Guildford vs Sevenoaks: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £30,000 (8%) more in Guildford than in Sevenoaks. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Guildford | Sevenoaks | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Sevenoaks (£44,581) is 5% lower than in Guildford (£46,801), while a typical terraced house costs 7% less (£380,000 against £410,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 8.8× annual pay in Guildford and 8.5× in Sevenoaks. Renting one takes 45% of pay in Guildford and 45% in Sevenoaks. On both measures the two areas are close.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Guildford is the 41st most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Sevenoaks is the 30th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Guildford is the 51st most expensive of 316 areas and Sevenoaks is the 32nd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Guildford would need about £37,000 in Sevenoaks to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Sevenoaks 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 72.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Guildford and 52.7 in Sevenoaks, so recorded crime per resident is 27% lower in Sevenoaks. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 3.2 per 1,000 in Guildford against 1.6 in Sevenoaks.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Guildford | Sevenoaks |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £46,801 | £44,581 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.8× | 8.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 45% | 45% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Guildford | Sevenoaks | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £845,000 | £850,000 | +1% in Sevenoaks |
| Semi-detached | £510,000 | £495,498 | -3% in Sevenoaks |
| Terraced | £410,000 | £380,000 | -7% in Sevenoaks |
| Flat | £268,000 | £265,000 | -1% in Sevenoaks |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Guildford | Sevenoaks | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,500 | £2,750 | +10% in Sevenoaks |
| Semi-detached | £1,924 | £1,902 | -1% in Sevenoaks |
| Terraced | £1,749 | £1,655 | -5% in Sevenoaks |
| Flat | £1,371 | £1,475 | +8% in Sevenoaks |
Crime
Police recorded 72.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Guildford and 52.7 in Sevenoaks, so recorded crime per resident is 27% lower in Sevenoaks.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Guildford | Sevenoaks | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 72.1 | 52.7 | -27% in Sevenoaks |
| Violence against the person | 27.8 | 19.7 | -29% in Sevenoaks |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 1.6 | -50% in Sevenoaks |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 0.3 | -56% in Sevenoaks |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.0 | 5.1 | +28% in Sevenoaks |
| Vehicle offences | 3.4 | 4.6 | +35% in Sevenoaks |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.2 | -57% in Sevenoaks |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.8 | 6.8 | +1% in Sevenoaks |
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 | Guildford | Sevenoaks |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 103 |
| 2007 | 120 | 114 |
| 2008 | 117 | 115 |
| 2009 | 106 | 102 |
| 2010 | 119 | 111 |
| 2011 | 120 | 112 |
| 2012 | 125 | 116 |
| 2013 | 128 | 120 |
| 2014 | 141 | 132 |
| 2015 | 154 | 145 |
| 2016 | 169 | 161 |
| 2017 | 172 | 166 |
| 2018 | 172 | 170 |
| 2019 | 172 | 170 |
| 2020 | 175 | 176 |
| 2021 | 182 | 182 |
| 2022 | 195 | 197 |
| 2023 | 197 | 202 |
| 2024 | 195 | 199 |
| 2025 | 202 | 208 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 199 | 210 |
In 2005 the average home cost £266,849 in Guildford and £256,378 in Sevenoaks. Now it is £529,902 and £538,214: Guildford is up 99% and Sevenoaks is up 110%. Prices have risen faster in Sevenoaks, 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 | Guildford | Sevenoaks |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.9 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.2 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 12.0 years of pay | 12.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 11.6 years of pay | 12.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 11.5 years of pay | 12.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.9 years of pay in Guildford and 9.4 years in Sevenoaks. In 2025 it was 11.5 years and 12.0 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 | Guildford | Sevenoaks |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 110 | 105 |
| 2018 | 114 | 108 |
| 2019 | 117 | 109 |
| 2020 | 116 | 110 |
| 2021 | 114 | 115 |
| 2022 | 119 | 124 |
| 2023 | 121 | 129 |
| 2024 | 127 | 136 |
| 2025 | 134 | 144 |
| August 2026 | 141 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,228 a month in Guildford and £1,196 in Sevenoaks. Now it is £1,736 and £1,809: up 41% in Guildford and up 51% in Sevenoaks. Rents have risen faster in Sevenoaks.
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 Guildford to Sevenoaks
| Earning in Guildford | Equivalent to buy in Sevenoaks | Equivalent to rent in Sevenoaks |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,000 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £46,500 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £55,500 | £57,000 |
Moving from Sevenoaks to Guildford
| Earning in Sevenoaks | Equivalent to buy in Guildford | Equivalent to rent in Guildford |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £43,000 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £54,000 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £64,500 | £63,500 |