Calderdale vs Rotherham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £26,293 (19%) more in Calderdale than in Rotherham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Calderdale: it takes 4.5× median annual pay, against 3.9× in Rotherham.
At a glance
| Calderdale | Rotherham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 Rotherham (£34,713) is 4% lower than in Calderdale (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 16% less (£135,000 against £161,293). Set against local pay, Rotherham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.5× annual pay in Calderdale and 3.9× in Rotherham. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Calderdale and 23% in Rotherham. Buying is harder in Calderdale; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Calderdale is the 36th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Rotherham is the 44th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Calderdale is the 35th least expensive of 316 areas and Rotherham is the 26th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Calderdale would need about £33,500 in Rotherham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Rotherham 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 103.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Calderdale and 93.1 in Rotherham, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Rotherham. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 45.6 per 1,000 in Calderdale against 37.1 in Rotherham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Calderdale | Rotherham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £34,713 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.5× | 3.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 112% | 129% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 24% | 23% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Calderdale | Rotherham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | £310,000 | -23% in Rotherham |
| Semi-detached | £225,000 | £188,000 | -16% in Rotherham |
| Terraced | £161,293 | £135,000 | -16% in Rotherham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Calderdale | Rotherham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,076 | £917 | -15% in Rotherham |
| Semi-detached | £825 | £739 | -10% in Rotherham |
| Terraced | £711 | £678 | -5% in Rotherham |
Crime
Police recorded 103.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Calderdale and 93.1 in Rotherham, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Rotherham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Calderdale | Rotherham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 103.4 | 93.1 | -10% in Rotherham |
| Violence against the person | 45.6 | 37.1 | -19% in Rotherham |
| Sexual offences | 4.3 | 3.7 | -14% in Rotherham |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 1.3 | +28% in Rotherham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.9 | 8.3 | +5% in Rotherham |
| Vehicle offences | 5.2 | 6.2 | +18% in Rotherham |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 0.3 | -45% in Rotherham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.6 | 8.3 | -4% in Rotherham |
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 | Calderdale | Rotherham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 110 |
| 2007 | 119 | 119 |
| 2008 | 114 | 117 |
| 2009 | 103 | 105 |
| 2010 | 109 | 107 |
| 2011 | 105 | 105 |
| 2012 | 103 | 103 |
| 2013 | 104 | 103 |
| 2014 | 108 | 106 |
| 2015 | 113 | 108 |
| 2016 | 118 | 114 |
| 2017 | 120 | 117 |
| 2018 | 126 | 122 |
| 2019 | 130 | 126 |
| 2020 | 133 | 130 |
| 2021 | 148 | 147 |
| 2022 | 158 | 161 |
| 2023 | 162 | 164 |
| 2024 | 167 | 170 |
| 2025 | 177 | 180 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 182 | 182 |
In 2005 the average home cost £103,568 in Calderdale and £104,169 in Rotherham. Now it is £188,321 and £190,060: Calderdale is up 82% and Rotherham is up 82%.
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 | Calderdale | Rotherham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | 5.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.7 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.6 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.9 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.1 years of pay | 5.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Calderdale and 5.0 years in Rotherham. In 2025 it was 5.1 years and 5.4 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Calderdale | Rotherham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 102 | 103 |
| 2018 | 103 | 104 |
| 2019 | 104 | 105 |
| 2020 | 105 | 107 |
| 2021 | 108 | 109 |
| 2022 | 113 | 113 |
| 2023 | 121 | 120 |
| 2024 | 129 | 128 |
| 2025 | 140 | 137 |
| August 2026 | 146 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £518 a month in Calderdale and £480 in Rotherham. Now it is £756 and £686: up 46% in Calderdale and up 43% in Rotherham.
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 Calderdale to Rotherham
| Earning in Calderdale | Equivalent to buy in Rotherham | Equivalent to rent in Rotherham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,000 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £50,000 | £57,000 |
Moving from Rotherham to Calderdale
| Earning in Rotherham | Equivalent to buy in Calderdale | Equivalent to rent in Calderdale |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,000 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £48,000 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £59,500 | £52,500 |
| £60,000 | £71,500 | £63,000 |