Cambridge vs Liverpool: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £327,500 (198%) more in Cambridge than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cambridge: it takes 11.3× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Cambridge | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above 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 Liverpool (£37,144) is 15% lower than in Cambridge (£43,741), while a typical terraced house costs 66% less (£165,000 against £492,500). Set against local pay, Liverpool 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 4.4× in Liverpool. Renting one takes 50% of pay in Cambridge and 30% in Liverpool. Both are harder in Cambridge, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cambridge is the 31st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cambridge is the 28th most expensive of 316 areas and Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cambridge would need about £13,500 in Liverpool to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £20,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Liverpool 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 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Liverpool. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 27.4 per 1,000 in Cambridge against 45.6 in Liverpool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cambridge | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £43,741 | £37,144 |
| House price ÷ pay | 11.3× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 44% | 113% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 50% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cambridge | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £810,153 | £380,000 | -53% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £550,138 | £240,000 | -56% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £492,500 | £165,000 | -66% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £320,000 | £147,500 | -54% in Liverpool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cambridge | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,342 | £1,225 | -48% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £2,008 | £1,008 | -50% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £1,833 | £917 | -50% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £1,455 | £786 | -46% in Liverpool |
Crime
Police recorded 91.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cambridge and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Liverpool.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cambridge | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 91.7 | 124.1 | +35% in Liverpool |
| Violence against the person | 27.4 | 45.6 | +66% in Liverpool |
| Sexual offences | 3.0 | 4.1 | +38% in Liverpool |
| Robbery | 1.2 | 1.6 | +34% in Liverpool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.8 | 6.1 | -10% in Liverpool |
| Vehicle offences | 4.2 | 5.3 | +26% in Liverpool |
| Theft from the person | 2.3 | 1.2 | -49% in Liverpool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.0 | 10.3 | +46% in Liverpool |
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 | Cambridge | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 111 | 110 |
| 2007 | 124 | 117 |
| 2008 | 116 | 113 |
| 2009 | 111 | 104 |
| 2010 | 123 | 105 |
| 2011 | 126 | 101 |
| 2012 | 135 | 99 |
| 2013 | 147 | 99 |
| 2014 | 163 | 103 |
| 2015 | 184 | 107 |
| 2016 | 193 | 110 |
| 2017 | 199 | 115 |
| 2018 | 201 | 121 |
| 2019 | 198 | 123 |
| 2020 | 201 | 128 |
| 2021 | 200 | 148 |
| 2022 | 221 | 161 |
| 2023 | 219 | 163 |
| 2024 | 217 | 166 |
| 2025 | 214 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 211 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £225,245 in Cambridge and £99,018 in Liverpool. Now it is £475,300 and £181,637: Cambridge is up 111% and Liverpool is up 83%. Prices have risen faster in Cambridge, 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.
Show the figures
| Year | Cambridge | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.0 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 13.2 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 13.0 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 11.0 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 9.0 years of pay in Cambridge and 4.3 years in Liverpool. In 2025 it was 11.0 years and 4.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Cambridge 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 | Cambridge | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 107 | 103 |
| 2017 | 109 | 104 |
| 2018 | 109 | 104 |
| 2019 | 111 | 105 |
| 2020 | 112 | 106 |
| 2021 | 114 | 111 |
| 2022 | 119 | 119 |
| 2023 | 127 | 127 |
| 2024 | 137 | 138 |
| 2025 | 145 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 148 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,223 a month in Cambridge and £567 in Liverpool. Now it is £1,805 and £913: up 48% in Cambridge and up 61% in Liverpool. Rents have risen faster in Liverpool.
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 Liverpool
| Earning in Cambridge | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 |
| £40,000 | £13,500 | £20,000 |
| £50,000 | £17,000 | £25,000 |
| £60,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 |
Moving from Liverpool to Cambridge
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in Cambridge | Equivalent to rent in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £89,500 | £60,000 |
| £40,000 | £119,500 | £80,000 |
| £50,000 | £149,000 | £100,000 |
| £60,000 | £179,000 | £120,000 |