Greenwich vs Sutton: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £20,000 (4%) more in Greenwich than in Sutton. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Greenwich | Sutton | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Low |
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 Sutton (£44,393) is 2% lower than in Greenwich (£45,274), while a typical terraced house costs 4% less (£480,000 against £500,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 11.0× annual pay in Greenwich and 10.8× in Sutton. Renting one takes 60% of pay in Greenwich and 47% in Sutton. Renting is harder in Greenwich; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Greenwich is the 53rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Sutton is the 49th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Greenwich is the 21st most expensive of 316 areas and Sutton is the 66th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Greenwich would need about £38,500 in Sutton to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Sutton 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 90.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Greenwich and 60.3 in Sutton, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Sutton. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 7.9 per 1,000 in Greenwich against 5.4 in Sutton.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Greenwich | Sutton |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £45,274 | £44,393 |
| House price ÷ pay | 11.0× | 10.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 45% | 46% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 60% | 47% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Greenwich | Sutton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £585,000 | £610,000 | +4% in Sutton |
| Terraced | £500,000 | £480,000 | -4% in Sutton |
| Flat | £375,000 | £290,000 | -23% in Sutton |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Greenwich | Sutton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £2,465 | £2,019 | -18% in Sutton |
| Terraced | £2,250 | £1,749 | -22% in Sutton |
| Flat | £1,831 | £1,404 | -23% in Sutton |
Crime
Police recorded 90.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Greenwich and 60.3 in Sutton, so recorded crime per resident is 33% lower in Sutton.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Greenwich | Sutton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 90.3 | 60.3 | -33% in Sutton |
| Violence against the person | 30.2 | 21.8 | -28% in Sutton |
| Sexual offences | 3.1 | 2.1 | -31% in Sutton |
| Robbery | 2.8 | 1.3 | -54% in Sutton |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.1 | 7.8 | -14% in Sutton |
| Vehicle offences | 7.9 | 5.4 | -31% in Sutton |
| Theft from the person | 2.6 | 1.0 | -63% in Sutton |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.3 | 4.4 | -30% in Sutton |
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 | Greenwich | Sutton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 103 |
| 2007 | 117 | 115 |
| 2008 | 118 | 116 |
| 2009 | 107 | 101 |
| 2010 | 117 | 111 |
| 2011 | 117 | 111 |
| 2012 | 121 | 114 |
| 2013 | 129 | 120 |
| 2014 | 152 | 139 |
| 2015 | 169 | 154 |
| 2016 | 190 | 174 |
| 2017 | 200 | 180 |
| 2018 | 198 | 181 |
| 2019 | 200 | 177 |
| 2020 | 202 | 181 |
| 2021 | 213 | 193 |
| 2022 | 228 | 207 |
| 2023 | 221 | 207 |
| 2024 | 229 | 204 |
| 2025 | 225 | 212 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 225 | 213 |
In 2005 the average home cost £207,325 in Greenwich and £211,844 in Sutton. Now it is £467,111 and £450,518: Greenwich is up 125% and Sutton is up 113%. Prices have risen faster in Greenwich, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
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 | Greenwich | Sutton |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.9 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.7 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 11.2 years of pay | 10.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 11.4 years of pay | 10.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.3 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Greenwich and 7.8 years in Sutton. In 2025 it was 10.3 years and 10.1 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Greenwich | Sutton |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 107 |
| 2017 | 107 | 109 |
| 2018 | 110 | 108 |
| 2019 | 110 | 108 |
| 2020 | 113 | 111 |
| 2021 | 112 | 113 |
| 2022 | 115 | 117 |
| 2023 | 123 | 124 |
| 2024 | 140 | 139 |
| 2025 | 146 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 155 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,286 a month in Greenwich and £1,030 in Sutton. Now it is £1,995 and £1,556: up 55% in Greenwich and up 51% in Sutton.
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 Greenwich to Sutton
| Earning in Greenwich | Equivalent to buy in Sutton | Equivalent to rent in Sutton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £38,500 | £31,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,000 | £39,000 |
| £60,000 | £57,500 | £46,500 |
Moving from Sutton to Greenwich
| Earning in Sutton | Equivalent to buy in Greenwich | Equivalent to rent in Greenwich |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,500 | £38,500 |
| £40,000 | £41,500 | £51,500 |
| £50,000 | £52,000 | £64,500 |
| £60,000 | £62,500 | £77,000 |