Pay vs Place

Cambridge vs Dacorum: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £77,500 (19%) more in Cambridge than in Dacorum. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cambridge: it takes 11.3× median annual pay, against 9.3× in Dacorum.

Cambridge, terraced
£492,500
Income typically needed: £98,500
Median full-time pay: £43,741
Dacorum, terraced
£415,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £44,485

At a glance

Cambridge Dacorum
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very 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 Dacorum (£44,485) is 2% higher than in Cambridge (£43,741), while a typical terraced house costs 16% less (£415,000 against £492,500). Set against local pay, Dacorum is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 11.3× annual pay in Cambridge and 9.3× in Dacorum. Renting one takes 50% of pay in Cambridge and 41% in Dacorum. Both are harder in Cambridge, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cambridge is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Dacorum is the 50th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cambridge is the 28th most expensive of 316 areas and Dacorum is the 60th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cambridge would need about £33,500 in Dacorum to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Dacorum 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 91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cambridge and 65.9 in Dacorum, so recorded crime per resident is 28% lower in Dacorum. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 7.0 per 1,000 in Cambridge against 5.7 in Dacorum.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cambridge Dacorum
Median full-time pay £43,741 £44,485
House price ÷ pay 11.3× 9.3×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 44% 54%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 50% 41%

Buying, by property type

Type Cambridge Dacorum Difference
Detached £810,153 £795,000 -2% in Dacorum
Semi-detached £550,138 £540,000 -2% in Dacorum
Terraced £492,500 £415,000 -16% in Dacorum
Flat £320,000 £255,000 -20% in Dacorum

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cambridge Dacorum Difference
Detached £2,342 £2,195 -6% in Dacorum
Semi-detached £2,008 £1,737 -13% in Dacorum
Terraced £1,833 £1,527 -17% in Dacorum
Flat £1,455 £1,251 -14% in Dacorum

Crime

Police recorded 91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cambridge and 65.9 in Dacorum, so recorded crime per resident is 28% lower in Dacorum.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cambridge Dacorum Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 91.7 65.9 -28% in Dacorum
Violence against the person 27.4 25.7 -6% in Dacorum
Sexual offences 3.0 2.7 -12% in Dacorum
Robbery 1.2 0.8 -35% in Dacorum
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 6.8 6.4 -5% in Dacorum
Vehicle offences 4.2 4.8 +13% in Dacorum
Theft from the person 2.3 0.6 -75% in Dacorum
Criminal damage and arson 7.0 5.7 -20% in Dacorum

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.

Cambridge: 211Dacorum: 213
House prices in Cambridge and Dacorum since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cambridge now 211, Dacorum now 213.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Cambridge and Dacorum since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cambridge now 211, Dacorum now 213.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearCambridgeDacorum
2005100100
2006111105
2007124116
2008116116
2009111104
2010123115
2011126115
2012135118
2013147121
2014163135
2015184151
2016193172
2017199180
2018201180
2019198178
2020201181
2021200192
2022221203
2023219205
2024217204
2025214212
12 months to July 2026211213

In 2005 the average home cost £225,245 in Cambridge and £214,986 in Dacorum. Now it is £475,300 and £457,149: Cambridge is up 111% and Dacorum is up 113%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Cambridge: 11.0 years of payDacorum: 10.2 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cambridge and DacorumCambridge now 11.0, Dacorum now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cambridge and DacorumCambridge now 11.0, Dacorum now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCambridgeDacorum
2005–7.9 years of pay
20109.0 years of pay8.4 years of pay
201513.2 years of pay10.2 years of pay
202013.0 years of pay11.1 years of pay
202511.0 years of pay10.2 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 9.0 years of pay in Cambridge and 8.4 years in Dacorum. In 2025 it was 11.0 years and 10.2 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Cambridge: 148Dacorum: 149
Rents in Cambridge and Dacorum since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cambridge now 148, Dacorum now 149.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Cambridge and Dacorum since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cambridge now 148, Dacorum now 149.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCambridgeDacorum
2015100100
2016107105
2017109110
2018109113
2019111113
2020112114
2021114117
2022119122
2023127129
2024137136
2025145146
August 2026148149

In 2015 the average rent was £1,223 a month in Cambridge and £1,068 in Dacorum. Now it is £1,805 and £1,594: up 48% in Cambridge and up 49% in Dacorum.

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 Cambridge to Dacorum

Earning in Cambridge Equivalent to buy in Dacorum Equivalent to rent in Dacorum
£30,000 £25,500 £25,000
£40,000 £33,500 £33,500
£50,000 £42,000 £41,500
£60,000 £50,500 £50,000

Moving from Dacorum to Cambridge

Earning in Dacorum Equivalent to buy in Cambridge Equivalent to rent in Cambridge
£30,000 £35,500 £36,000
£40,000 £47,500 £48,000
£50,000 £59,500 £60,000
£60,000 £71,000 £72,000
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 Cambridge figures · All Dacorum figures