East Cambridgeshire vs Harlow: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £55,000 (20%) more in Harlow than in East Cambridgeshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Harlow: it takes 8.7× median annual pay, against 6.8× in East Cambridgeshire.
At a glance
| East Cambridgeshire | Harlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Harlow (£38,380) is 7% lower than in East Cambridgeshire (£41,464), while a typical terraced house costs 20% more (£335,000 against £280,000). Set against local pay, East Cambridgeshire is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.8× annual pay in East Cambridgeshire and 8.7× in Harlow. Renting one takes 30% of pay in East Cambridgeshire and 47% in Harlow. Both are harder in Harlow, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, East Cambridgeshire is around the middle of 316 areas (137th most expensive) to buy in, and Harlow is the 98th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, East Cambridgeshire is the 121st least expensive of 316 areas and Harlow is the 35th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in East Cambridgeshire would need about £48,000 in Harlow to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £59,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Harlow 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 46.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Cambridgeshire and 92.4 in Harlow, so recorded crime per resident in Harlow is 2.0 times the rate in East Cambridgeshire. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 17.9 per 1,000 in East Cambridgeshire against 36.6 in Harlow.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | East Cambridgeshire | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £41,464 | £38,380 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.8× | 8.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 74% | 57% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 30% | 47% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | East Cambridgeshire | Harlow | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £470,000 | £537,000 | +14% in Harlow |
| Semi-detached | £300,000 | £425,000 | +42% in Harlow |
| Terraced | £280,000 | £335,000 | +20% in Harlow |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | East Cambridgeshire | Harlow | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,449 | £2,182 | +51% in Harlow |
| Semi-detached | £1,086 | £1,684 | +55% in Harlow |
| Terraced | £1,025 | £1,508 | +47% in Harlow |
Crime
Police recorded 46.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Cambridgeshire and 92.4 in Harlow, so recorded crime per resident in Harlow is 2.0 times the rate in East Cambridgeshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | East Cambridgeshire | Harlow | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 46.1 | 92.4 | +100% in Harlow |
| Violence against the person | 17.9 | 36.6 | +104% in Harlow |
| Sexual offences | 2.3 | 3.7 | +58% in Harlow |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 1.1 | +474% in Harlow |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.1 | 5.1 | +0% in Harlow |
| Vehicle offences | 2.9 | 5.5 | +88% in Harlow |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.7 | +176% in Harlow |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 7.9 | +79% in Harlow |
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 | East Cambridgeshire | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 103 | 105 |
| 2007 | 115 | 111 |
| 2008 | 110 | 110 |
| 2009 | 99 | 99 |
| 2010 | 108 | 103 |
| 2011 | 107 | 105 |
| 2012 | 110 | 107 |
| 2013 | 114 | 110 |
| 2014 | 126 | 120 |
| 2015 | 139 | 138 |
| 2016 | 155 | 160 |
| 2017 | 164 | 170 |
| 2018 | 167 | 173 |
| 2019 | 169 | 172 |
| 2020 | 170 | 172 |
| 2021 | 174 | 176 |
| 2022 | 189 | 191 |
| 2023 | 193 | 194 |
| 2024 | 193 | 191 |
| 2025 | 202 | 189 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 205 | 192 |
In 2005 the average home cost £167,015 in East Cambridgeshire and £162,541 in Harlow. Now it is £343,016 and £311,939: East Cambridgeshire is up 105% and Harlow is up 92%. Prices have risen faster in East Cambridgeshire, 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 | East Cambridgeshire | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.4 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.4 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.9 years of pay | – |
| 2020 | 8.7 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.1 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.4 years of pay in East Cambridgeshire and 7.6 years in Harlow. In 2025 it was 8.1 years and 8.0 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 | East Cambridgeshire | Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 107 | 106 |
| 2017 | 112 | 112 |
| 2018 | 113 | 116 |
| 2019 | 114 | 119 |
| 2020 | 114 | 121 |
| 2021 | 117 | 126 |
| 2022 | 121 | 131 |
| 2023 | 128 | 134 |
| 2024 | 136 | 146 |
| 2025 | 144 | 159 |
| August 2026 | 146 | 168 |
In 2015 the average rent was £713 a month in East Cambridgeshire and £908 in Harlow. Now it is £1,038 and £1,521: up 46% in East Cambridgeshire and up 68% in Harlow. Rents have risen faster in Harlow.
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 East Cambridgeshire to Harlow
| Earning in East Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to buy in Harlow | Equivalent to rent in Harlow |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,000 | £44,000 |
| £40,000 | £48,000 | £59,000 |
| £50,000 | £60,000 | £73,500 |
| £60,000 | £72,000 | £88,500 |
Moving from Harlow to East Cambridgeshire
| Earning in Harlow | Equivalent to buy in East Cambridgeshire | Equivalent to rent in East Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £20,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £27,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,000 | £34,000 |
| £60,000 | £50,000 | £41,000 |