Denbighshire vs Gwynedd: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £3,250 (2%) more in Denbighshire than in Gwynedd. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Denbighshire | Gwynedd | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | About 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 Gwynedd (£32,868) is 1% higher than in Denbighshire (£32,691), while a typical terraced house costs 2% less (£151,500 against £154,750).
Buying a terraced house takes 4.7× annual pay in Denbighshire and 4.6× in Gwynedd. Renting one takes 25% of pay in Denbighshire and 26% in Gwynedd. On both measures the two areas are close.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Denbighshire is the 79th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Gwynedd is the 73rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Denbighshire is the 57th least expensive of 316 areas and Gwynedd is the 60th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Denbighshire would need about £39,000 in Gwynedd to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £41,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Gwynedd 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 94.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Denbighshire and 69.7 in Gwynedd, so recorded crime per resident is 26% lower in Gwynedd. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 44.7 per 1,000 in Denbighshire against 30.9 in Gwynedd.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Denbighshire | Gwynedd |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £32,691 | £32,868 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.7× | 4.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 106% | 108% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 25% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Denbighshire | Gwynedd | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £260,000 | £312,500 | +20% in Gwynedd |
| Semi-detached | £185,000 | £210,000 | +14% in Gwynedd |
| Terraced | £154,750 | £151,500 | -2% in Gwynedd |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Denbighshire | Gwynedd | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £870 | £885 | +2% in Gwynedd |
| Semi-detached | £758 | £770 | +2% in Gwynedd |
| Terraced | £684 | £703 | +3% in Gwynedd |
Crime
Police recorded 94.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Denbighshire and 69.7 in Gwynedd, so recorded crime per resident is 26% lower in Gwynedd.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Denbighshire | Gwynedd | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 94.7 | 69.7 | -26% in Gwynedd |
| Violence against the person | 44.7 | 30.9 | -31% in Gwynedd |
| Sexual offences | 4.5 | 3.7 | -17% in Gwynedd |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.3 | +15% in Gwynedd |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.1 | 3.0 | -25% in Gwynedd |
| Vehicle offences | 1.7 | 1.4 | -19% in Gwynedd |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -33% in Gwynedd |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.7 | 7.4 | -15% in Gwynedd |
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 | Denbighshire | Gwynedd |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 107 |
| 2007 | 111 | 116 |
| 2008 | 108 | 111 |
| 2009 | 98 | 102 |
| 2010 | 101 | 105 |
| 2011 | 97 | 103 |
| 2012 | 98 | 104 |
| 2013 | 97 | 102 |
| 2014 | 100 | 105 |
| 2015 | 106 | 107 |
| 2016 | 108 | 110 |
| 2017 | 110 | 113 |
| 2018 | 115 | 115 |
| 2019 | 119 | 121 |
| 2020 | 123 | 124 |
| 2021 | 137 | 139 |
| 2022 | 151 | 156 |
| 2023 | 152 | 156 |
| 2024 | 153 | 154 |
| 2025 | 158 | 156 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 159 | 159 |
In 2005 the average home cost £124,614 in Denbighshire and £126,241 in Gwynedd. Now it is £198,589 and £200,677: Denbighshire is up 59% and Gwynedd is up 59%.
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 | Denbighshire | Gwynedd |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.5 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.9 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 6.0 years of pay | – |
| 2020 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.0 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.5 years of pay in Denbighshire and 6.5 years in Gwynedd. In 2025 it was 6.0 years and 6.0 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 | Denbighshire | Gwynedd |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 100 |
| 2017 | 102 | 102 |
| 2018 | 104 | 104 |
| 2019 | 105 | 107 |
| 2020 | 106 | 109 |
| 2021 | 107 | 112 |
| 2022 | 109 | 117 |
| 2023 | 117 | 127 |
| 2024 | 126 | 136 |
| 2025 | 133 | 137 |
| August 2026 | 142 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £507 a month in Denbighshire and £494 in Gwynedd. Now it is £718 and £724: up 42% in Denbighshire and up 47% in Gwynedd.
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 Denbighshire to Gwynedd
| Earning in Denbighshire | Equivalent to buy in Gwynedd | Equivalent to rent in Gwynedd |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,500 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £39,000 | £41,000 |
| £50,000 | £49,000 | £51,500 |
| £60,000 | £58,500 | £61,500 |
Moving from Gwynedd to Denbighshire
| Earning in Gwynedd | Equivalent to buy in Denbighshire | Equivalent to rent in Denbighshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,500 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,000 | £39,000 |
| £50,000 | £51,000 | £48,500 |
| £60,000 | £61,500 | £58,500 |