Bristol vs Welwyn Hatfield: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £32,500 (9%) more in Welwyn Hatfield than in Bristol. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 9.1× in Welwyn Hatfield.
At a glance
| Bristol | Welwyn Hatfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 Welwyn Hatfield (£45,145) is 14% higher than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 9% more (£412,500 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Welwyn Hatfield 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 9.1× in Welwyn Hatfield. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 41% in Welwyn Hatfield. Renting is harder in Bristol; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Bristol is the 99th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Welwyn Hatfield is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Welwyn Hatfield is the 83rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £43,500 in Welwyn Hatfield to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £30,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Welwyn Hatfield would leave you worse 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 77.7 in Welwyn Hatfield, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Welwyn Hatfield. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 5.3 in Welwyn Hatfield.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £45,145 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 9.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 55% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 41% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | Welwyn Hatfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £793,500 | +48% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £531,250 | +44% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £412,500 | +9% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Flat | £265,000 | £245,000 | -8% in Welwyn Hatfield |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | Welwyn Hatfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,922 | -9% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £1,669 | -20% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £1,527 | -24% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Flat | £1,508 | £1,198 | -21% in Welwyn Hatfield |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 77.7 in Welwyn Hatfield, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Welwyn Hatfield.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | Welwyn Hatfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 77.7 | -41% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 30.6 | -36% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 3.1 | -40% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 1.2 | -60% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 7.6 | -17% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 5.3 | -46% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 1.1 | +31% in Welwyn Hatfield |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 6.0 | -44% in Welwyn Hatfield |
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 | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 121 | 112 |
| 2008 | 116 | 111 |
| 2009 | 103 | 102 |
| 2010 | 112 | 114 |
| 2011 | 112 | 114 |
| 2012 | 114 | 116 |
| 2013 | 118 | 119 |
| 2014 | 131 | 131 |
| 2015 | 144 | 146 |
| 2016 | 164 | 168 |
| 2017 | 173 | 174 |
| 2018 | 180 | 177 |
| 2019 | 182 | 177 |
| 2020 | 189 | 179 |
| 2021 | 201 | 186 |
| 2022 | 222 | 200 |
| 2023 | 225 | 197 |
| 2024 | 224 | 193 |
| 2025 | 227 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 196 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £226,726 in Welwyn Hatfield. Now it is £350,147 and £444,673: Bristol is up 127% and Welwyn Hatfield is up 96%. 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 | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 11.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 8.9 years in Welwyn Hatfield. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 9.7 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 | Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 104 |
| 2017 | 115 | 108 |
| 2018 | 118 | 109 |
| 2019 | 120 | 111 |
| 2020 | 125 | 111 |
| 2021 | 131 | 113 |
| 2022 | 143 | 117 |
| 2023 | 155 | 124 |
| 2024 | 165 | 132 |
| 2025 | 168 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £1,018 in Welwyn Hatfield. Now it is £1,883 and £1,512: up 77% in Bristol and up 49% in Welwyn Hatfield. 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 Welwyn Hatfield
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in Welwyn Hatfield | Equivalent to rent in Welwyn Hatfield |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £43,500 | £30,500 |
| £50,000 | £54,500 | £38,000 |
| £60,000 | £65,000 | £45,500 |
Moving from Welwyn Hatfield to Bristol
| Earning in Welwyn Hatfield | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £39,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,000 | £52,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,000 | £65,500 |
| £60,000 | £55,500 | £79,000 |