Bristol vs Vale of White Horse: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £65,000 (21%) more in Bristol than in Vale of White Horse. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Vale of White Horse.
At a glance
| Bristol | Vale of White Horse | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | 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 Vale of White Horse (£44,454) is 13% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 17% less (£315,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Vale of White Horse 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 7.1× in Vale of White Horse. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 37% in Vale of White Horse. 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 White Horse is the 102nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Vale of White Horse is the 117th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £33,000 in Vale of White Horse to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £27,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Vale of White Horse 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 46.4 in Vale of White Horse, so recorded crime per resident is 65% lower in Vale of White Horse. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 1.7 in Vale of White Horse.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £44,454 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | Vale of White Horse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £555,000 | +3% in Vale of White Horse |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £380,000 | +3% in Vale of White Horse |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £315,000 | -17% in Vale of White Horse |
| Flat | £265,000 | £213,500 | -19% in Vale of White Horse |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | Vale of White Horse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,898 | -10% in Vale of White Horse |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £1,436 | -31% in Vale of White Horse |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £1,355 | -33% in Vale of White Horse |
| Flat | £1,508 | £1,140 | -24% in Vale of White Horse |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 46.4 in Vale of White Horse, so recorded crime per resident is 65% lower in Vale of White Horse.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | Vale of White Horse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 46.4 | -65% in Vale of White Horse |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 19.2 | -59% in Vale of White Horse |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 2.3 | -56% in Vale of White Horse |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.3 | -91% in Vale of White Horse |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 3.4 | -63% in Vale of White Horse |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 1.7 | -82% in Vale of White Horse |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.3 | -59% in Vale of White Horse |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 4.4 | -59% in Vale of White Horse |
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 White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 105 |
| 2007 | 121 | 116 |
| 2008 | 116 | 115 |
| 2009 | 103 | 103 |
| 2010 | 112 | 113 |
| 2011 | 112 | 113 |
| 2012 | 114 | 116 |
| 2013 | 118 | 119 |
| 2014 | 131 | 131 |
| 2015 | 144 | 140 |
| 2016 | 164 | 150 |
| 2017 | 173 | 152 |
| 2018 | 180 | 156 |
| 2019 | 182 | 157 |
| 2020 | 189 | 158 |
| 2021 | 201 | 161 |
| 2022 | 222 | 174 |
| 2023 | 225 | 176 |
| 2024 | 224 | 175 |
| 2025 | 227 | 184 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 189 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £216,019 in Vale of White Horse. Now it is £350,147 and £409,253: Bristol is up 127% and Vale of White Horse is up 89%. 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 White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 8.0 years in Vale of White Horse. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 9.0 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 | Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 104 |
| 2017 | 115 | 103 |
| 2018 | 118 | 103 |
| 2019 | 120 | 105 |
| 2020 | 125 | 108 |
| 2021 | 131 | 114 |
| 2022 | 143 | 119 |
| 2023 | 155 | 124 |
| 2024 | 165 | 133 |
| 2025 | 168 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £931 in Vale of White Horse. Now it is £1,883 and £1,352: up 77% in Bristol and up 45% in Vale of White Horse. 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 White Horse
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Vale of White Horse | Equivalent to rent in Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £20,000 |
| £40,000 | £33,000 | £27,000 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £33,500 |
| £60,000 | £49,500 | £40,500 |
Moving from Vale of White Horse to Bristol
| Earning in Vale of White Horse | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,000 | £44,500 |
| £40,000 | £48,500 | £59,500 |
| £50,000 | £60,500 | £74,000 |
| £60,000 | £72,500 | £89,000 |