Epping Forest vs Liverpool: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £310,000 (188%) more in Epping Forest than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Epping Forest: it takes 10.4× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Epping Forest | Liverpool | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 19% lower than in Epping Forest (£45,618), while a typical terraced house costs 65% less (£165,000 against £475,000). Set against local pay, Liverpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 10.4× annual pay in Epping Forest and 4.4× in Liverpool. Renting one takes 48% of pay in Epping Forest and 30% in Liverpool. Both are harder in Epping Forest, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Epping Forest is the 25th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Epping Forest is the 33rd most expensive of 316 areas and Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Epping Forest would need about £14,000 in Liverpool to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £20,000 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 63.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Epping Forest and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 96% higher in Liverpool. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 1.8 per 1,000 in Epping Forest against 4.1 in Liverpool.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Epping Forest | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £45,618 | £37,144 |
| House price ÷ pay | 10.4× | 4.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 48% | 113% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 48% | 30% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Epping Forest | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £845,000 | £380,000 | -55% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £570,000 | £240,000 | -58% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £475,000 | £165,000 | -65% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £310,000 | £147,500 | -52% in Liverpool |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Epping Forest | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,563 | £1,225 | -52% in Liverpool |
| Semi-detached | £1,970 | £1,008 | -49% in Liverpool |
| Terraced | £1,820 | £917 | -50% in Liverpool |
| Flat | £1,436 | £786 | -45% in Liverpool |
Crime
Police recorded 63.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Epping Forest and 124.1 in Liverpool, so recorded crime per resident is 96% higher in Liverpool.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Epping Forest | Liverpool | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 63.3 | 124.1 | +96% in Liverpool |
| Violence against the person | 24.6 | 45.6 | +86% in Liverpool |
| Sexual offences | 1.8 | 4.1 | +134% in Liverpool |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 1.6 | +109% in Liverpool |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.4 | 6.1 | -5% in Liverpool |
| Vehicle offences | 7.2 | 5.3 | -26% in Liverpool |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 1.2 | +153% in Liverpool |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.6 | 10.3 | +84% 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 | Epping Forest | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 110 |
| 2007 | 116 | 117 |
| 2008 | 120 | 113 |
| 2009 | 106 | 104 |
| 2010 | 118 | 105 |
| 2011 | 118 | 101 |
| 2012 | 121 | 99 |
| 2013 | 126 | 99 |
| 2014 | 140 | 103 |
| 2015 | 154 | 107 |
| 2016 | 174 | 110 |
| 2017 | 183 | 115 |
| 2018 | 185 | 121 |
| 2019 | 183 | 123 |
| 2020 | 186 | 128 |
| 2021 | 190 | 148 |
| 2022 | 204 | 161 |
| 2023 | 203 | 163 |
| 2024 | 203 | 166 |
| 2025 | 202 | 179 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 203 | 183 |
In 2005 the average home cost £261,039 in Epping Forest and £99,018 in Liverpool. Now it is £530,962 and £181,637: Epping Forest is up 103% and Liverpool is up 83%. Prices have risen faster in Epping Forest, 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 | Epping Forest | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.7 years of pay | 4.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 10.2 years of pay | 4.3 years of pay |
| 2015 | 11.8 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 13.2 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 11.6 years of pay | 4.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.7 years of pay in Epping Forest and 4.9 years in Liverpool. In 2025 it was 11.6 years and 4.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Epping Forest 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 | Epping Forest | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 107 | 103 |
| 2017 | 113 | 104 |
| 2018 | 117 | 104 |
| 2019 | 119 | 105 |
| 2020 | 121 | 106 |
| 2021 | 122 | 111 |
| 2022 | 125 | 119 |
| 2023 | 130 | 127 |
| 2024 | 138 | 138 |
| 2025 | 150 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 159 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,160 a month in Epping Forest and £567 in Liverpool. Now it is £1,844 and £913: up 59% in Epping Forest and up 61% 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 Epping Forest to Liverpool
| Earning in Epping Forest | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £10,500 | £15,000 |
| £40,000 | £14,000 | £20,000 |
| £50,000 | £17,500 | £25,000 |
| £60,000 | £21,000 | £30,000 |
Moving from Liverpool to Epping Forest
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in Epping Forest | Equivalent to rent in Epping Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £86,500 | £59,500 |
| £40,000 | £115,000 | £79,500 |
| £50,000 | £144,000 | £99,000 |
| £60,000 | £172,500 | £119,000 |