semi-detached £370,000 £210,000 -43% in Nottingham
Terraced £380,000 £180,000 -53% in Nottingham
Flat £265,000 £130,500 -51% in Nottingham

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Nottingham Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,306 -38% in Nottingham
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,060 -49% in Nottingham
Terraced £2,008 £993 -51% in Nottingham
Flat £1,508 £837 -44% in Nottingham

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 124.9 in Nottingham, so recorded crime per resident is 5% lower in Nottingham.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Nottingham Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 124.9 -5% in Nottingham
Violence against the person 47.4 41.4 -13% in Nottingham
Sexual offences 5.2 5.2 -0% in Nottingham
Robbery 3.0 3.1 +3% in Nottingham
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 8.0 -13% in Nottingham
Vehicle offences 9.8 6.9 -29% in Nottingham
Theft from the person 0.8 2.1 +159% in Nottingham
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 11.7 +10% in Nottingham

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: 227Nottingham: 178
House prices in Bristol and Nottingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Nottingham now 178.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Nottingham since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Nottingham now 178.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolNottingham
2005100100
2006108103
2007121104
200811698
200910388
201011291
201111288
201211489
201311890
201413198
2015144103
2016164111
2017173119
2018180126
2019182129
2020189137
2021201153
2022222170
2023225176
2024224175
2025227178
12 months to July 2026227178

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £108,416 in Nottingham. Now it is £350,147 and £192,813: Bristol is up 127% and Nottingham is up 78%. 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.

Bristol: 8.9 years of payNottingham: 6.3 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and NottinghamBristol now 8.9, Nottingham now 6.3 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and NottinghamBristol now 8.9, Nottingham now 6.3 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolNottingham
20057.0 years of pay5.3 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay4.5 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay5.0 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay5.9 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay6.3 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 5.3 years in Nottingham. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 6.3 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.

Bristol: 177Nottingham: 167
Rents in Bristol and Nottingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Nottingham now 167.80100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Nottingham since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Nottingham now 167.80100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolNottingham
2015100100
2016108100
2017115102
2018118109
2019120115
2020125116
2021131119
2022143128
2023155138
2024165151
2025168162
August 2026177167

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £606 in Nottingham. Now it is £1,883 and £1,014: up 77% in Bristol and up 67% in Nottingham. 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 Nottingham

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Nottingham Equivalent to rent in Nottingham
£30,000 £14,000 £15,000
£40,000 £19,000 £20,000
£50,000 £23,500 £24,500
£60,000 £28,500 £29,500

Moving from Nottingham to Bristol

Earning in Nottingham Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £63,500 £60,500
£40,000 £84,500 £81,000
£50,000 £105,500 £101,000
£60,000 £126,500 £121,500
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 Nottingham figures