East Suffolk vs West Suffolk: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £32,250 (16%) more in West Suffolk than in East Suffolk. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in West Suffolk: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 5.6× in East Suffolk.
At a glance
| East Suffolk | West Suffolk | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| 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 West Suffolk (£39,628) is 8% higher than in East Suffolk (£36,793), while a typical terraced house costs 16% more (£240,000 against £207,750). Set against local pay, East Suffolk 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 6.1× in West Suffolk. Renting one takes 28% of pay in East Suffolk and 35% in West Suffolk. Both are harder in West Suffolk, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, East Suffolk is around the middle of 316 areas (155th most expensive) to buy in, and West Suffolk is around the middle of 316 areas (186th most expensive). For renting against pay, East Suffolk is the 77th least expensive of 316 areas and West Suffolk is the 123rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in East Suffolk would need about £46,000 in West Suffolk to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £55,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Suffolk 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 49.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Suffolk and 46.6 in West Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in West Suffolk. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 5.8 per 1,000 in East Suffolk against 4.7 in West Suffolk.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | East Suffolk | West Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,793 | £39,628 |
| House price ÷ pay | 5.6× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 89% | 83% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 28% | 35% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | East Suffolk | West Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £386,000 | £395,000 | +2% in West Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £266,500 | £280,000 | +5% in West Suffolk |
| Terraced | £207,750 | £240,000 | +16% in West Suffolk |
| Flat | £160,000 | £168,250 | +5% in West Suffolk |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | East Suffolk | West Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,121 | £1,668 | +49% in West Suffolk |
| Semi-detached | £920 | £1,262 | +37% in West Suffolk |
| Terraced | £844 | £1,162 | +38% in West Suffolk |
| Flat | £651 | £952 | +46% in West Suffolk |
Crime
Police recorded 49.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in East Suffolk and 46.6 in West Suffolk, so recorded crime per resident is 6% lower in West Suffolk.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | East Suffolk | West Suffolk | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 49.4 | 46.6 | -6% in West Suffolk |
| Violence against the person | 20.4 | 20.2 | -1% in West Suffolk |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 2.9 | -11% in West Suffolk |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 0.3 | +30% in West Suffolk |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.7 | 3.2 | -13% in West Suffolk |
| Vehicle offences | 2.1 | 1.9 | -10% in West Suffolk |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -29% in West Suffolk |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 4.7 | -20% in West Suffolk |
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 | West Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 115 | 115 |
| 2008 | 113 | 111 |
| 2009 | 103 | 97 |
| 2010 | 112 | 107 |
| 2011 | 110 | 106 |
| 2012 | 111 | 109 |
| 2013 | 113 | 112 |
| 2014 | 120 | 121 |
| 2015 | 128 | 131 |
| 2016 | 137 | 141 |
| 2017 | 146 | 151 |
| 2018 | 152 | 154 |
| 2019 | 153 | 157 |
| 2020 | 158 | 159 |
| 2021 | 168 | 169 |
| 2022 | 187 | 185 |
| 2023 | 187 | 185 |
| 2024 | 184 | 184 |
| 2025 | 180 | 181 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 181 | 184 |
In 2005 the average home cost £155,801 in East Suffolk and £161,320 in West Suffolk. Now it is £281,317 and £296,744: East Suffolk is up 81% and West Suffolk is up 84%.
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 | West Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 106 |
| 2017 | 105 | 111 |
| 2018 | 107 | 115 |
| 2019 | 108 | 116 |
| 2020 | 110 | 117 |
| 2021 | 112 | 122 |
| 2022 | 118 | 129 |
| 2023 | 124 | 134 |
| 2024 | 135 | 141 |
| 2025 | 146 | 149 |
| August 2026 | 154 | 156 |
In 2015 the average rent was £547 a month in East Suffolk and £758 in West Suffolk. Now it is £842 and £1,183: up 54% in East Suffolk and up 56% in West Suffolk.
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 West Suffolk
| Earning in East Suffolk | Equivalent to buy in West Suffolk | Equivalent to rent in West Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,500 | £41,500 |
| £40,000 | £46,000 | £55,000 |
| £50,000 | £58,000 | £69,000 |
| £60,000 | £69,500 | £82,500 |
Moving from West Suffolk to East Suffolk
| Earning in West Suffolk | Equivalent to buy in East Suffolk | Equivalent to rent in East Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,500 | £29,000 |
| £50,000 | £43,500 | £36,500 |
| £60,000 | £52,000 | £43,500 |