Cotswold vs South Hams: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,000 (22%) more in Cotswold than in South Hams. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Cotswold: it takes 8.1× median annual pay, against 7.1× in South Hams.
At a glance
| Cotswold | South Hams | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 South Hams (£38,638) is 6% lower than in Cotswold (£41,267), while a typical terraced house costs 18% less (£275,000 against £335,000). Set against local pay, South Hams is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.1× annual pay in Cotswold and 7.1× in South Hams. Renting one takes 35% of pay in Cotswold and 29% in South Hams. Both are harder in Cotswold, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Cotswold is the 42nd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and South Hams is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Cotswold is the 119th most expensive of 316 areas and South Hams is around the middle of 316 areas (179th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Cotswold would need about £33,000 in South Hams to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Hams 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 44.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cotswold and 46.3 in South Hams, so recorded crime per resident is 5% higher in South Hams. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.2 per 1,000 in Cotswold against 2.4 in South Hams.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Cotswold | South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,267 | £38,638 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.1× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 62% | 70% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 35% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Cotswold | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £663,750 | £515,000 | -22% in South Hams |
| Semi-detached | £400,000 | £305,000 | -24% in South Hams |
| Terraced | £335,000 | £275,000 | -18% in South Hams |
| Flat | £201,250 | £210,000 | +4% in South Hams |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Cotswold | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,740 | £1,394 | -20% in South Hams |
| Semi-detached | £1,332 | £1,103 | -17% in South Hams |
| Terraced | £1,208 | £949 | -21% in South Hams |
| Flat | £969 | £853 | -12% in South Hams |
Crime
Police recorded 44.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Cotswold and 46.3 in South Hams, so recorded crime per resident is 5% higher in South Hams.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Cotswold | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 44.1 | 46.3 | +5% in South Hams |
| Violence against the person | 16.9 | 21.8 | +29% in South Hams |
| Sexual offences | 2.4 | 2.6 | +10% in South Hams |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.2 | -43% in South Hams |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.2 | 2.4 | -62% in South Hams |
| Vehicle offences | 2.4 | 1.3 | -48% in South Hams |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 0.2 | +82% in South Hams |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.1 | 4.9 | +20% in South Hams |
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 | Cotswold | South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 106 |
| 2007 | 114 | 118 |
| 2008 | 112 | 112 |
| 2009 | 104 | 100 |
| 2010 | 113 | 112 |
| 2011 | 111 | 112 |
| 2012 | 114 | 111 |
| 2013 | 117 | 110 |
| 2014 | 124 | 117 |
| 2015 | 130 | 122 |
| 2016 | 137 | 126 |
| 2017 | 143 | 126 |
| 2018 | 147 | 132 |
| 2019 | 153 | 135 |
| 2020 | 158 | 140 |
| 2021 | 168 | 152 |
| 2022 | 188 | 170 |
| 2023 | 195 | 170 |
| 2024 | 198 | 168 |
| 2025 | 183 | 164 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 186 | 159 |
In 2005 the average home cost £228,276 in Cotswold and £228,256 in South Hams. Now it is £424,412 and £362,244: Cotswold is up 86% and South Hams is up 59%. Prices have risen faster in Cotswold, 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 | Cotswold | South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9.9 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 11.0 years of pay | 10.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 11.2 years of pay | 10.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.1 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 9.9 years of pay in Cotswold and 9.9 years in South Hams. In 2025 it was 10.1 years and 9.7 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Cotswold | South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 104 |
| 2018 | 110 | 106 |
| 2019 | 111 | 108 |
| 2020 | 113 | 110 |
| 2021 | 117 | 114 |
| 2022 | 124 | 122 |
| 2023 | 132 | 130 |
| 2024 | 140 | 136 |
| 2025 | 144 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 152 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £824 a month in Cotswold and £686 in South Hams. Now it is £1,252 and £1,012: up 52% in Cotswold and up 48% in South Hams.
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 Cotswold to South Hams
| Earning in Cotswold | Equivalent to buy in South Hams | Equivalent to rent in South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £24,500 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,000 | £31,500 |
| £50,000 | £41,000 | £39,500 |
| £60,000 | £49,500 | £47,000 |
Moving from South Hams to Cotswold
| Earning in South Hams | Equivalent to buy in Cotswold | Equivalent to rent in Cotswold |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £38,000 |
| £40,000 | £48,500 | £51,000 |
| £50,000 | £61,000 | £63,500 |
| £60,000 | £73,000 | £76,500 |