Broadland vs Luton: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £42,500 (18%) more in Luton than in Broadland. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Luton: it takes 8.0× median annual pay, against 6.2× in Broadland.
At a glance
| Broadland | Luton | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Luton (£34,732) is 9% lower than in Broadland (£38,195), while a typical terraced house costs 18% more (£277,500 against £235,000). Set against local pay, Broadland is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.2× annual pay in Broadland and 8.0× in Luton. Renting one takes 30% of pay in Broadland and 42% in Luton. Both are harder in Luton, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Broadland is around the middle of 316 areas (139th most expensive) to buy in, and Luton is the 80th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Broadland is the 113th least expensive of 316 areas and Luton is the 65th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Broadland would need about £47,000 in Luton to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £51,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Luton 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 34.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Broadland and 82.2 in Luton, so recorded crime per resident in Luton is 2.4 times the rate in Broadland. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 0.6 per 1,000 in Broadland against 7.1 in Luton.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Broadland | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,195 | £34,732 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.2× | 8.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 81% | 63% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 30% | 42% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Broadland | Luton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £375,000 | £435,000 | +16% in Luton |
| Semi-detached | £276,000 | £338,000 | +22% in Luton |
| Terraced | £235,000 | £277,500 | +18% in Luton |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Broadland | Luton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,236 | £1,604 | +30% in Luton |
| Semi-detached | £1,001 | £1,329 | +33% in Luton |
| Terraced | £943 | £1,217 | +29% in Luton |
Crime
Police recorded 34.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Broadland and 82.2 in Luton, so recorded crime per resident in Luton is 2.4 times the rate in Broadland.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Broadland | Luton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 34.8 | 82.2 | +136% in Luton |
| Violence against the person | 16.1 | 30.4 | +89% in Luton |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 3.3 | +33% in Luton |
| Robbery | 0.1 | 1.5 | +1420% in Luton |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 1.9 | 5.7 | +209% in Luton |
| Vehicle offences | 0.6 | 7.1 | +1057% in Luton |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 1.0 | +646% in Luton |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.2 | 6.3 | +52% in Luton |
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 | Broadland | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 103 |
| 2007 | 116 | 113 |
| 2008 | 112 | 111 |
| 2009 | 99 | 96 |
| 2010 | 109 | 103 |
| 2011 | 105 | 100 |
| 2012 | 109 | 103 |
| 2013 | 112 | 105 |
| 2014 | 118 | 113 |
| 2015 | 128 | 129 |
| 2016 | 139 | 152 |
| 2017 | 147 | 166 |
| 2018 | 151 | 168 |
| 2019 | 154 | 164 |
| 2020 | 158 | 162 |
| 2021 | 167 | 174 |
| 2022 | 186 | 192 |
| 2023 | 184 | 191 |
| 2024 | 180 | 189 |
| 2025 | 182 | 195 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 186 | 195 |
In 2005 the average home cost £166,960 in Broadland and £145,768 in Luton. Now it is £310,860 and £284,756: Broadland is up 86% and Luton is up 95%. Prices have risen faster in Luton, 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 | Broadland | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.1 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.3 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.1 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.2 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.9 years of pay | 8.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.1 years of pay in Broadland and 6.6 years in Luton. In 2025 it was 7.9 years and 8.2 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Luton 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 | Broadland | Luton |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 110 | 114 |
| 2018 | 113 | 116 |
| 2019 | 116 | 117 |
| 2020 | 119 | 118 |
| 2021 | 123 | 120 |
| 2022 | 129 | 125 |
| 2023 | 135 | 132 |
| 2024 | 144 | 145 |
| 2025 | 154 | 157 |
| August 2026 | 162 | 162 |
In 2015 the average rent was £580 a month in Broadland and £754 in Luton. Now it is £938 and £1,222: up 62% in Broadland and up 62% in Luton.
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 Broadland to Luton
| Earning in Broadland | Equivalent to buy in Luton | Equivalent to rent in Luton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £38,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £51,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £64,500 |
| £60,000 | £71,000 | £77,500 |
Moving from Luton to Broadland
| Earning in Luton | Equivalent to buy in Broadland | Equivalent to rent in Broadland |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £31,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £38,500 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £46,500 |