Pay vs Place

Crawley vs Reading: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £2,500 (1%) more in Crawley than in Reading. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Crawley: it takes 8.9× median annual pay, against 8.5× in Reading.

Crawley, terraced
£347,500
Income typically needed: £69,500
Median full-time pay: £39,237
Reading, terraced
£345,000
Income typically needed: £69,000
Median full-time pay: £40,700

At a glance

Crawley Reading
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Above 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 4% higher than in Crawley (£39,237), while a typical terraced house costs 1% less (£345,000 against £347,500). Set against local pay, Reading is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.9× annual pay in Crawley and 8.5× in Reading. Renting one takes 45% of pay in Crawley and 47% in Reading. Renting is harder in Reading; buying is about the same.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Crawley is the 90th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Reading is the 118th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Crawley is the 45th most expensive of 316 areas and Reading is the 38th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Crawley would need about £39,500 in Reading to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Reading 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 109.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Crawley and 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Reading. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.2 per 1,000 in Crawley against 5.8 in Reading.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Crawley Reading
Median full-time pay £39,237 £40,700
House price ÷ pay 8.9× 8.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 56% 59%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 45% 47%

Buying, by property type

Type Crawley Reading Difference
Detached £590,000 £615,000 +4% in Reading
Semi-detached £410,000 £428,500 +5% in Reading
Terraced £347,500 £345,000 -1% in Reading
Flat £211,500 £225,000 +6% in Reading

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Crawley Reading Difference
Detached £2,162 £2,172 +0% in Reading
Semi-detached £1,624 £1,755 +8% in Reading
Terraced £1,474 £1,607 +9% in Reading
Flat £1,225 £1,272 +4% in Reading

Crime

Police recorded 109.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Crawley and 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Reading.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Crawley Reading Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 109.2 98.0 -10% in Reading
Violence against the person 37.7 33.6 -11% in Reading
Sexual offences 4.0 4.0 +1% in Reading
Robbery 1.6 1.7 +6% in Reading
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.2 5.8 +36% in Reading
Vehicle offences 4.1 5.4 +31% in Reading
Theft from the person 1.1 1.5 +39% in Reading
Criminal damage and arson 7.3 6.5 -11% 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.

Crawley: 197Reading: 193
House prices in Crawley and Reading since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Crawley now 197, Reading now 193.5010015020020052010201520202025House prices in Crawley and Reading since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Crawley now 197, Reading now 193.5010015020020102020
Show the figures
YearCrawleyReading
2005100100
2006103104
2007113117
2008110112
200997101
2010105109
2011103109
2012105112
2013112117
2014126130
2015141146
2016155168
2017161173
2018164170
2019163164
2020165162
2021169171
2022183187
2023187188
2024183188
2025194193
12 months to July 2026197193

In 2005 the average home cost £170,121 in Crawley and £183,968 in Reading. Now it is £334,888 and £354,278: Crawley is up 97% and Reading is up 93%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Crawley: 8.4 years of payReading: 8.7 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Crawley and ReadingCrawley now 8.4, 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 Crawley and ReadingCrawley now 8.4, Reading now 8.7 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearCrawleyReading
20057.1 years of pay7.3 years of pay
20106.7 years of pay6.8 years of pay
20158.4 years of pay9.2 years of pay
20208.9 years of pay9.0 years of pay
20258.4 years of pay8.7 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Crawley and 7.3 years in Reading. In 2025 it was 8.4 years and 8.7 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Crawley: 151Reading: 150
Rents in Crawley and Reading since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Crawley now 151, Reading now 150.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Crawley and Reading since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Crawley now 151, Reading now 150.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearCrawleyReading
2015100100
2016104106
2017108108
2018109109
2019111112
2020113113
2021113112
2022118115
2023125122
2024137136
2025146148
August 2026151150

In 2015 the average rent was £984 a month in Crawley and £1,049 in Reading. Now it is £1,488 and £1,574: up 51% in Crawley 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 Crawley to Reading

Earning in Crawley Equivalent to buy in Reading Equivalent to rent in Reading
£30,000 £30,000 £32,500
£40,000 £39,500 £43,500
£50,000 £49,500 £54,500
£60,000 £59,500 £65,500

Moving from Reading to Crawley

Earning in Reading Equivalent to buy in Crawley Equivalent to rent in Crawley
£30,000 £30,000 £27,500
£40,000 £40,500 £36,500
£50,000 £50,500 £46,000
£60,000 £60,500 £55,000
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 Crawley figures · All Reading figures