Bristol vs West Lancashire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £215,000 (130%) more in Bristol than in West Lancashire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 4.3× in West Lancashire.
At a glance
| Bristol | West Lancashire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West Lancashire (£38,102) is 4% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 57% less (£165,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, West Lancashire 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 4.3× in West Lancashire. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 26% in West Lancashire. 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 West Lancashire is the 98th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and West Lancashire is the 38th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £17,500 in West Lancashire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £16,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Lancashire 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 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 63% lower in West Lancashire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 2.1 in West Lancashire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £38,102 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 4.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 115% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £375,000 | -30% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £235,000 | -36% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £165,000 | -57% in West Lancashire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,148 | -45% in West Lancashire |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £833 | -60% in West Lancashire |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £816 | -59% in West Lancashire |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 48.6 in West Lancashire, so recorded crime per resident is 63% lower in West Lancashire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | West Lancashire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 48.6 | -63% in West Lancashire |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 21.8 | -54% in West Lancashire |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 2.5 | -51% in West Lancashire |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 0.6 | -80% in West Lancashire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 4.6 | -50% in West Lancashire |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 2.1 | -78% in West Lancashire |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.2 | -80% in West Lancashire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 5.4 | -50% in West Lancashire |
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 | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 107 |
| 2007 | 121 | 118 |
| 2008 | 116 | 113 |
| 2009 | 103 | 108 |
| 2010 | 112 | 111 |
| 2011 | 112 | 112 |
| 2012 | 114 | 108 |
| 2013 | 118 | 108 |
| 2014 | 131 | 110 |
| 2015 | 144 | 112 |
| 2016 | 164 | 120 |
| 2017 | 173 | 123 |
| 2018 | 180 | 127 |
| 2019 | 182 | 128 |
| 2020 | 189 | 129 |
| 2021 | 201 | 137 |
| 2022 | 222 | 148 |
| 2023 | 225 | 156 |
| 2024 | 224 | 163 |
| 2025 | 227 | 166 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 171 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £137,815 in West Lancashire. Now it is £350,147 and £235,697: Bristol is up 127% and West Lancashire is up 71%. 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 | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 6.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 5.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.9 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Bristol and 6.1 years in West Lancashire. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 6.0 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 | West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 101 |
| 2017 | 115 | 103 |
| 2018 | 118 | 103 |
| 2019 | 120 | 103 |
| 2020 | 125 | 102 |
| 2021 | 131 | 101 |
| 2022 | 143 | 102 |
| 2023 | 155 | 108 |
| 2024 | 165 | 117 |
| 2025 | 168 | 131 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 140 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £573 in West Lancashire. Now it is £1,883 and £805: up 77% in Bristol and up 40% in West Lancashire. 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 West Lancashire
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in West Lancashire | Equivalent to rent in West Lancashire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £13,000 | £12,000 |
| £40,000 | £17,500 | £16,500 |
| £50,000 | £21,500 | £20,500 |
| £60,000 | £26,000 | £24,500 |
Moving from West Lancashire to Bristol
| Earning in West Lancashire | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £69,000 | £74,000 |
| £40,000 | £92,000 | £98,500 |
| £50,000 | £115,000 | £123,000 |
| £60,000 | £138,000 | £147,500 |