Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Sutton: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £100,000 (26%) more in Sutton than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Sutton: it takes 10.8× median annual pay, against 9.6× in Bristol.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Sutton, terraced
£480,000
Income typically needed: £96,000
Median full-time pay: £44,393

At a glance

Bristol Sutton
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime High Low

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 Sutton (£44,393) is 12% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 26% more (£480,000 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 10.8× in Sutton. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 47% in Sutton. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Sutton, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Bristol.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Sutton is the 49th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Sutton is the 66th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £50,500 in Sutton to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £35,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Sutton 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 60.3 in Sutton, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Sutton. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 10.7 per 1,000 in Bristol against 4.4 in Sutton.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Sutton
Median full-time pay £39,509 £44,393
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 10.8×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 46%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 47%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Sutton Difference
Detached £536,500 £900,000 +68% in Sutton
Semi-detached £370,000 £610,000 +65% in Sutton
Terraced £380,000 £480,000 +26% in Sutton
Flat £265,000 £290,000 +9% in Sutton

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Sutton Difference
Detached £2,106 £2,425 +15% in Sutton
Semi-detached £2,091 £2,019 -3% in Sutton
Terraced £2,008 £1,749 -13% in Sutton
Flat £1,508 £1,404 -7% in Sutton

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 60.3 in Sutton, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Sutton.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Sutton Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 60.3 -54% in Sutton
Violence against the person 47.4 21.8 -54% in Sutton
Sexual offences 5.2 2.1 -58% in Sutton
Robbery 3.0 1.3 -57% in Sutton
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 7.8 -15% in Sutton
Vehicle offences 9.8 5.4 -45% in Sutton
Theft from the person 0.8 1.0 +22% in Sutton
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 4.4 -59% in Sutton

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: 227Sutton: 213
House prices in Bristol and Sutton since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Sutton now 213.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Sutton since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Sutton now 213.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolSutton
2005100100
2006108103
2007121115
2008116116
2009103101
2010112111
2011112111
2012114114
2013118120
2014131139
2015144154
2016164174
2017173180
2018180181
2019182177
2020189181
2021201193
2022222207
2023225207
2024224204
2025227212
12 months to July 2026227213

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £211,844 in Sutton. Now it is £350,147 and £450,518: Bristol is up 127% and Sutton is up 113%. 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.

Bristol: 8.9 years of paySutton: 10.1 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and SuttonBristol now 8.9, Sutton now 10.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and SuttonBristol now 8.9, Sutton now 10.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolSutton
20057.0 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay7.7 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay10.4 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay10.9 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay10.1 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 7.8 years in Sutton. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 10.1 years.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Bristol: 177Sutton: 151
Rents in Bristol and Sutton since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Sutton now 151.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Sutton since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Sutton now 151.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolSutton
2015100100
2016108107
2017115109
2018118108
2019120108
2020125111
2021131113
2022143117
2023155124
2024165139
2025168147
August 2026177151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £1,030 in Sutton. Now it is £1,883 and £1,556: up 77% in Bristol and up 51% in Sutton. 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 Sutton

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Sutton Equivalent to rent in Sutton
£30,000 £38,000 £26,000
£40,000 £50,500 £35,000
£50,000 £63,000 £43,500
£60,000 £76,000 £52,500

Moving from Sutton to Bristol

Earning in Sutton Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £24,000 £34,500
£40,000 £31,500 £46,000
£50,000 £39,500 £57,500
£60,000 £47,500 £69,000
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 Sutton figures