Eastleigh vs Reading: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £55,000 (19%) more in Reading than in Eastleigh. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Reading: it takes 8.5× median annual pay, against 6.8× in Eastleigh.
At a glance
| Eastleigh | Reading | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| 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 Reading (£40,700) is 4% lower than in Eastleigh (£42,461), while a typical terraced house costs 19% more (£345,000 against £290,000). Set against local pay, Eastleigh is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.8× annual pay in Eastleigh and 8.5× in Reading. Renting one takes 34% of pay in Eastleigh and 47% in Reading. Both are harder in Reading, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Eastleigh is around the middle of 316 areas (138th most expensive) to buy in, and Reading is the 118th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Eastleigh is around the middle of 316 areas (141st most expensive) and Reading is the 38th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Eastleigh would need about £47,500 in Reading to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £53,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Reading 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 55.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastleigh and 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 78% higher in Reading. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.9 per 1,000 in Eastleigh against 5.4 in Reading.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Eastleigh | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £42,461 | £40,700 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.8× | 8.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 73% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 34% | 47% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Eastleigh | Reading | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £485,000 | £615,000 | +27% in Reading |
| Semi-detached | £347,500 | £428,500 | +23% in Reading |
| Terraced | £290,000 | £345,000 | +19% in Reading |
| Flat | £181,000 | £225,000 | +24% in Reading |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Eastleigh | Reading | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,638 | £2,172 | +33% in Reading |
| Semi-detached | £1,335 | £1,755 | +31% in Reading |
| Terraced | £1,213 | £1,607 | +32% in Reading |
| Flat | £1,020 | £1,272 | +25% in Reading |
Crime
Police recorded 55.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Eastleigh and 98.0 in Reading, so recorded crime per resident is 78% higher in Reading.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Eastleigh | Reading | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 55.0 | 98.0 | +78% in Reading |
| Violence against the person | 24.1 | 33.6 | +40% in Reading |
| Sexual offences | 2.6 | 4.0 | +54% in Reading |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 1.7 | +293% in Reading |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.2 | 5.8 | +82% in Reading |
| Vehicle offences | 2.9 | 5.4 | +87% in Reading |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.5 | +548% in Reading |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.5 | 6.5 | +47% in Reading |
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 | Eastleigh | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 113 | 117 |
| 2008 | 109 | 112 |
| 2009 | 98 | 101 |
| 2010 | 108 | 109 |
| 2011 | 108 | 109 |
| 2012 | 109 | 112 |
| 2013 | 110 | 117 |
| 2014 | 120 | 130 |
| 2015 | 129 | 146 |
| 2016 | 140 | 168 |
| 2017 | 148 | 173 |
| 2018 | 151 | 170 |
| 2019 | 152 | 164 |
| 2020 | 153 | 162 |
| 2021 | 163 | 171 |
| 2022 | 178 | 187 |
| 2023 | 179 | 188 |
| 2024 | 176 | 188 |
| 2025 | 172 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 172 | 193 |
In 2005 the average home cost £178,714 in Eastleigh and £183,968 in Reading. Now it is £307,612 and £354,278: Eastleigh is up 72% and Reading is up 93%. Prices have risen faster in Reading, 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 | Eastleigh | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.3 years of pay | 7.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.2 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.7 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.8 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.2 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.3 years of pay in Eastleigh and 7.3 years in Reading. In 2025 it was 7.2 years and 8.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Reading 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 | Eastleigh | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 106 |
| 2017 | 106 | 108 |
| 2018 | 108 | 109 |
| 2019 | 109 | 112 |
| 2020 | 111 | 113 |
| 2021 | 114 | 112 |
| 2022 | 118 | 115 |
| 2023 | 126 | 122 |
| 2024 | 136 | 136 |
| 2025 | 143 | 148 |
| August 2026 | 149 | 150 |
In 2015 the average rent was £817 a month in Eastleigh and £1,049 in Reading. Now it is £1,214 and £1,574: up 49% in Eastleigh and up 50% in Reading.
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 Eastleigh to Reading
| Earning in Eastleigh | Equivalent to buy in Reading | Equivalent to rent in Reading |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £39,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £53,000 |
| £50,000 | £59,500 | £66,000 |
| £60,000 | £71,500 | £79,500 |
Moving from Reading to Eastleigh
| Earning in Reading | Equivalent to buy in Eastleigh | Equivalent to rent in Eastleigh |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £22,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £30,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,000 | £37,500 |
| £60,000 | £50,500 | £45,500 |