Pay vs Place

Enfield vs Hounslow: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £35,000 (7%) more in Hounslow than in Enfield. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Hounslow: it takes 12.8× median annual pay, against 11.2× in Enfield.

Enfield, terraced
£490,000
Income typically needed: £98,000
Median full-time pay: £43,888
Hounslow, terraced
£525,000
Income typically needed: £105,000
Median full-time pay: £40,870

At a glance

Enfield Hounslow
Buying a home Expensive Very expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime About average 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 Hounslow (£40,870) is 7% lower than in Enfield (£43,888), while a typical terraced house costs 7% more (£525,000 against £490,000). Set against local pay, Enfield is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 11.2× annual pay in Enfield and 12.8× in Hounslow. Renting one takes 56% of pay in Enfield and 65% in Hounslow. Both are harder in Hounslow, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Enfield is the 38th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Hounslow is the 22nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Enfield is the 25th most expensive of 316 areas and Hounslow is the 13th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Enfield would need about £43,000 in Hounslow 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 Hounslow 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 85.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Enfield and 87.4 in Hounslow, so recorded crime per resident is 3% higher in Hounslow. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 12.4 per 1,000 in Enfield against 9.8 in Hounslow.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Enfield Hounslow
Median full-time pay £43,888 £40,870
House price ÷ pay 11.2× 12.8×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 45% 39%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 56% 65%

Buying, by property type

Type Enfield Hounslow Difference
Semi-detached £680,000 £571,250 -16% in Hounslow
Terraced £490,000 £525,000 +7% in Hounslow
Flat £320,000 £345,000 +8% in Hounslow

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Enfield Hounslow Difference
Semi-detached £2,430 £2,412 -1% in Hounslow
Terraced £2,039 £2,220 +9% in Hounslow
Flat £1,656 £1,800 +9% in Hounslow

Crime

Police recorded 85.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Enfield and 87.4 in Hounslow, so recorded crime per resident is 3% higher in Hounslow.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Enfield Hounslow Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 85.2 87.4 +3% in Hounslow
Violence against the person 25.9 29.3 +13% in Hounslow
Sexual offences 2.8 2.6 -6% in Hounslow
Robbery 3.1 2.1 -31% in Hounslow
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 12.4 9.8 -21% in Hounslow
Vehicle offences 10.4 8.8 -15% in Hounslow
Theft from the person 3.7 2.9 -22% in Hounslow
Criminal damage and arson 5.8 6.3 +10% in Hounslow

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.

Enfield: 208Hounslow: 205
House prices in Enfield and Hounslow since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Enfield now 208, Hounslow now 205.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Enfield and Hounslow since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Enfield now 208, Hounslow now 205.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearEnfieldHounslow
2005100100
2006103106
2007115117
2008116118
2009104106
2010114115
2011114119
2012117120
2013123130
2014139146
2015158158
2016181173
2017186180
2018187178
2019185180
2020187185
2021199189
2022210200
2023207204
2024205205
2025209206
12 months to July 2026208205

In 2005 the average home cost £225,748 in Enfield and £253,195 in Hounslow. Now it is £470,339 and £518,913: Enfield is up 108% and Hounslow is up 105%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.

Enfield: 10.7 years of payHounslow: 12.8 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Enfield and HounslowEnfield now 10.7, Hounslow now 12.8 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Enfield and HounslowEnfield now 10.7, Hounslow now 12.8 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearEnfieldHounslow
20058.8 years of pay9.7 years of pay
20108.8 years of pay10.1 years of pay
201511.5 years of pay13.6 years of pay
202012.7 years of pay13.5 years of pay
202510.7 years of pay12.8 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 8.8 years of pay in Enfield and 9.7 years in Hounslow. In 2025 it was 10.7 years and 12.8 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Hounslow over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Enfield: 152Hounslow: 148
Rents in Enfield and Hounslow since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Enfield now 152, Hounslow now 148.80100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Enfield and Hounslow since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Enfield now 152, Hounslow now 148.80100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearEnfieldHounslow
2015100100
2016105109
2017109106
201810999
2019109101
2020109102
2021111101
2022114107
2023121117
2024131131
2025143142
August 2026152148

In 2015 the average rent was £1,200 a month in Enfield and £1,323 in Hounslow. Now it is £1,827 and £1,952: up 52% in Enfield and up 48% in Hounslow.

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 Enfield to Hounslow

Earning in Enfield Equivalent to buy in Hounslow Equivalent to rent in Hounslow
£30,000 £32,000 £32,500
£40,000 £43,000 £43,500
£50,000 £53,500 £54,500
£60,000 £64,500 £65,500

Moving from Hounslow to Enfield

Earning in Hounslow Equivalent to buy in Enfield Equivalent to rent in Enfield
£30,000 £28,000 £27,500
£40,000 £37,500 £36,500
£50,000 £46,500 £46,000
£60,000 £56,000 £55,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Enfield figures · All Hounslow figures