East Suffolk vs Liverpool: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £42,750 (26%) more in East Suffolk than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in East Suffolk: it takes 5.6× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| East Suffolk | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 1% higher than in East Suffolk (£36,793), while a typical terraced house costs 21% less (£165,000 against £207,750). Set against local pay, Liverpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 5.6× annual pay in East Suffolk and 4.4× in Liverpool. Renting one takes 28% of pay in East Suffolk and 30% in Liverpool. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in East Suffolk, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Liverpool.
Across all property types and measured against pay, East Suffolk is around the middle of 316 areas (155th most expensive) to buy in, and Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, East Suffolk is the 77th least expensive of 316 areas and Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in East Suffolk would need about £32,000 in Liverpool to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,500 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 49.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Suffolk and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident in Liverpool is 2.5 times the rate in East Suffolk. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.1 per 1,000 in East Suffolk against 5.3 in Liverpool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | East Suffolk | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,793 | £37,144 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.6× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 89% | 113% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | East Suffolk | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £386,000 | £380,000 | -2% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £266,500 | £240,000 | -10% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £207,750 | £165,000 | -21% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £160,000 | £147,500 | -8% in Liverpool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | East Suffolk | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,121 | £1,225 | +9% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £920 | £1,008 | +10% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £844 | £917 | +9% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £651 | £786 | +21% in Liverpool |
Crime
Police recorded 49.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Suffolk and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident in Liverpool is 2.5 times the rate in East Suffolk.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | East Suffolk | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 49.4 | 124.1 | +151% in Liverpool |
| Violence against the person | 20.4 | 45.6 | +123% in Liverpool |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 4.1 | +29% in Liverpool |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 1.6 | +715% in Liverpool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.7 | 6.1 | +66% in Liverpool |
| Vehicle offences | 2.1 | 5.3 | +147% in Liverpool |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 1.2 | +325% in Liverpool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 10.3 | +77% 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 | East Suffolk | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 110 |
| 2007 | 115 | 117 |
| 2008 | 113 | 113 |
| 2009 | 103 | 104 |
| 2010 | 112 | 105 |
| 2011 | 110 | 101 |
| 2012 | 111 | 99 |
| 2013 | 113 | 99 |
| 2014 | 120 | 103 |
| 2015 | 128 | 107 |
| 2016 | 137 | 110 |
| 2017 | 146 | 115 |
| 2018 | 152 | 121 |
| 2019 | 153 | 123 |
| 2020 | 158 | 128 |
| 2021 | 168 | 148 |
| 2022 | 187 | 161 |
| 2023 | 187 | 163 |
| 2024 | 184 | 166 |
| 2025 | 180 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £155,801 in East Suffolk and £99,018 in Liverpool. Now it is £281,317 and £181,637: East Suffolk is up 81% and Liverpool is up 83%.
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 Suffolk | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 103 |
| 2017 | 105 | 104 |
| 2018 | 107 | 104 |
| 2019 | 108 | 105 |
| 2020 | 110 | 106 |
| 2021 | 112 | 111 |
| 2022 | 118 | 119 |
| 2023 | 124 | 127 |
| 2024 | 135 | 138 |
| 2025 | 146 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 154 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £547 a month in East Suffolk and £567 in Liverpool. Now it is £842 and £913: up 54% in East Suffolk 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 East Suffolk to Liverpool
| Earning in East Suffolk | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £24,000 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £32,000 | £43,500 |
| £50,000 | £39,500 | £54,500 |
| £60,000 | £47,500 | £65,000 |
Moving from Liverpool to East Suffolk
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in East Suffolk | Equivalent to rent in East Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £50,500 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £63,000 | £46,000 |
| £60,000 | £75,500 | £55,000 |