Bristol vs Telford and Wrekin: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £207,000 (120%) more in Bristol than in Telford and Wrekin. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 4.8× in Telford and Wrekin.
At a glance
| Bristol | Telford and Wrekin | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Telford and Wrekin (£36,044) is 9% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 54% less (£173,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Telford and Wrekin 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 4.8× in Telford and Wrekin. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 28% in Telford and Wrekin. 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 Telford and Wrekin is the 83rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Telford and Wrekin is the 97th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £18,000 in Telford and Wrekin to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £17,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Telford and Wrekin 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 73.0 in Telford and Wrekin, so recorded crime per resident is 44% lower in Telford and Wrekin. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.1 in Telford and Wrekin.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | Telford and Wrekin |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £36,044 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 4.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 104% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 28% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | Telford and Wrekin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £325,000 | -39% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £210,000 | -43% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £173,000 | -54% in Telford and Wrekin |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | Telford and Wrekin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,199 | -43% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £913 | -56% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £845 | -58% in Telford and Wrekin |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 73.0 in Telford and Wrekin, so recorded crime per resident is 44% lower in Telford and Wrekin.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | Telford and Wrekin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 73.0 | -44% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 31.9 | -33% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 3.9 | -24% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.9 | -71% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 3.6 | -61% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 2.1 | -78% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.2 | -70% in Telford and Wrekin |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 5.9 | -45% in Telford and Wrekin |
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 | Telford and Wrekin |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 107 |
| 2007 | 121 | 115 |
| 2008 | 116 | 113 |
| 2009 | 103 | 102 |
| 2010 | 112 | 106 |
| 2011 | 112 | 102 |
| 2012 | 114 | 101 |
| 2013 | 118 | 102 |
| 2014 | 131 | 106 |
| 2015 | 144 | 109 |
| 2016 | 164 | 114 |
| 2017 | 173 | 120 |
| 2018 | 180 | 123 |
| 2019 | 182 | 127 |
| 2020 | 189 | 132 |
| 2021 | 201 | 147 |
| 2022 | 222 | 164 |
| 2023 | 225 | 170 |
| 2024 | 224 | 171 |
| 2025 | 227 | 173 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 176 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £125,897 in Telford and Wrekin. Now it is £350,147 and £221,474: Bristol is up 127% and Telford and Wrekin is up 76%. 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | Telford and Wrekin |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 6.3 years in Telford and Wrekin. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 6.1 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Bristol | Telford and Wrekin |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 101 |
| 2017 | 115 | 102 |
| 2018 | 118 | 103 |
| 2019 | 120 | 105 |
| 2020 | 125 | 106 |
| 2021 | 131 | 109 |
| 2022 | 143 | 113 |
| 2023 | 155 | 119 |
| 2024 | 165 | 127 |
| 2025 | 168 | 136 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £587 in Telford and Wrekin. Now it is £1,883 and £861: up 77% in Bristol and up 47% in Telford and Wrekin. 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 Telford and Wrekin
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Telford and Wrekin | Equivalent to rent in Telford and Wrekin |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £13,500 | £12,500 |
| £40,000 | £18,000 | £17,000 |
| £50,000 | £23,000 | £21,000 |
| £60,000 | £27,500 | £25,000 |
Moving from Telford and Wrekin to Bristol
| Earning in Telford and Wrekin | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £66,000 | £71,500 |
| £40,000 | £88,000 | £95,000 |
| £50,000 | £110,000 | £119,000 |
| £60,000 | £132,000 | £142,500 |