Charnwood vs West Northamptonshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £23,750 (11%) more in West Northamptonshire than in Charnwood. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in West Northamptonshire: it takes 6.3× median annual pay, against 5.6× in Charnwood.
At a glance
| Charnwood | West Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | About 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 West Northamptonshire (£38,000) is the same than in Charnwood (£38,078), while a typical terraced house costs 11% more (£238,750 against £215,000). Set against local pay, Charnwood is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.6× annual pay in Charnwood and 6.3× in West Northamptonshire. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Charnwood and 34% in West Northamptonshire. Both are harder in West Northamptonshire, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Charnwood is around the middle of 316 areas (183rd most expensive) to buy in, and West Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (154th most expensive). For renting against pay, Charnwood is the 126th least expensive of 316 areas and West Northamptonshire is around the middle of 316 areas (144th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Charnwood would need about £44,500 in West Northamptonshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £45,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Northamptonshire 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 67.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Charnwood and 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 5% higher in West Northamptonshire. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 7.7 per 1,000 in Charnwood against 5.4 in West Northamptonshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Charnwood | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,078 | £38,000 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.6× | 6.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 89% | 80% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 29% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Charnwood | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £393,000 | £425,000 | +8% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £261,000 | £281,000 | +8% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £215,000 | £238,750 | +11% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £141,500 | £146,000 | +3% in West Northamptonshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Charnwood | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,276 | £1,470 | +15% in West Northamptonshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,008 | £1,107 | +10% in West Northamptonshire |
| Terraced | £931 | £1,063 | +14% in West Northamptonshire |
| Flat | £771 | £858 | +11% in West Northamptonshire |
Crime
Police recorded 67.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Charnwood and 71.0 in West Northamptonshire, so recorded crime per resident is 5% higher in West Northamptonshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Charnwood | West Northamptonshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 67.9 | 71.0 | +5% in West Northamptonshire |
| Violence against the person | 24.1 | 27.4 | +14% in West Northamptonshire |
| Sexual offences | 2.8 | 3.8 | +33% in West Northamptonshire |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 1.5 | +214% in West Northamptonshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.1 | 6.3 | -11% in West Northamptonshire |
| Vehicle offences | 4.4 | 4.7 | +6% in West Northamptonshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.3 | -37% in West Northamptonshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.7 | 5.4 | -29% in West Northamptonshire |
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 | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 112 | 112 |
| 2008 | 106 | 107 |
| 2009 | 97 | 94 |
| 2010 | 103 | 101 |
| 2011 | 102 | 100 |
| 2012 | 100 | 101 |
| 2013 | 102 | 104 |
| 2014 | 109 | 113 |
| 2015 | 114 | 121 |
| 2016 | 121 | 132 |
| 2017 | 126 | 142 |
| 2018 | 134 | 148 |
| 2019 | 138 | 147 |
| 2020 | 142 | 149 |
| 2021 | 152 | 158 |
| 2022 | 169 | 173 |
| 2023 | 173 | 174 |
| 2024 | 170 | 172 |
| 2025 | 177 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 180 | 179 |
In 2005 the average home cost £152,252 in Charnwood and £162,574 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £273,407 and £291,495: Charnwood is up 80% and West Northamptonshire is up 79%.
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 | West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 105 |
| 2017 | 107 | 111 |
| 2018 | 109 | 115 |
| 2019 | 112 | 118 |
| 2020 | 115 | 120 |
| 2021 | 118 | 123 |
| 2022 | 121 | 128 |
| 2023 | 129 | 135 |
| 2024 | 142 | 144 |
| 2025 | 155 | 154 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 160 |
In 2015 the average rent was £589 a month in Charnwood and £678 in West Northamptonshire. Now it is £960 and £1,084: up 63% in Charnwood and up 60% in West Northamptonshire.
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 West Northamptonshire
| Earning in Charnwood | Equivalent to buy in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to rent in West Northamptonshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,500 | £34,500 |
| £40,000 | £44,500 | £45,500 |
| £50,000 | £55,500 | £57,000 |
| £60,000 | £66,500 | £68,500 |
Moving from West Northamptonshire to Charnwood
| Earning in West Northamptonshire | Equivalent to buy in Charnwood | Equivalent to rent in Charnwood |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,000 | £26,500 |
| £40,000 | £36,000 | £35,000 |
| £50,000 | £45,000 | £44,000 |
| £60,000 | £54,000 | £52,500 |