Pay vs Place

Bristol vs Worthing: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £40,000 (12%) more in Bristol than in Worthing. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Bristol: it takes 9.6× median annual pay, against 9.3× in Worthing.

Bristol, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £39,509
Worthing, terraced
£340,000
Income typically needed: £68,000
Median full-time pay: £36,581

At a glance

Bristol Worthing
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 Worthing (£36,581) is 7% lower than in Bristol (£39,509), while a typical terraced house costs 11% less (£340,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Worthing 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 9.3× in Worthing. Renting one takes 61% of pay in Bristol and 45% in Worthing. 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 Worthing is the 75th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bristol is the 14th most expensive of 316 areas and Worthing is the 64th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bristol would need about £36,000 in Worthing 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 Worthing 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 80.2 in Worthing, so recorded crime per resident is 39% lower in Worthing. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 9.8 per 1,000 in Bristol against 3.1 in Worthing.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bristol Worthing
Median full-time pay £39,509 £36,581
House price ÷ pay 9.6× 9.3×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 52% 54%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 61% 45%

Buying, by property type

Type Bristol Worthing Difference
Detached £536,500 £525,000 -2% in Worthing
Semi-detached £370,000 £392,375 +6% in Worthing
Terraced £380,000 £340,000 -11% in Worthing
Flat £265,000 £210,000 -21% in Worthing

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bristol Worthing Difference
Detached £2,106 £1,716 -19% in Worthing
Semi-detached £2,091 £1,449 -31% in Worthing
Terraced £2,008 £1,358 -32% in Worthing
Flat £1,508 £1,042 -31% in Worthing

Crime

Police recorded 131.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bristol and 80.2 in Worthing, so recorded crime per resident is 39% lower in Worthing.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bristol Worthing Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 131.0 80.2 -39% in Worthing
Violence against the person 47.4 28.4 -40% in Worthing
Sexual offences 5.2 3.4 -35% in Worthing
Robbery 3.0 1.2 -60% in Worthing
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 9.2 3.1 -66% in Worthing
Vehicle offences 9.8 3.1 -68% in Worthing
Theft from the person 0.8 0.3 -60% in Worthing
Criminal damage and arson 10.7 6.6 -39% in Worthing

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.

Bristol: 227Worthing: 188
House prices in Bristol and Worthing since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Worthing now 188.5010015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bristol and Worthing since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bristol now 227, Worthing now 188.5010015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBristolWorthing
2005100100
2006108105
2007121117
2008116115
200910399
2010112109
2011112108
2012114110
2013118114
2014131126
2015144137
2016164151
2017173158
2018180162
2019182164
2020189163
2021201182
2022222200
2023225201
2024224192
2025227192
12 months to July 2026227188

In 2005 the average home cost £154,224 in Bristol and £162,193 in Worthing. Now it is £350,147 and £304,635: Bristol is up 127% and Worthing is up 88%. 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.

Bristol: 8.9 years of payWorthing: 8.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and WorthingBristol now 8.9, Worthing now 8.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bristol and WorthingBristol now 8.9, Worthing now 8.5 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolWorthing
20057.0 years of pay–
20106.8 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20158.1 years of pay8.3 years of pay
20209.0 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20258.9 years of pay8.5 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 6.8 years of pay in Bristol and 7.0 years in Worthing. In 2025 it was 8.9 years and 8.5 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.

Bristol: 177Worthing: 155
Rents in Bristol and Worthing since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Worthing now 155.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Bristol and Worthing since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bristol now 177, Worthing now 155.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearBristolWorthing
2015100100
2016108105
2017115110
2018118113
2019120115
2020125117
2021131120
2022143126
2023155139
2024165149
2025168155
August 2026177155

In 2015 the average rent was £1,064 a month in Bristol and £836 in Worthing. Now it is £1,883 and £1,297: up 77% in Bristol and up 55% in Worthing. 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 Worthing

Earning in Bristol Equivalent to buy in Worthing Equivalent to rent in Worthing
£30,000 £27,000 £20,500
£40,000 £36,000 £27,000
£50,000 £44,500 £34,000
£60,000 £53,500 £40,500

Moving from Worthing to Bristol

Earning in Worthing Equivalent to buy in Bristol Equivalent to rent in Bristol
£30,000 £33,500 £44,500
£40,000 £44,500 £59,000
£50,000 £56,000 £74,000
£60,000 £67,000 £88,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Bristol figures · All Worthing figures