Charnwood vs Melton: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £32,000 (17%) more in Charnwood than in Melton. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Charnwood | Melton | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 Melton (£33,900) is 11% lower than in Charnwood (£38,078), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£183,000 against £215,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 5.6× annual pay in Charnwood and 5.4× in Melton. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Charnwood and 27% in Melton. Renting is harder in Charnwood; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Charnwood is around the middle of 316 areas (183rd most expensive) to buy in, and Melton is around the middle of 316 areas (146th most expensive). For renting against pay, Charnwood is the 126th least expensive of 316 areas and Melton is the 95th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Charnwood would need about £34,000 in Melton to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Melton 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 67.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Charnwood and 56.8 in Melton, so recorded crime per resident is 16% lower in Melton. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 7.1 per 1,000 in Charnwood against 3.1 in Melton.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Charnwood | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,078 | £33,900 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.6× | 5.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 89% | 93% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 29% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Charnwood | Melton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £393,000 | £377,500 | -4% in Melton |
| Semi-detached | £261,000 | £235,000 | -10% in Melton |
| Terraced | £215,000 | £183,000 | -15% in Melton |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Charnwood | Melton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,276 | £1,099 | -14% in Melton |
| Semi-detached | £1,008 | £839 | -17% in Melton |
| Terraced | £931 | £759 | -18% in Melton |
Crime
Police recorded 67.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Charnwood and 56.8 in Melton, so recorded crime per resident is 16% lower in Melton.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Charnwood | Melton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 67.9 | 56.8 | -16% in Melton |
| Violence against the person | 24.1 | 22.1 | -8% in Melton |
| Sexual offences | 2.8 | 2.8 | -2% in Melton |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 0.2 | -63% in Melton |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.1 | 3.1 | -56% in Melton |
| Vehicle offences | 4.4 | 2.7 | -37% in Melton |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.3 | -40% in Melton |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.7 | 6.3 | -17% in Melton |
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 | Charnwood | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 112 | 116 |
| 2008 | 106 | 109 |
| 2009 | 97 | 98 |
| 2010 | 103 | 103 |
| 2011 | 102 | 104 |
| 2012 | 100 | 106 |
| 2013 | 102 | 105 |
| 2014 | 109 | 112 |
| 2015 | 114 | 118 |
| 2016 | 121 | 125 |
| 2017 | 126 | 133 |
| 2018 | 134 | 138 |
| 2019 | 138 | 140 |
| 2020 | 142 | 143 |
| 2021 | 152 | 154 |
| 2022 | 169 | 163 |
| 2023 | 173 | 166 |
| 2024 | 170 | 160 |
| 2025 | 177 | 175 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 180 | 176 |
In 2005 the average home cost £152,252 in Charnwood and £164,205 in Melton. Now it is £273,407 and £288,548: Charnwood is up 80% and Melton is up 76%.
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 | Charnwood | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.7 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.1 years of pay | 6.9 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.3 years of pay | – |
| 2020 | 7.1 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.1 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.7 years of pay in Charnwood and 6.6 years in Melton. In 2025 it was 7.1 years and 8.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Melton 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 | Charnwood | Melton |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 101 |
| 2017 | 107 | 102 |
| 2018 | 109 | 104 |
| 2019 | 112 | 107 |
| 2020 | 115 | 112 |
| 2021 | 118 | 113 |
| 2022 | 121 | 119 |
| 2023 | 129 | 122 |
| 2024 | 142 | 132 |
| 2025 | 155 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £589 a month in Charnwood and £535 in Melton. Now it is £960 and £806: up 63% in Charnwood and up 51% in Melton. Rents have risen faster in Charnwood.
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 Charnwood to Melton
| Earning in Charnwood | Equivalent to buy in Melton | Equivalent to rent in Melton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £32,500 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £41,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £49,000 |
Moving from Melton to Charnwood
| Earning in Melton | Equivalent to buy in Charnwood | Equivalent to rent in Charnwood |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,000 | £37,000 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £58,500 | £61,500 |
| £60,000 | £70,500 | £73,500 |