Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Tendring: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £170,000 (81%) more in Bristol than in Tendring. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 5.3× in Tendring.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Tendring, terraced
£210,000
Income typically needed: £42,000
Median full-time pay: £39,799

At a glance

Bristol Tendring
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 Tendring (£39,799) is 1% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 45% less (£210,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Tendring 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 5.3× in Tendring. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 32% in Tendring. 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 Tendring is the 120th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Tendring is around the middle of 316 areas (172nd most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £22,000 in Tendring to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £21,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Tendring 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 79.7 in Tendring, so recorded crime per resident is 39% lower in Tendring. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 4.1 in Tendring.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Tendring
Median full-time pay £39,509 £39,799
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 5.3×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 95%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 32%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Tendring Difference
Detached £536,500 £350,000 -35% in Tendring
Semi-detached £370,000 £260,000 -30% in Tendring
Terraced £380,000 £210,000 -45% in Tendring
Flat £265,000 £145,000 -45% in Tendring

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Tendring Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,313 -38% in Tendring
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,135 -46% in Tendring
Terraced £2,008 £1,061 -47% in Tendring
Flat £1,508 £884 -41% in Tendring

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 79.7 in Tendring, so recorded crime per resident is 39% lower in Tendring.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Tendring Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 79.7 -39% in Tendring
Violence against the person 47.4 37.8 -20% in Tendring
Sexual offences 5.2 3.7 -28% in Tendring
Robbery 3.0 0.6 -79% in Tendring
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 4.4 -52% in Tendring
Vehicle offences 9.8 4.1 -58% in Tendring
Theft from the person 0.8 0.4 -53% in Tendring
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 7.8 -27% in Tendring

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: 227Tendring: 169
House prices in Bristol and Tendring since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Tendring now 169.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Tendring since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Tendring now 169.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolTendring
2005100100
2006108107
2007121114
2008116112
200910395
2010112102
2011112101
2012114101
2013118100
2014131106
2015144114
2016164125
2017173140
2018180145
2019182144
2020189145
2021201157
2022222174
2023225175
2024224170
2025227170
12 months to July 2026227169

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £154,835 in Tendring. Now it is £350,147 and £261,745: Bristol is up 127% and Tendring is up 69%. 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 payTendring: 6.6 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and TendringBristol now 8.9, Tendring now 6.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and TendringBristol now 8.9, Tendring now 6.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolTendring
20057.0 years of pay7.3 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay6.5 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay6.9 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay6.6 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 7.3 years in Tendring. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 6.6 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: 177Tendring: 164
Rents in Bristol and Tendring since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Tendring now 164.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Tendring since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Tendring now 164.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolTendring
2015100100
2016108102
2017115105
2018118109
2019120114
2020125116
2021131120
2022143128
2023155133
2024165143
2025168156
August 2026177164

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £643 in Tendring. Now it is £1,883 and £1,053: up 77% in Bristol and up 64% in Tendring. 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 Tendring

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Tendring Equivalent to rent in Tendring
£30,000 £16,500 £16,000
£40,000 £22,000 £21,000
£50,000 £27,500 £26,500
£60,000 £33,000 £31,500

Moving from Tendring to Bristol

Earning in Tendring Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £54,500 £57,000
£40,000 £72,500 £75,500
£50,000 £90,500 £94,500
£60,000 £108,500 £113,500
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 Tendring figures