Pay vs Place

Fenland vs Ipswich: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £36,000 (21%) more in Ipswich than in Fenland. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Ipswich: it takes 5.6× median annual pay, against 4.9× in Fenland.

Fenland, terraced
£169,000
Income typically needed: £34,000
Median full-time pay: £34,170
Ipswich, terraced
£205,000
Income typically needed: £41,000
Median full-time pay: £36,660

At a glance

Fenland Ipswich
Buying a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
Renting a home Fairly affordable Fairly affordable
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 Ipswich (£36,660) is 7% higher than in Fenland (£34,170), while a typical terraced house costs 21% more (£205,000 against £169,000). Set against local pay, Fenland is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 4.9× annual pay in Fenland and 5.6× in Ipswich. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Fenland and 32% in Ipswich. Both are harder in Ipswich, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Fenland is the 110th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Ipswich is the 96th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Fenland is the 116th least expensive of 316 areas and Ipswich is around the middle of 316 areas (162nd most expensive).

Someone on £40,000 in Fenland would need about £48,500 in Ipswich to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £46,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Ipswich 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 74.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Fenland and 90.5 in Ipswich, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Ipswich. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.7 per 1,000 in Fenland against 4.8 in Ipswich.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Fenland Ipswich
Median full-time pay £34,170 £36,660
House price ÷ pay 4.9× 5.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 101% 89%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 29% 32%

Buying, by property type

Type Fenland Ipswich Difference
Detached £299,250 £380,000 +27% in Ipswich
Semi-detached £210,000 £260,500 +24% in Ipswich
Terraced £169,000 £205,000 +21% in Ipswich

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Fenland Ipswich Difference
Detached £1,107 £1,294 +17% in Ipswich
Semi-detached £928 £1,056 +14% in Ipswich
Terraced £838 £965 +15% in Ipswich

Crime

Police recorded 74.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Fenland and 90.5 in Ipswich, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Ipswich.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Fenland Ipswich Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 74.8 90.5 +21% in Ipswich
Violence against the person 32.9 34.6 +5% in Ipswich
Sexual offences 3.8 4.7 +23% in Ipswich
Robbery 0.5 0.8 +71% in Ipswich
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.2 3.6 -13% in Ipswich
Vehicle offences 2.7 4.8 +76% in Ipswich
Theft from the person 0.3 0.6 +80% in Ipswich
Criminal damage and arson 7.8 8.0 +3% in Ipswich

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.

Fenland: 169Ipswich: 170
House prices in Fenland and Ipswich since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Fenland now 169, Ipswich now 170.7510012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Fenland and Ipswich since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Fenland now 169, Ipswich now 170.7510012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearFenlandIpswich
2005100100
2006103106
2007111115
2008106109
20099494
201096102
20119599
201296102
201396103
2014104113
2015113120
2016123133
2017132144
2018139149
2019140149
2020143149
2021154160
2022174176
2023173176
2024166169
2025167172
12 months to July 2026169170

In 2005 the average home cost £132,129 in Fenland and £129,403 in Ipswich. Now it is £223,958 and £219,372: Fenland is up 69% and Ipswich is up 70%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Fenland: 6.5 years of payIpswich: 6.1 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Fenland and IpswichFenland now 6.5, Ipswich now 6.1 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Fenland and IpswichFenland now 6.5, Ipswich now 6.1 years of pay.0×2×4×6×8×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearFenlandIpswich
20056.3 years of pay–
20105.6 years of pay5.6 years of pay
20156.0 years of pay6.0 years of pay
20206.6 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20256.5 years of pay6.1 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 5.6 years of pay in Fenland and 5.6 years in Ipswich. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 6.1 years.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Fenland: 158Ipswich: 168
Rents in Fenland and Ipswich since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Fenland now 158, Ipswich now 168.100120140160180201620182020202220242026Rents in Fenland and Ipswich since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Fenland now 158, Ipswich now 168.100120140160180201520202025
Show the figures
YearFenlandIpswich
2015100100
2016103106
2017107112
2018110115
2019114118
2020116120
2021120121
2022127129
2023135135
2024143151
2025152162
August 2026158168

In 2015 the average rent was £532 a month in Fenland and £591 in Ipswich. Now it is £842 and £995: up 58% in Fenland and up 68% in Ipswich. Rents have risen faster in Ipswich.

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 Fenland to Ipswich

Earning in Fenland Equivalent to buy in Ipswich Equivalent to rent in Ipswich
£30,000 £36,500 £34,500
£40,000 £48,500 £46,000
£50,000 £60,500 £57,500
£60,000 £73,000 £69,000

Moving from Ipswich to Fenland

Earning in Ipswich Equivalent to buy in Fenland Equivalent to rent in Fenland
£30,000 £24,500 £26,000
£40,000 £33,000 £34,500
£50,000 £41,000 £43,500
£60,000 £49,500 £52,000
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 Fenland figures · All Ipswich figures