Cherwell vs Crawley: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £57,000 (20%) more in Crawley than in Cherwell. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Crawley: it takes 8.9× median annual pay, against 6.9× in Cherwell.
At a glance
| Cherwell | Crawley | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 Crawley (£39,237) is 7% lower than in Cherwell (£42,147), while a typical terraced house costs 20% more (£347,500 against £290,500). Set against local pay, Cherwell is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.9× annual pay in Cherwell and 8.9× in Crawley. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Cherwell and 45% in Crawley. Both are harder in Crawley, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cherwell is around the middle of 316 areas (128th most expensive) to buy in, and Crawley is the 90th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cherwell is the 109th most expensive of 316 areas and Crawley is the 45th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Cherwell would need about £48,000 in Crawley 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 Crawley 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 63.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cherwell and 109.2 in Crawley, so recorded crime per resident is 71% higher in Crawley. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.7 per 1,000 in Cherwell against 4.1 in Crawley.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cherwell | Crawley |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £42,147 | £39,237 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.9× | 8.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 73% | 56% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 45% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cherwell | Crawley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £499,000 | £590,000 | +18% in Crawley |
| Semi-detached | £336,000 | £410,000 | +22% in Crawley |
| Terraced | £290,500 | £347,500 | +20% in Crawley |
| Flat | £180,000 | £211,500 | +18% in Crawley |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cherwell | Crawley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,864 | £2,162 | +16% in Crawley |
| Semi-detached | £1,406 | £1,624 | +16% in Crawley |
| Terraced | £1,297 | £1,474 | +14% in Crawley |
| Flat | £1,081 | £1,225 | +13% in Crawley |
Crime
Police recorded 63.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cherwell and 109.2 in Crawley, so recorded crime per resident is 71% higher in Crawley.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cherwell | Crawley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 63.7 | 109.2 | +71% in Crawley |
| Violence against the person | 25.0 | 37.7 | +51% in Crawley |
| Sexual offences | 3.1 | 4.0 | +28% in Crawley |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 1.6 | +143% in Crawley |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.3 | 4.2 | -2% in Crawley |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 4.1 | +54% in Crawley |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 1.1 | +174% in Crawley |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.1 | 7.3 | +45% in Crawley |
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 | Cherwell | Crawley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 103 |
| 2007 | 116 | 113 |
| 2008 | 111 | 110 |
| 2009 | 102 | 97 |
| 2010 | 111 | 105 |
| 2011 | 111 | 103 |
| 2012 | 113 | 105 |
| 2013 | 118 | 112 |
| 2014 | 129 | 126 |
| 2015 | 140 | 141 |
| 2016 | 151 | 155 |
| 2017 | 153 | 161 |
| 2018 | 156 | 164 |
| 2019 | 149 | 163 |
| 2020 | 153 | 165 |
| 2021 | 161 | 169 |
| 2022 | 176 | 183 |
| 2023 | 179 | 187 |
| 2024 | 178 | 183 |
| 2025 | 181 | 194 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 184 | 197 |
In 2005 the average home cost £190,627 in Cherwell and £170,121 in Crawley. Now it is £350,585 and £334,888: Cherwell is up 84% and Crawley is up 97%. Prices have risen faster in Crawley, 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 | Cherwell | Crawley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.9 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.1 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.2 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.8 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.2 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Cherwell and 7.1 years in Crawley. In 2025 it was 8.2 years and 8.4 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Crawley 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 | Cherwell | Crawley |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 104 |
| 2017 | 105 | 108 |
| 2018 | 106 | 109 |
| 2019 | 108 | 111 |
| 2020 | 109 | 113 |
| 2021 | 112 | 113 |
| 2022 | 119 | 118 |
| 2023 | 126 | 125 |
| 2024 | 134 | 137 |
| 2025 | 146 | 146 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £861 a month in Cherwell and £984 in Crawley. Now it is £1,304 and £1,488: up 51% in Cherwell and up 51% in Crawley.
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 Cherwell to Crawley
| Earning in Cherwell | Equivalent to buy in Crawley | Equivalent to rent in Crawley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,000 | £34,000 |
| £40,000 | £48,000 | £45,500 |
| £50,000 | £60,000 | £57,000 |
| £60,000 | £72,000 | £68,000 |
Moving from Crawley to Cherwell
| Earning in Crawley | Equivalent to buy in Cherwell | Equivalent to rent in Cherwell |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £26,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £35,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,000 | £44,000 |
| £60,000 | £50,000 | £53,000 |