Derbyshire Dales vs Harborough: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £13,000 (6%) more in Harborough than in Derbyshire Dales. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Harborough: it takes 5.8× median annual pay, against 5.5× in Derbyshire Dales.
At a glance
| Derbyshire Dales | Harborough | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | 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 Harborough (£42,423) is 2% lower than in Derbyshire Dales (£43,071), while a typical terraced house costs 6% more (£248,000 against £235,000). Set against local pay, Derbyshire Dales is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.5× annual pay in Derbyshire Dales and 5.8× in Harborough. Renting one takes 21% of pay in Derbyshire Dales and 26% in Harborough. Both are harder in Harborough, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Derbyshire Dales is around the middle of 316 areas (168th most expensive) to buy in, and Harborough is around the middle of 316 areas (156th most expensive). For renting against pay, Derbyshire Dales is the 13th least expensive of 316 areas and Harborough is the 79th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Derbyshire Dales would need about £42,000 in Harborough to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £48,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Harborough would leave you worse 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 45.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Derbyshire Dales and 44.4 in Harborough: about the same. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.4 per 1,000 in Derbyshire Dales against 2.7 in Harborough.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Derbyshire Dales | Harborough |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £43,071 | £42,423 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.5× | 5.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 92% | 86% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 21% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Derbyshire Dales | Harborough | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £463,500 | £440,000 | -5% in Harborough |
| Semi-detached | £285,000 | £289,995 | +2% in Harborough |
| Terraced | £235,000 | £248,000 | +6% in Harborough |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Derbyshire Dales | Harborough | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,089 | £1,289 | +18% in Harborough |
| Semi-detached | £886 | £1,020 | +15% in Harborough |
| Terraced | £768 | £929 | +21% in Harborough |
Crime
Police recorded 45.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Derbyshire Dales and 44.4 in Harborough: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Derbyshire Dales | Harborough | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 45.0 | 44.4 | -1% in Harborough |
| Violence against the person | 18.3 | 15.8 | -14% in Harborough |
| Sexual offences | 2.1 | 2.0 | -4% in Harborough |
| Robbery | 0.1 | 0.2 | +150% in Harborough |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.0 | 4.6 | +54% in Harborough |
| Vehicle offences | 1.4 | 2.7 | +88% in Harborough |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.3 | -16% in Harborough |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.2 | 4.8 | +14% in Harborough |
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 | Derbyshire Dales | Harborough |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 111 | 113 |
| 2008 | 103 | 110 |
| 2009 | 98 | 96 |
| 2010 | 107 | 106 |
| 2011 | 104 | 105 |
| 2012 | 106 | 106 |
| 2013 | 108 | 107 |
| 2014 | 112 | 118 |
| 2015 | 116 | 126 |
| 2016 | 121 | 131 |
| 2017 | 125 | 138 |
| 2018 | 130 | 148 |
| 2019 | 134 | 155 |
| 2020 | 137 | 159 |
| 2021 | 149 | 163 |
| 2022 | 163 | 176 |
| 2023 | 168 | 179 |
| 2024 | 166 | 178 |
| 2025 | 171 | 181 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 176 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £196,994 in Derbyshire Dales and £182,793 in Harborough. Now it is £346,564 and £337,727: Derbyshire Dales is up 76% and Harborough is up 85%. Prices have risen faster in Harborough, 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 | Derbyshire Dales | Harborough |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.7 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.2 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.5 years of pay | – |
| 2020 | 7.7 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.8 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.7 years of pay in Derbyshire Dales and 7.2 years in Harborough. In 2025 it was 7.8 years and 7.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Harborough 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 | Derbyshire Dales | Harborough |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 104 |
| 2017 | 105 | 108 |
| 2018 | 106 | 112 |
| 2019 | 107 | 114 |
| 2020 | 110 | 116 |
| 2021 | 115 | 118 |
| 2022 | 123 | 122 |
| 2023 | 121 | 127 |
| 2024 | 129 | 142 |
| 2025 | 128 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 138 | 157 |
In 2015 the average rent was £592 a month in Derbyshire Dales and £619 in Harborough. Now it is £819 and £973: up 38% in Derbyshire Dales and up 57% in Harborough. Rents have risen faster in Harborough.
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 Derbyshire Dales to Harborough
| Earning in Derbyshire Dales | Equivalent to buy in Harborough | Equivalent to rent in Harborough |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,500 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £42,000 | £48,500 |
| £50,000 | £53,000 | £60,500 |
| £60,000 | £63,500 | £72,500 |
Moving from Harborough to Derbyshire Dales
| Earning in Harborough | Equivalent to buy in Derbyshire Dales | Equivalent to rent in Derbyshire Dales |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,500 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,000 | £33,000 |
| £50,000 | £47,500 | £41,500 |
| £60,000 | £57,000 | £49,500 |