Bristol vs St Albans: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £195,000 (51%) more in St Albans than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in St Albans: it takes 10.0× median annual pay, against 9.6× in Bristol.
At a glance
| Bristol | St Albans | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 St Albans (£57,396) is 45% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 51% more (£575,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Bristol 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 10.0× in St Albans. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 38% in St Albans. Renting is harder in Bristol; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and St Albans is the 36th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and St Albans is the 82nd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £60,500 in St Albans to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to St Albans would leave you worse 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 64.2 in St Albans, so recorded crime per resident is 51% lower in St Albans. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 5.2 per 1,000 in Bristol against 1.9 in St Albans.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £57,396 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 10.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 50% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | St Albans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £950,000 | +77% in St Albans |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £716,500 | +94% in St Albans |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £575,000 | +51% in St Albans |
| Flat | £265,000 | £320,000 | +21% in St Albans |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | St Albans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £2,667 | +27% in St Albans |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £2,169 | +4% in St Albans |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £1,798 | -10% in St Albans |
| Flat | £1,508 | £1,486 | -1% in St Albans |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 64.2 in St Albans, so recorded crime per resident is 51% lower in St Albans.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | St Albans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 64.2 | -51% in St Albans |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 21.2 | -55% in St Albans |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 1.9 | -63% in St Albans |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.7 | -78% in St Albans |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 6.6 | -29% in St Albans |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 6.2 | -36% in St Albans |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.7 | -18% in St Albans |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 5.7 | -47% in St Albans |
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 | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 107 |
| 2007 | 121 | 120 |
| 2008 | 116 | 120 |
| 2009 | 103 | 107 |
| 2010 | 112 | 122 |
| 2011 | 112 | 126 |
| 2012 | 114 | 130 |
| 2013 | 118 | 134 |
| 2014 | 131 | 149 |
| 2015 | 144 | 166 |
| 2016 | 164 | 185 |
| 2017 | 173 | 193 |
| 2018 | 180 | 191 |
| 2019 | 182 | 185 |
| 2020 | 189 | 190 |
| 2021 | 201 | 198 |
| 2022 | 222 | 212 |
| 2023 | 225 | 209 |
| 2024 | 224 | 213 |
| 2025 | 227 | 216 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 217 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £291,095 in St Albans. Now it is £350,147 and £631,404: Bristol is up 127% and St Albans is up 117%. 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 | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 12.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | – |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 10.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 8.7 years in St Albans. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 10.9 years.
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 | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 105 |
| 2017 | 115 | 109 |
| 2018 | 118 | 110 |
| 2019 | 120 | 110 |
| 2020 | 125 | 114 |
| 2021 | 131 | 118 |
| 2022 | 143 | 124 |
| 2023 | 155 | 131 |
| 2024 | 165 | 140 |
| 2025 | 168 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 155 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £1,243 in St Albans. Now it is £1,883 and £1,931: up 77% in Bristol and up 55% in St Albans. 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 St Albans
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in St Albans | Equivalent to rent in St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £45,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £60,500 | £36,000 |
| £50,000 | £75,500 | £45,000 |
| £60,000 | £91,000 | £53,500 |
Moving from St Albans to Bristol
| Earning in St Albans | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,000 | £33,500 |
| £40,000 | £26,500 | £44,500 |
| £50,000 | £33,000 | £56,000 |
| £60,000 | £39,500 | £67,000 |