Dacorum vs Uttlesford: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,000 (17%) more in Dacorum than in Uttlesford. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Dacorum: it takes 9.3× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Uttlesford.
At a glance
| Dacorum | Uttlesford | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 Uttlesford (£50,103) is 13% higher than in Dacorum (£44,485), while a typical terraced house costs 14% less (£355,000 against £415,000). Set against local pay, Uttlesford 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 7.1× in Uttlesford. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Dacorum and 31% in Uttlesford. Both are harder in Dacorum, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Dacorum is the 50th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Uttlesford is the 82nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Dacorum is the 60th most expensive of 316 areas and Uttlesford is around the middle of 316 areas (185th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Dacorum would need about £34,000 in Uttlesford to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Uttlesford 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 51.2 in Uttlesford, so recorded crime per resident is 22% lower in Uttlesford. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.4 per 1,000 in Dacorum against 4.2 in Uttlesford.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Dacorum | Uttlesford |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £44,485 | £50,103 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.3× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 54% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 41% | 31% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Dacorum | Uttlesford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £795,000 | £609,500 | -23% in Uttlesford |
| Semi-detached | £540,000 | £430,000 | -20% in Uttlesford |
| Terraced | £415,000 | £355,000 | -14% in Uttlesford |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Dacorum | Uttlesford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,195 | £1,764 | -20% in Uttlesford |
| Semi-detached | £1,737 | £1,414 | -19% in Uttlesford |
| Terraced | £1,527 | £1,279 | -16% in Uttlesford |
Crime
Police recorded 65.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dacorum and 51.2 in Uttlesford, so recorded crime per resident is 22% lower in Uttlesford.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Dacorum | Uttlesford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 65.9 | 51.2 | -22% in Uttlesford |
| Violence against the person | 25.7 | 18.4 | -28% in Uttlesford |
| Sexual offences | 2.7 | 2.1 | -21% in Uttlesford |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 0.2 | -80% in Uttlesford |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.4 | 4.2 | -34% in Uttlesford |
| Vehicle offences | 4.8 | 3.5 | -27% in Uttlesford |
| Theft from the person | 0.6 | 0.8 | +29% in Uttlesford |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.7 | 5.3 | -6% in Uttlesford |
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 | Uttlesford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 104 |
| 2007 | 116 | 113 |
| 2008 | 116 | 111 |
| 2009 | 104 | 102 |
| 2010 | 115 | 109 |
| 2011 | 115 | 111 |
| 2012 | 118 | 113 |
| 2013 | 121 | 117 |
| 2014 | 135 | 129 |
| 2015 | 151 | 142 |
| 2016 | 172 | 153 |
| 2017 | 180 | 161 |
| 2018 | 180 | 164 |
| 2019 | 178 | 161 |
| 2020 | 181 | 165 |
| 2021 | 192 | 174 |
| 2022 | 203 | 188 |
| 2023 | 205 | 184 |
| 2024 | 204 | 182 |
| 2025 | 212 | 189 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 213 | 190 |
In 2005 the average home cost £214,986 in Dacorum and £249,401 in Uttlesford. Now it is £457,149 and £473,120: Dacorum is up 113% and Uttlesford is up 90%. Prices have risen faster in Dacorum, 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 | Dacorum | Uttlesford |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.9 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.4 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.2 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
| 2020 | 11.1 years of pay | 11.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.2 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Dacorum and 9.8 years in Uttlesford. In 2025 it was 10.2 years and 9.4 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 | Uttlesford |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 106 |
| 2017 | 110 | 110 |
| 2018 | 113 | 111 |
| 2019 | 113 | 112 |
| 2020 | 114 | 113 |
| 2021 | 117 | 117 |
| 2022 | 122 | 121 |
| 2023 | 129 | 126 |
| 2024 | 136 | 137 |
| 2025 | 146 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 149 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,068 a month in Dacorum and £869 in Uttlesford. Now it is £1,594 and £1,289: up 49% in Dacorum and up 48% in Uttlesford.
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 Uttlesford
| Earning in Dacorum | Equivalent to buy in Uttlesford | Equivalent to rent in Uttlesford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £33,500 |
| £50,000 | £43,000 | £42,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,500 | £50,500 |
Moving from Uttlesford to Dacorum
| Earning in Uttlesford | Equivalent to buy in Dacorum | Equivalent to rent in Dacorum |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,000 | £36,000 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £48,000 |
| £50,000 | £58,500 | £59,500 |
| £60,000 | £70,000 | £71,500 |