Pay vs Place

Cherwell vs Reading: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £54,500 (19%) more in Reading than in Cherwell. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Reading: it takes 8.5× median annual pay, against 6.9× in Cherwell.

Cherwell, terraced
£290,500
Income typically needed: £58,000
Median full-time pay: £42,147
Reading, terraced
£345,000
Income typically needed: £69,000
Median full-time pay: £40,700

At a glance

Cherwell Reading
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 Reading (£40,700) is 3% lower than in Cherwell (£42,147), while a typical terraced house costs 19% more (£345,000 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 8.5× in Reading. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Cherwell and 47% in Reading. Both are harder in Reading, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Cherwell is around the middle of 316 areas (128th most expensive) to buy in, and Reading is the 118th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cherwell is the 109th most expensive of 316 areas and Reading is the 38th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Cherwell would need about £47,500 in Reading to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £49,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Reading 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 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 54% higher in Reading. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.7 per 1,000 in Cherwell against 5.4 in Reading.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Cherwell Reading
Median full-time pay £42,147 £40,700
House price ÷ pay 6.9× 8.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 73% 59%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 37% 47%

Buying, by property type

Type Cherwell Reading Difference
Detached £499,000 £615,000 +23% in Reading
Semi-detached £336,000 £428,500 +28% in Reading
Terraced £290,500 £345,000 +19% in Reading
Flat £180,000 £225,000 +25% in Reading

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Cherwell Reading Difference
Detached £1,864 £2,172 +17% in Reading
Semi-detached £1,406 £1,755 +25% in Reading
Terraced £1,297 £1,607 +24% in Reading
Flat £1,081 £1,272 +18% in Reading

Crime

Police recorded 63.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cherwell and 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 54% higher in Reading.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Cherwell Reading Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 63.7 98.0 +54% in Reading
Violence against the person 25.0 33.6 +35% in Reading
Sexual offences 3.1 4.0 +30% in Reading
Robbery 0.7 1.7 +158% in Reading
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.3 5.8 +33% in Reading
Vehicle offences 2.7 5.4 +101% in Reading
Theft from the person 0.4 1.5 +282% in Reading
Criminal damage and arson 5.1 6.5 +29% in Reading

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.

Cherwell: 184Reading: 193
House prices in Cherwell and Reading since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cherwell now 184, Reading now 193.10012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Cherwell and Reading since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Cherwell now 184, Reading now 193.10012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearCherwellReading
2005100100
2006107104
2007116117
2008111112
2009102101
2010111109
2011111109
2012113112
2013118117
2014129130
2015140146
2016151168
2017153173
2018156170
2019149164
2020153162
2021161171
2022176187
2023179188
2024178188
2025181193
12 months to July 2026184193

In 2005 the average home cost £190,627 in Cherwell and £183,968 in Reading. Now it is £350,585 and £354,278: Cherwell is up 84% and Reading is up 93%. Prices have risen faster in Reading, 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.

Cherwell: 8.2 years of payReading: 8.7 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cherwell and ReadingCherwell now 8.2, Reading now 8.7 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Cherwell and ReadingCherwell now 8.2, Reading now 8.7 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCherwellReading
20057.9 years of pay7.3 years of pay
20107.1 years of pay6.8 years of pay
20159.2 years of pay9.2 years of pay
20208.8 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20258.2 years of pay8.7 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Cherwell and 7.3 years in Reading. In 2025 it was 8.2 years and 8.7 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Reading over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Cherwell: 151Reading: 150
Rents in Cherwell and Reading since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cherwell now 151, Reading now 150.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Cherwell and Reading since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Cherwell now 151, Reading now 150.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCherwellReading
2015100100
2016104106
2017105108
2018106109
2019108112
2020109113
2021112112
2022119115
2023126122
2024134136
2025146148
August 2026151150

In 2015 the average rent was £861 a month in Cherwell and £1,049 in Reading. Now it is £1,304 and £1,574: up 51% in Cherwell and up 50% in Reading.

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 Reading

Earning in Cherwell Equivalent to buy in Reading Equivalent to rent in Reading
£30,000 £35,500 £37,000
£40,000 £47,500 £49,500
£50,000 £59,500 £62,000
£60,000 £71,500 £74,500

Moving from Reading to Cherwell

Earning in Reading Equivalent to buy in Cherwell Equivalent to rent in Cherwell
£30,000 £25,500 £24,000
£40,000 £33,500 £32,500
£50,000 £42,000 £40,500
£60,000 £50,500 £48,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Cherwell figures · All Reading figures