Castle Point vs Liverpool: buying or renting a home
A typical semi-detached house costs £127,000 (53%) more in Castle Point than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Castle Point: it takes 8.8× median annual pay, against 6.5× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Castle Point | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 11% lower than in Castle Point (£41,745), while a typical semi-detached house costs 35% less (£240,000 against £367,000). Set against local pay, Liverpool 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 6.5× in Liverpool. Renting one takes 39% of pay in Castle Point and 33% in Liverpool. Both are harder in Castle Point, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Castle Point is the 97th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Castle Point is the 122nd most expensive of 316 areas and Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Castle Point would need about £26,000 in Liverpool to be equally placed to buy a semi-detached house, and about £29,500 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 52.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Castle Point and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident in Liverpool is 2.4 times the rate in Castle Point. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.4 per 1,000 in Castle Point against 5.3 in Liverpool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Semi-detached house | Castle Point | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,745 | £37,144 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.8× | 6.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 77% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 39% | 33% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Castle Point | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £432,500 | £380,000 | -12% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £367,000 | £240,000 | -35% in Liverpool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Castle Point | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,436 | £1,225 | -15% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £1,358 | £1,008 | -26% in Liverpool |
Crime
Police recorded 52.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Castle Point and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident in Liverpool is 2.4 times the rate in Castle Point.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Castle Point | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 52.1 | 124.1 | +138% in Liverpool |
| Violence against the person | 23.6 | 45.6 | +94% in Liverpool |
| Sexual offences | 2.4 | 4.1 | +73% in Liverpool |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 1.6 | +288% in Liverpool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 6.1 | +46% in Liverpool |
| Vehicle offences | 2.4 | 5.3 | +118% in Liverpool |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.2 | +396% in Liverpool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 10.3 | +77% 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 | Castle Point | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 110 |
| 2007 | 112 | 117 |
| 2008 | 111 | 113 |
| 2009 | 98 | 104 |
| 2010 | 109 | 105 |
| 2011 | 106 | 101 |
| 2012 | 106 | 99 |
| 2013 | 108 | 99 |
| 2014 | 118 | 103 |
| 2015 | 132 | 107 |
| 2016 | 149 | 110 |
| 2017 | 163 | 115 |
| 2018 | 166 | 121 |
| 2019 | 167 | 123 |
| 2020 | 170 | 128 |
| 2021 | 183 | 148 |
| 2022 | 201 | 161 |
| 2023 | 203 | 163 |
| 2024 | 198 | 166 |
| 2025 | 204 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 206 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £178,784 in Castle Point and £99,018 in Liverpool. Now it is £367,754 and £181,637: Castle Point is up 106% and Liverpool is up 83%. Prices have risen faster in Castle Point, 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 | Castle Point | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.9 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.9 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.7 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Castle Point and 4.9 years in Liverpool. In 2025 it was 8.7 years and 4.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Castle Point 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 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 103 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 113 | 104 |
| 2019 | 118 | 105 |
| 2020 | 120 | 106 |
| 2021 | 124 | 111 |
| 2022 | 127 | 119 |
| 2023 | 131 | 127 |
| 2024 | 139 | 138 |
| 2025 | 149 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 157 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £804 a month in Castle Point and £567 in Liverpool. Now it is £1,262 and £913: up 57% in Castle Point and up 61% in Liverpool.
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 Liverpool
| Earning in Castle Point | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £19,500 | £22,500 |
| £40,000 | £26,000 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £32,500 | £37,000 |
| £60,000 | £39,000 | £44,500 |
Moving from Liverpool to Castle Point
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in Castle Point | Equivalent to rent in Castle Point |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £46,000 | £40,500 |
| £40,000 | £61,000 | £54,000 |
| £50,000 | £76,500 | £67,500 |
| £60,000 | £92,000 | £81,000 |