Chelmsford vs Liverpool: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £195,000 (118%) more in Chelmsford than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Chelmsford: it takes 7.8× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Chelmsford | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 20% lower than in Chelmsford (£46,179), while a typical terraced house costs 54% less (£165,000 against £360,000). Set against local pay, Liverpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.8× annual pay in Chelmsford and 4.4× in Liverpool. Renting one takes 36% of pay in Chelmsford and 30% in Liverpool. Both are harder in Chelmsford, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Chelmsford is the 103rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Chelmsford is the 107th most expensive of 316 areas and Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Chelmsford would need about £18,500 in Liverpool to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £27,000 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 70.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chelmsford and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 76% higher in Liverpool. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 4.9 per 1,000 in Chelmsford against 10.3 in Liverpool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Chelmsford | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £46,179 | £37,144 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.8× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 64% | 113% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 36% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Chelmsford | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £590,000 | £380,000 | -36% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £430,000 | £240,000 | -44% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £360,000 | £165,000 | -54% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £216,000 | £147,500 | -32% in Liverpool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Chelmsford | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,993 | £1,225 | -39% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £1,521 | £1,008 | -34% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £1,370 | £917 | -33% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £1,210 | £786 | -35% in Liverpool |
Crime
Police recorded 70.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Chelmsford and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 76% higher in Liverpool.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Chelmsford | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 70.4 | 124.1 | +76% in Liverpool |
| Violence against the person | 29.3 | 45.6 | +56% in Liverpool |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 4.1 | +31% in Liverpool |
| Robbery | 0.6 | 1.6 | +155% in Liverpool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.3 | 6.1 | +13% in Liverpool |
| Vehicle offences | 3.2 | 5.3 | +66% in Liverpool |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 1.2 | +89% in Liverpool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.9 | 10.3 | +109% 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 | Chelmsford | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 110 |
| 2007 | 115 | 117 |
| 2008 | 112 | 113 |
| 2009 | 101 | 104 |
| 2010 | 110 | 105 |
| 2011 | 110 | 101 |
| 2012 | 112 | 99 |
| 2013 | 115 | 99 |
| 2014 | 127 | 103 |
| 2015 | 139 | 107 |
| 2016 | 155 | 110 |
| 2017 | 165 | 115 |
| 2018 | 168 | 121 |
| 2019 | 171 | 123 |
| 2020 | 170 | 128 |
| 2021 | 179 | 148 |
| 2022 | 197 | 161 |
| 2023 | 195 | 163 |
| 2024 | 192 | 166 |
| 2025 | 198 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 198 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £191,903 in Chelmsford and £99,018 in Liverpool. Now it is £380,645 and £181,637: Chelmsford is up 98% and Liverpool is up 83%. Prices have risen faster in Chelmsford, 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 | Chelmsford | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.0 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.4 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.3 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.2 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Chelmsford and 4.9 years in Liverpool. In 2025 it was 8.2 years and 4.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Chelmsford 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 | Chelmsford | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 110 | 104 |
| 2018 | 113 | 104 |
| 2019 | 115 | 105 |
| 2020 | 116 | 106 |
| 2021 | 121 | 111 |
| 2022 | 126 | 119 |
| 2023 | 133 | 127 |
| 2024 | 142 | 138 |
| 2025 | 155 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 162 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £891 a month in Chelmsford and £567 in Liverpool. Now it is £1,439 and £913: up 62% in Chelmsford and up 61% in Liverpool.
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 Chelmsford to Liverpool
| Earning in Chelmsford | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £14,000 | £20,000 |
| £40,000 | £18,500 | £27,000 |
| £50,000 | £23,000 | £33,500 |
| £60,000 | £27,500 | £40,000 |
Moving from Liverpool to Chelmsford
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in Chelmsford | Equivalent to rent in Chelmsford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £65,500 | £45,000 |
| £40,000 | £87,500 | £60,000 |
| £50,000 | £109,000 | £74,500 |
| £60,000 | £131,000 | £89,500 |