Cheltenham vs East Devon: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £47,005 (18%) more in Cheltenham than in East Devon. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cheltenham: it takes 7.4× median annual pay, against 6.5× in East Devon.
At a glance
| Cheltenham | East Devon | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | 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 East Devon (£40,087) is 3% lower than in Cheltenham (£41,399), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£258,995 against £306,000). Set against local pay, East Devon is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.4× annual pay in Cheltenham and 6.5× in East Devon. Renting one takes 35% of pay in Cheltenham and 29% in East Devon. Both are harder in Cheltenham, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cheltenham is around the middle of 316 areas (143rd most expensive) to buy in, and East Devon is around the middle of 316 areas (141st most expensive). For renting against pay, Cheltenham is the 114th most expensive of 316 areas and East Devon is the 105th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cheltenham would need about £34,000 in East Devon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £32,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to East Devon 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 79.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheltenham and 45.6 in East Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in East Devon. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 6.6 per 1,000 in Cheltenham against 1.3 in East Devon.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cheltenham | East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,399 | £40,087 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.4× | 6.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 68% | 77% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 35% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cheltenham | East Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £630,000 | £475,000 | -25% in East Devon |
| Semi-detached | £375,000 | £307,500 | -18% in East Devon |
| Terraced | £306,000 | £258,995 | -15% in East Devon |
| Flat | £204,500 | £186,250 | -9% in East Devon |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cheltenham | East Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,753 | £1,303 | -26% in East Devon |
| Semi-detached | £1,337 | £1,035 | -23% in East Devon |
| Terraced | £1,216 | £971 | -20% in East Devon |
| Flat | £985 | £773 | -22% in East Devon |
Crime
Police recorded 79.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cheltenham and 45.6 in East Devon, so recorded crime per resident is 43% lower in East Devon.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cheltenham | East Devon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 79.7 | 45.6 | -43% in East Devon |
| Violence against the person | 27.2 | 22.0 | -19% in East Devon |
| Sexual offences | 3.1 | 2.5 | -18% in East Devon |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 0.2 | -79% in East Devon |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.4 | 2.2 | -70% in East Devon |
| Vehicle offences | 6.6 | 1.3 | -81% in East Devon |
| Theft from the person | 0.7 | 0.2 | -69% in East Devon |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.4 | 5.4 | -16% in East Devon |
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 | Cheltenham | East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 105 |
| 2007 | 114 | 114 |
| 2008 | 108 | 113 |
| 2009 | 97 | 104 |
| 2010 | 109 | 112 |
| 2011 | 106 | 111 |
| 2012 | 111 | 111 |
| 2013 | 112 | 112 |
| 2014 | 120 | 116 |
| 2015 | 127 | 120 |
| 2016 | 136 | 124 |
| 2017 | 146 | 131 |
| 2018 | 151 | 138 |
| 2019 | 151 | 141 |
| 2020 | 157 | 142 |
| 2021 | 166 | 150 |
| 2022 | 184 | 164 |
| 2023 | 186 | 169 |
| 2024 | 189 | 166 |
| 2025 | 187 | 168 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 189 | 169 |
In 2005 the average home cost £173,279 in Cheltenham and £202,112 in East Devon. Now it is £327,870 and £341,189: Cheltenham is up 89% and East Devon is up 69%. Prices have risen faster in Cheltenham, 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 | Cheltenham | East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.0 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.0 years of pay | 10.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.4 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.1 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.8 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.0 years of pay in Cheltenham and 9.9 years in East Devon. In 2025 it was 7.8 years and 8.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Cheltenham 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 | Cheltenham | East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 101 |
| 2017 | 106 | 102 |
| 2018 | 107 | 104 |
| 2019 | 108 | 105 |
| 2020 | 110 | 111 |
| 2021 | 113 | 116 |
| 2022 | 119 | 116 |
| 2023 | 127 | 121 |
| 2024 | 138 | 130 |
| 2025 | 146 | 134 |
| August 2026 | 153 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £825 a month in Cheltenham and £677 in East Devon. Now it is £1,261 and £968: up 53% in Cheltenham and up 43% in East Devon. Rents have risen faster in Cheltenham.
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 Cheltenham to East Devon
| Earning in Cheltenham | Equivalent to buy in East Devon | Equivalent to rent in East Devon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £24,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £32,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £40,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £48,000 |
Moving from East Devon to Cheltenham
| Earning in East Devon | Equivalent to buy in Cheltenham | Equivalent to rent in Cheltenham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £37,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £50,000 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £62,500 |
| £60,000 | £71,000 | £75,000 |