Bristol vs West Northamptonshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £141,250 (59%) more in Bristol than in West Northamptonshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 6.3× in West Northamptonshire.
At a glance
| Bristol | West Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | 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 West Northamptonshire (£38,000) is 4% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 37% less (£238,750 against £380,000). Set against local pay, West Northamptonshire 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 6.3× in West Northamptonshire. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 34% in West Northamptonshire. 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 Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (154th most expensive). For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and West Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (144th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £25,000 in West Northamptonshire 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 West Northamptonshire 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 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 46% lower in West Northamptonshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 4.7 in West Northamptonshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Bristol | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £39,509 | £38,000 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.6× | 6.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 52% | 80% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 61% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Bristol | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £536,500 | £425,000 | -21% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | £281,000 | -24% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £380,000 | £238,750 | -37% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £265,000 | £146,000 | -45% in West Northamptonshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Bristol | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,106 | £1,470 | -30% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £2,091 | £1,107 | -47% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £2,008 | £1,063 | -47% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £1,508 | £858 | -43% in West Northamptonshire |
Crime
Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 46% lower in West Northamptonshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Bristol | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.0 | 71.0 | -46% in West Northamptonshire |
| Violence against the person | 47.4 | 27.4 | -42% in West Northamptonshire |
| Sexual offences | 5.2 | 3.8 | -27% in West Northamptonshire |
| Robbery | 3.0 | 1.5 | -49% in West Northamptonshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.2 | 6.3 | -31% in West Northamptonshire |
| Vehicle offences | 9.8 | 4.7 | -52% in West Northamptonshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 0.3 | -59% in West Northamptonshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.7 | 5.4 | -49% in West Northamptonshire |
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 Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 104 |
| 2007 | 121 | 112 |
| 2008 | 116 | 107 |
| 2009 | 103 | 94 |
| 2010 | 112 | 101 |
| 2011 | 112 | 100 |
| 2012 | 114 | 101 |
| 2013 | 118 | 104 |
| 2014 | 131 | 113 |
| 2015 | 144 | 121 |
| 2016 | 164 | 132 |
| 2017 | 173 | 142 |
| 2018 | 180 | 148 |
| 2019 | 182 | 147 |
| 2020 | 189 | 149 |
| 2021 | 201 | 158 |
| 2022 | 222 | 173 |
| 2023 | 225 | 174 |
| 2024 | 224 | 172 |
| 2025 | 227 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 227 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £162,574 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £350,147 and £291,495: Bristol is up 127% and West Northamptonshire is up 79%. Prices have risen faster in Bristol, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 108 | 105 |
| 2017 | 115 | 111 |
| 2018 | 118 | 115 |
| 2019 | 120 | 118 |
| 2020 | 125 | 120 |
| 2021 | 131 | 123 |
| 2022 | 143 | 128 |
| 2023 | 155 | 135 |
| 2024 | 165 | 144 |
| 2025 | 168 | 154 |
| August 2026 | 177 | 160 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £678 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £1,883 and £1,084: up 77% in Bristol and up 60% in West Northamptonshire. 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 Northamptonshire
| Earning in Bristol | Equivalent to buy in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to rent in West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,000 | £16,000 |
| £40,000 | £25,000 | £21,000 |
| £50,000 | £31,500 | £26,500 |
| £60,000 | £37,500 | £32,000 |
Moving from West Northamptonshire to Bristol
| Earning in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to buy in Bristol | Equivalent to rent in Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £47,500 | £56,500 |
| £40,000 | £63,500 | £75,500 |
| £50,000 | £79,500 | £94,500 |
| £60,000 | £95,500 | £113,500 |