Dacorum vs Liverpool: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £250,000 (152%) more in Dacorum than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Dacorum: it takes 9.3× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Dacorum | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Liverpool (£37,144) is 17% lower than in Dacorum (£44,485), while a typical terraced house costs 60% less (£165,000 against £415,000). Set against local pay, Liverpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 9.3× annual pay in Dacorum and 4.4× in Liverpool. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Dacorum and 30% in Liverpool. Both are harder in Dacorum, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Dacorum is the 50th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Dacorum is the 60th most expensive of 316 areas and Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Dacorum would need about £16,000 in Liverpool to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £24,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Liverpool 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 65.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dacorum and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 88% higher in Liverpool. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 5.7 per 1,000 in Dacorum against 10.3 in Liverpool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Dacorum | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £44,485 | £37,144 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.3× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 54% | 113% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 41% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Dacorum | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £795,000 | £380,000 | -52% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £540,000 | £240,000 | -56% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £415,000 | £165,000 | -60% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £255,000 | £147,500 | -42% in Liverpool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Dacorum | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,195 | £1,225 | -44% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £1,737 | £1,008 | -42% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £1,527 | £917 | -40% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £1,251 | £786 | -37% in Liverpool |
Crime
Police recorded 65.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dacorum and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 88% higher in Liverpool.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Dacorum | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 65.9 | 124.1 | +88% in Liverpool |
| Violence against the person | 25.7 | 45.6 | +77% in Liverpool |
| Sexual offences | 2.7 | 4.1 | +56% in Liverpool |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 1.6 | +106% in Liverpool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.4 | 6.1 | -6% in Liverpool |
| Vehicle offences | 4.8 | 5.3 | +12% in Liverpool |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 1.2 | +105% in Liverpool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.7 | 10.3 | +82% in Liverpool |
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 | Dacorum | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 110 |
| 2007 | 116 | 117 |
| 2008 | 116 | 113 |
| 2009 | 104 | 104 |
| 2010 | 115 | 105 |
| 2011 | 115 | 101 |
| 2012 | 118 | 99 |
| 2013 | 121 | 99 |
| 2014 | 135 | 103 |
| 2015 | 151 | 107 |
| 2016 | 172 | 110 |
| 2017 | 180 | 115 |
| 2018 | 180 | 121 |
| 2019 | 178 | 123 |
| 2020 | 181 | 128 |
| 2021 | 192 | 148 |
| 2022 | 203 | 161 |
| 2023 | 205 | 163 |
| 2024 | 204 | 166 |
| 2025 | 212 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 213 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £214,986 in Dacorum and £99,018 in Liverpool. Now it is £457,149 and £181,637: Dacorum is up 113% and Liverpool is up 83%. Prices have risen faster in Dacorum, 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 | Dacorum | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.9 years of pay | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.4 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.2 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 11.1 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.2 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Dacorum and 4.9 years in Liverpool. In 2025 it was 10.2 years and 4.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Dacorum 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 | Dacorum | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 103 |
| 2017 | 110 | 104 |
| 2018 | 113 | 104 |
| 2019 | 113 | 105 |
| 2020 | 114 | 106 |
| 2021 | 117 | 111 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 129 | 127 |
| 2024 | 136 | 138 |
| 2025 | 146 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 149 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,068 a month in Dacorum and £567 in Liverpool. Now it is £1,594 and £913: up 49% in Dacorum and up 61% in Liverpool. Rents have risen faster in Liverpool.
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 Dacorum to Liverpool
| Earning in Dacorum | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £12,000 | £18,000 |
| £40,000 | £16,000 | £24,000 |
| £50,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 |
| £60,000 | £24,000 | £36,000 |
Moving from Liverpool to Dacorum
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in Dacorum | Equivalent to rent in Dacorum |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £75,500 | £50,000 |
| £40,000 | £100,500 | £66,500 |
| £50,000 | £126,000 | £83,500 |
| £60,000 | £151,000 | £100,000 |