Pay vs Place

Bromley vs Hillingdon: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (3%) more in Bromley than in Hillingdon. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Hillingdon: it takes 11.8× median annual pay, against 10.1× in Bromley.

Bromley, terraced
£515,000
Income typically needed: £103,000
Median full-time pay: £51,225
Hillingdon, terraced
£500,000
Income typically needed: £100,000
Median full-time pay: £42,250

At a glance

Bromley Hillingdon
Buying a home Expensive Very expensive
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime About average 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 Hillingdon (£42,250) is 18% lower than in Bromley (£51,225), while a typical terraced house costs 3% less (£500,000 against £515,000). Set against local pay, Bromley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 10.1× annual pay in Bromley and 11.8× in Hillingdon. Renting one takes 45% of pay in Bromley and 49% in Hillingdon. Both are harder in Hillingdon, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Bromley is the 48th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Hillingdon is the 19th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Bromley is the 88th most expensive of 316 areas and Hillingdon is the 50th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Bromley would need about £39,000 in Hillingdon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Hillingdon 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 69.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bromley and 91.6 in Hillingdon, so recorded crime per resident is 33% higher in Hillingdon. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.4 per 1,000 in Bromley against 8.7 in Hillingdon.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Bromley Hillingdon
Median full-time pay £51,225 £42,250
House price ÷ pay 10.1× 11.8×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 50% 42%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 45% 49%

Buying, by property type

Type Bromley Hillingdon Difference
Detached £860,000 £837,500 -3% in Hillingdon
Semi-detached £625,000 £575,000 -8% in Hillingdon
Terraced £515,000 £500,000 -3% in Hillingdon
Flat £335,000 £300,000 -10% in Hillingdon

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Bromley Hillingdon Difference
Detached £2,897 £2,375 -18% in Hillingdon
Semi-detached £2,159 £2,019 -6% in Hillingdon
Terraced £1,913 £1,738 -9% in Hillingdon
Flat £1,511 £1,445 -4% in Hillingdon

Crime

Police recorded 69.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Bromley and 91.6 in Hillingdon, so recorded crime per resident is 33% higher in Hillingdon.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Bromley Hillingdon Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 69.1 91.6 +33% in Hillingdon
Violence against the person 20.1 26.5 +32% in Hillingdon
Sexual offences 2.3 2.9 +28% in Hillingdon
Robbery 1.9 2.2 +11% in Hillingdon
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.4 8.7 +36% in Hillingdon
Vehicle offences 9.5 10.5 +11% in Hillingdon
Theft from the person 1.6 3.0 +93% in Hillingdon
Criminal damage and arson 6.2 6.0 -4% in Hillingdon

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.

Bromley: 212Hillingdon: 207
House prices in Bromley and Hillingdon since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bromley now 212, Hillingdon now 207.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Bromley and Hillingdon since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Bromley now 212, Hillingdon now 207.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearBromleyHillingdon
2005100100
2006104104
2007116114
2008116115
2009104102
2010113111
2011115113
2012118117
2013124121
2014145137
2015161158
2016178180
2017184186
2018185184
2019182181
2020181184
2021195191
2022210203
2023208202
2024204201
2025213207
12 months to July 2026212207

In 2005 the average home cost £243,927 in Bromley and £228,889 in Hillingdon. Now it is £518,218 and £472,781: Bromley is up 112% and Hillingdon is up 107%. Prices have risen faster in Bromley, 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.

Bromley: 10.1 years of payHillingdon: 11.2 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bromley and HillingdonBromley now 10.1, Hillingdon now 11.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Bromley and HillingdonBromley now 10.1, Hillingdon now 11.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearBromleyHillingdon
20057.9 years of pay8.3 years of pay
20108.0 years of pay8.5 years of pay
201510.7 years of pay11.0 years of pay
202010.1 years of pay12.0 years of pay
202510.1 years of pay11.2 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Bromley and 8.3 years in Hillingdon. In 2025 it was 10.1 years and 11.2 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Hillingdon over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Bromley: 145Hillingdon: 145
Rents in Bromley and Hillingdon since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bromley now 145, Hillingdon now 145.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Bromley and Hillingdon since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Bromley now 145, Hillingdon now 145.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearBromleyHillingdon
2015100100
2016104102
2017106104
2018106105
2019107105
2020109108
2021112111
2022117112
2023123119
2024133132
2025140141
August 2026145145

In 2015 the average rent was £1,163 a month in Bromley and £1,081 in Hillingdon. Now it is £1,684 and £1,570: up 45% in Bromley and up 45% in Hillingdon.

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 Bromley to Hillingdon

Earning in Bromley Equivalent to buy in Hillingdon Equivalent to rent in Hillingdon
£30,000 £29,000 £27,500
£40,000 £39,000 £36,500
£50,000 £48,500 £45,500
£60,000 £58,500 £54,500

Moving from Hillingdon to Bromley

Earning in Hillingdon Equivalent to buy in Bromley Equivalent to rent in Bromley
£30,000 £31,000 £33,000
£40,000 £41,000 £44,000
£50,000 £51,500 £55,000
£60,000 £62,000 £66,000
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 Bromley figures · All Hillingdon figures