Castle Point vs Central Bedfordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical semi-detached house costs £3,000 (1%) more in Central Bedfordshire than in Castle Point. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Castle Point: it takes 8.8× median annual pay, against 8.5× in Central Bedfordshire.
At a glance
| Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | Low |
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 Central Bedfordshire (£43,645) is 5% higher than in Castle Point (£41,745), while a typical semi-detached house costs 1% more (£370,000 against £367,000). Set against local pay, Central Bedfordshire is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a semi-detached house takes 8.8× annual pay in Castle Point and 8.5× in Central Bedfordshire. Renting one takes 39% of pay in Castle Point and 37% in Central Bedfordshire. On both measures the two areas are close.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Castle Point is the 97th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Central Bedfordshire is the 125th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Castle Point is the 122nd most expensive of 316 areas and Central Bedfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (139th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Castle Point would need about £40,500 in Central Bedfordshire to be equally placed to buy a semi-detached house, and about £40,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Central Bedfordshire would leave you worse 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 52.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Castle Point and 47.3 in Central Bedfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 9% lower in Central Bedfordshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Castle Point against 4.5 in Central Bedfordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Semi-detached house | Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,745 | £43,645 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.8× | 8.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 39% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £432,500 | £521,500 | +21% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £367,000 | £370,000 | +1% in Central Bedfordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,436 | £1,761 | +23% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,358 | £1,352 | -0% in Central Bedfordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 52.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Castle Point and 47.3 in Central Bedfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 9% lower in Central Bedfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 52.1 | 47.3 | -9% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Violence against the person | 23.6 | 17.7 | -25% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Sexual offences | 2.4 | 2.1 | -11% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 0.7 | +57% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 3.2 | -24% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 2.4 | 4.5 | +84% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | -17% in Central Bedfordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 4.4 | -24% in Central Bedfordshire |
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 | Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 112 | 113 |
| 2008 | 111 | 112 |
| 2009 | 98 | 99 |
| 2010 | 109 | 105 |
| 2011 | 106 | 104 |
| 2012 | 106 | 105 |
| 2013 | 108 | 108 |
| 2014 | 118 | 118 |
| 2015 | 132 | 132 |
| 2016 | 149 | 151 |
| 2017 | 163 | 162 |
| 2018 | 166 | 167 |
| 2019 | 167 | 163 |
| 2020 | 170 | 164 |
| 2021 | 183 | 169 |
| 2022 | 201 | 184 |
| 2023 | 203 | 187 |
| 2024 | 198 | 185 |
| 2025 | 204 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 206 | 196 |
In 2005 the average home cost £178,784 in Castle Point and £181,536 in Central Bedfordshire. Now it is £367,754 and £355,075: Castle Point is up 106% and Central Bedfordshire is up 96%. Prices have risen faster in Castle Point, 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 | Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 7.9 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.9 years of pay | 8.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.7 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Castle Point and 6.6 years in Central Bedfordshire. In 2025 it was 8.7 years and 8.0 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Central Bedfordshire 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 | Castle Point | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 108 |
| 2017 | 108 | 115 |
| 2018 | 113 | 116 |
| 2019 | 118 | 116 |
| 2020 | 120 | 117 |
| 2021 | 124 | 122 |
| 2022 | 127 | 127 |
| 2023 | 131 | 132 |
| 2024 | 139 | 142 |
| 2025 | 149 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 157 | 159 |
In 2015 the average rent was £804 a month in Castle Point and £786 in Central Bedfordshire. Now it is £1,262 and £1,250: up 57% in Castle Point and up 59% in Central Bedfordshire.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (semi-detached), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Castle Point to Central Bedfordshire
| Earning in Castle Point | Equivalent to buy in Central Bedfordshire | Equivalent to rent in Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,000 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £40,500 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £50,500 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £60,500 | £59,500 |
Moving from Central Bedfordshire to Castle Point
| Earning in Central Bedfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Castle Point | Equivalent to rent in Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,000 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,500 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £49,500 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £59,500 | £60,500 |