Camden vs Hammersmith and Fulham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £235,000 (17%) more in Camden than in Hammersmith and Fulham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Camden: it takes 30.1× median annual pay, against 28.9× in Hammersmith and Fulham.
At a glance
| Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | High | 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 Hammersmith and Fulham (£47,192) is 11% lower than in Camden (£53,133), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£1,365,000 against £1,600,000). Set against local pay, Hammersmith and Fulham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 30.1× annual pay in Camden and 28.9× in Hammersmith and Fulham. Renting one takes 77% of pay in Camden and 96% in Hammersmith and Fulham. Renting is harder in Hammersmith and Fulham; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Camden is the 5th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Hammersmith and Fulham is the 3rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Camden is the 6th most expensive of 316 areas and Hammersmith and Fulham is the 3rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Camden would need about £34,000 in Hammersmith and Fulham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £44,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Hammersmith and Fulham 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 173.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Camden and 107.0 in Hammersmith and Fulham, so recorded crime per resident is 38% lower in Hammersmith and Fulham. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 7.8 per 1,000 in Camden against 6.1 in Hammersmith and Fulham. Camden's rate is inflated by visitors and the night-time economy relative to its resident population, so it overstates the risk to residents.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £53,133 | £47,192 |
| House price ÷ pay | 30.1× | 28.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 17% | 17% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 77% | 96% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £1,600,000 | £1,365,000 | -15% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Flat | £649,500 | £570,000 | -12% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £3,430 | £3,766 | +10% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Flat | £2,407 | £2,347 | -2% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
Crime
Police recorded 173.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Camden and 107.0 in Hammersmith and Fulham, so recorded crime per resident is 38% lower in Hammersmith and Fulham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 173.3 | 107.0 | -38% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Violence against the person | 34.4 | 30.8 | -10% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Sexual offences | 4.4 | 3.7 | -15% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Robbery | 6.5 | 3.1 | -52% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.9 | 10.0 | -16% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Vehicle offences | 10.1 | 8.1 | -20% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Theft from the person | 27.8 | 4.5 | -84% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.8 | 6.1 | -22% in Hammersmith and Fulham |
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 | Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 110 |
| 2007 | 127 | 131 |
| 2008 | 136 | 131 |
| 2009 | 123 | 120 |
| 2010 | 139 | 139 |
| 2011 | 151 | 143 |
| 2012 | 159 | 156 |
| 2013 | 181 | 174 |
| 2014 | 205 | 199 |
| 2015 | 214 | 210 |
| 2016 | 219 | 208 |
| 2017 | 228 | 209 |
| 2018 | 229 | 200 |
| 2019 | 230 | 198 |
| 2020 | 226 | 201 |
| 2021 | 228 | 211 |
| 2022 | 234 | 214 |
| 2023 | 232 | 228 |
| 2024 | 232 | 218 |
| 2025 | 237 | 211 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 230 | 200 |
In 2005 the average home cost £364,819 in Camden and £375,524 in Hammersmith and Fulham. Now it is £837,421 and £751,998: Camden is up 130% and Hammersmith and Fulham is up 100%. Prices have risen faster in Camden, 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 | Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 11.7 years of pay | 12.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 14.0 years of pay | 14.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 19.6 years of pay | 20.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 19.7 years of pay | 18.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 16.3 years of pay | 16.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 11.7 years of pay in Camden and 12.8 years in Hammersmith and Fulham. In 2025 it was 16.3 years and 16.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Camden 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 | Camden | Hammersmith and Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 100 | 101 |
| 2017 | 100 | 104 |
| 2018 | 99 | 101 |
| 2019 | 106 | 105 |
| 2020 | 101 | 107 |
| 2021 | 97 | 109 |
| 2022 | 100 | 112 |
| 2023 | 111 | 121 |
| 2024 | 119 | 133 |
| 2025 | 131 | 143 |
| August 2026 | 132 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £2,134 a month in Camden and £1,909 in Hammersmith and Fulham. Now it is £2,819 and £2,825: up 32% in Camden and up 48% in Hammersmith and Fulham. Rents have risen faster in Hammersmith and Fulham.
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 Camden to Hammersmith and Fulham
| Earning in Camden | Equivalent to buy in Hammersmith and Fulham | Equivalent to rent in Hammersmith and Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £66,000 |
Moving from Hammersmith and Fulham to Camden
| Earning in Hammersmith and Fulham | Equivalent to buy in Camden | Equivalent to rent in Camden |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £58,500 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £70,500 | £54,500 |