Bristol vs Vale of Glamorgan: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £145,000 (62%) more in Bristol than in Vale of Glamorgan. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Vale of Glamorgan.
At a glance
| Bristol | Vale of Glamorgan | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Vale of Glamorgan (£38,656) is 2% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 38% less (£235,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Vale of Glamorgan 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 6.1× in Vale of Glamorgan. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 29% in Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (171st most expensive). For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (189th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £24,500 in Vale of Glamorgan to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £19,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Vale of Glamorgan 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 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Vale of Glamorgan. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 9.2 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.4 in Vale of Glamorgan.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £38,656 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £455,000 | -15% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £287,000 | -22% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £235,000 | -38% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £265,000 | £167,000 | -37% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,341 | -36% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £996 | -52% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £946 | -53% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £1,508 | £806 | -47% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 54% lower in Vale of Glamorgan.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 60.9 | -54% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 23.9 | -50% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 2.4 | -54% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.5 | -82% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 2.4 | -74% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 3.0 | -70% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.2 | -70% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 5.6 | -48% in Vale of Glamorgan |
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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 106 |
| 2007 | 121 | 113 |
| 2008 | 116 | 110 |
| 2009 | 103 | 103 |
| 2010 | 112 | 108 |
| 2011 | 112 | 107 |
| 2012 | 114 | 110 |
| 2013 | 118 | 110 |
| 2014 | 131 | 117 |
| 2015 | 144 | 122 |
| 2016 | 164 | 126 |
| 2017 | 173 | 131 |
| 2018 | 180 | 139 |
| 2019 | 182 | 143 |
| 2020 | 189 | 147 |
| 2021 | 201 | 158 |
| 2022 | 222 | 179 |
| 2023 | 225 | 182 |
| 2024 | 224 | 182 |
| 2025 | 227 | 187 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 190 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £155,856 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £350,147 and £295,470: Bristol is up 127% and Vale of Glamorgan is up 90%. 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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2015 a home cost 8.1 years of pay in Bristol and 6.8 years in Vale of Glamorgan. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 7.5 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 | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 101 |
| 2017 | 115 | 104 |
| 2018 | 118 | 107 |
| 2019 | 120 | 108 |
| 2020 | 125 | 112 |
| 2021 | 131 | 112 |
| 2022 | 143 | 118 |
| 2023 | 155 | 129 |
| 2024 | 165 | 140 |
| 2025 | 168 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 158 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £620 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £1,883 and £982: up 77% in Bristol and up 58% in Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Vale of Glamorgan
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to rent in Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £18,500 | £14,000 |
| £40,000 | £24,500 | £19,000 |
| £50,000 | £31,000 | £23,500 |
| £60,000 | £37,000 | £28,500 |
Moving from Vale of Glamorgan to Bristol
| Earning in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £48,500 | £63,500 |
| £40,000 | £64,500 | £85,000 |
| £50,000 | £81,000 | £106,000 |
| £60,000 | £97,000 | £127,500 |