Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Swansea: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £225,000 (145%) more in Bristol than in Swansea. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 4.2× in Swansea.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Swansea, terraced
£155,000
Income typically needed: £31,000
Median full-time pay: £36,586

At a glance

Bristol Swansea
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 Swansea (£36,586) is 7% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 59% less (£155,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Swansea 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 4.2× in Swansea. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 27% in Swansea. 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 Swansea is the 40th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Swansea is the 86th least expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £16,500 in Swansea to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £16,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Swansea 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 74.2 in Swansea, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in Swansea. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.2 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.6 in Swansea.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Swansea
Median full-time pay £39,509 £36,586
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 4.2×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 118%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 27%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Swansea Difference
Detached £536,500 £340,000 -37% in Swansea
Semi-detached £370,000 £210,000 -43% in Swansea
Terraced £380,000 £155,000 -59% in Swansea
Flat £265,000 £119,000 -55% in Swansea

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Swansea Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,090 -48% in Swansea
Semi-detached £2,091 £878 -58% in Swansea
Terraced £2,008 £824 -59% in Swansea
Flat £1,508 £750 -50% in Swansea

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 74.2 in Swansea, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in Swansea.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Swansea Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 74.2 -43% in Swansea
Violence against the person 47.4 29.1 -39% in Swansea
Sexual offences 5.2 3.5 -32% in Swansea
Robbery 3.0 0.4 -87% in Swansea
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 2.6 -72% in Swansea
Vehicle offences 9.8 3.2 -67% in Swansea
Theft from the person 0.8 0.5 -43% in Swansea
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 6.8 -37% in Swansea

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: 227Swansea: 173
House prices in Bristol and Swansea since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Swansea now 173.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Swansea since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Swansea now 173.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolSwansea
2005100100
2006108109
2007121118
2008116118
2009103109
2010112106
2011112103
2012114101
2013118103
2014131108
2015144108
2016164112
2017173116
2018180120
2019182123
2020189128
2021201144
2022222159
2023225161
2024224164
2025227172
12 months to July 2026227173

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £119,321 in Swansea. Now it is £350,147 and £206,665: Bristol is up 127% and Swansea is up 73%. 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 paySwansea: 5.6 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and SwanseaBristol now 8.9, Swansea now 5.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and SwanseaBristol now 8.9, Swansea now 5.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolSwansea
20057.0 years of pay5.7 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay5.2 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay5.2 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay5.5 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay5.6 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 5.7 years in Swansea. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 5.6 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: 177Swansea: 151
Rents in Bristol and Swansea since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Swansea now 151.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Swansea since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Swansea now 151.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolSwansea
2015100100
2016108101
2017115103
2018118105
2019120105
2020125106
2021131106
2022143110
2023155120
2024165133
2025168141
August 2026177151

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £565 in Swansea. Now it is £1,883 and £852: up 77% in Bristol and up 51% in Swansea. 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 Swansea

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Swansea Equivalent to rent in Swansea
£30,000 £12,000 £12,500
£40,000 £16,500 £16,500
£50,000 £20,500 £20,500
£60,000 £24,500 £24,500

Moving from Swansea to Bristol

Earning in Swansea Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £73,500 £73,000
£40,000 £98,000 £97,500
£50,000 £122,500 £122,000
£60,000 £147,000 £146,000
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 Swansea figures