Epping Forest vs St Albans: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £100,000 (21%) more in St Albans than in Epping Forest. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Epping Forest: it takes 10.4× median annual pay, against 10.0× in St Albans.
At a glance
| Epping Forest | St Albans | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | 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 St Albans (£57,396) is 26% higher than in Epping Forest (£45,618), while a typical terraced house costs 21% more (£575,000 against £475,000). Set against local pay, St Albans 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 10.0× in St Albans. Renting one takes 48% of pay in Epping Forest and 38% in St Albans. Renting is harder in Epping Forest; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Epping Forest is the 25th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and St Albans is the 36th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Epping Forest is the 33rd most expensive of 316 areas and St Albans is the 82nd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Epping Forest would need about £48,500 in St Albans to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £39,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to St Albans 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 63.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Epping Forest and 64.2 in St Albans: about the same.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Epping Forest | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £45,618 | £57,396 |
| House price ÷ pay | 10.4× | 10.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 48% | 50% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 48% | 38% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Epping Forest | St Albans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £845,000 | £950,000 | +12% in St Albans |
| Semi-detached | £570,000 | £716,500 | +26% in St Albans |
| Terraced | £475,000 | £575,000 | +21% in St Albans |
| Flat | £310,000 | £320,000 | +3% in St Albans |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Epping Forest | St Albans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,563 | £2,667 | +4% in St Albans |
| Semi-detached | £1,970 | £2,169 | +10% in St Albans |
| Terraced | £1,820 | £1,798 | -1% in St Albans |
| Flat | £1,436 | £1,486 | +3% in St Albans |
Crime
Police recorded 63.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Epping Forest and 64.2 in St Albans: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Epping Forest | St Albans | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 63.3 | 64.2 | +2% in St Albans |
| Violence against the person | 24.6 | 21.2 | -14% in St Albans |
| Sexual offences | 1.8 | 1.9 | +9% in St Albans |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 0.7 | -15% in St Albans |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.4 | 6.6 | +3% in St Albans |
| Vehicle offences | 7.2 | 6.2 | -13% in St Albans |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.7 | +40% in St Albans |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.6 | 5.7 | +2% in St Albans |
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 | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 107 |
| 2007 | 116 | 120 |
| 2008 | 120 | 120 |
| 2009 | 106 | 107 |
| 2010 | 118 | 122 |
| 2011 | 118 | 126 |
| 2012 | 121 | 130 |
| 2013 | 126 | 134 |
| 2014 | 140 | 149 |
| 2015 | 154 | 166 |
| 2016 | 174 | 185 |
| 2017 | 183 | 193 |
| 2018 | 185 | 191 |
| 2019 | 183 | 185 |
| 2020 | 186 | 190 |
| 2021 | 190 | 198 |
| 2022 | 204 | 212 |
| 2023 | 203 | 209 |
| 2024 | 203 | 213 |
| 2025 | 202 | 216 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 203 | 217 |
In 2005 the average home cost £261,039 in Epping Forest and £291,095 in St Albans. Now it is £530,962 and £631,404: Epping Forest is up 103% and St Albans is up 117%. Prices have risen faster in St Albans, 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 | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.7 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 10.2 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 11.8 years of pay | 12.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 13.2 years of pay | – |
| 2025 | 11.6 years of pay | 10.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.7 years of pay in Epping Forest and 8.7 years in St Albans. In 2025 it was 11.6 years and 10.9 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 | St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 107 | 105 |
| 2017 | 113 | 109 |
| 2018 | 117 | 110 |
| 2019 | 119 | 110 |
| 2020 | 121 | 114 |
| 2021 | 122 | 118 |
| 2022 | 125 | 124 |
| 2023 | 130 | 131 |
| 2024 | 138 | 140 |
| 2025 | 150 | 151 |
| August 2026 | 159 | 155 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,160 a month in Epping Forest and £1,243 in St Albans. Now it is £1,844 and £1,931: up 59% in Epping Forest and up 55% in St Albans.
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 St Albans
| Earning in Epping Forest | Equivalent to buy in St Albans | Equivalent to rent in St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £48,500 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £60,500 | £49,500 |
| £60,000 | £72,500 | £59,500 |
Moving from St Albans to Epping Forest
| Earning in St Albans | Equivalent to buy in Epping Forest | Equivalent to rent in Epping Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,000 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £50,500 |
| £60,000 | £49,500 | £60,500 |