Hammersmith and Fulham vs Westminster: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £620,000 (45%) more in Westminster than in Hammersmith and Fulham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Westminster: it takes 37.7× median annual pay, against 28.9× in Hammersmith and Fulham.
At a glance
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | High |
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 Westminster (£52,610) is 11% higher than in Hammersmith and Fulham (£47,192), while a typical terraced house costs 45% more (£1,985,000 against £1,365,000). Set against local pay, Hammersmith and Fulham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 28.9× annual pay in Hammersmith and Fulham and 37.7× in Westminster. Renting one takes 96% of pay in Hammersmith and Fulham and 87% in Westminster. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Westminster, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Hammersmith and Fulham.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Hammersmith and Fulham is the 3rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Westminster is the 2nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Hammersmith and Fulham is the 3rd most expensive of 316 areas and Westminster is the 2nd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Hammersmith and Fulham would need about £58,000 in Westminster to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Westminster 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 107.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hammersmith and Fulham and 355.5 in Westminster, so recorded crime per resident in Westminster is 3.3 times the rate in Hammersmith and Fulham. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 3.7 per 1,000 in Hammersmith and Fulham against 7.6 in Westminster. Westminster's rate is inflated by visitors and the night-time economy relative to its resident population, so it overstates the risk to residents.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £47,192 | £52,610 |
| House price ÷ pay | 28.9× | 37.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 17% | 13% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 96% | 87% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £1,365,000 | £1,985,000 | +45% in Westminster |
| Flat | £570,000 | £735,000 | +29% in Westminster |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £3,766 | £3,810 | +1% in Westminster |
| Flat | £2,347 | £2,957 | +26% in Westminster |
Crime
Police recorded 107.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hammersmith and Fulham and 355.5 in Westminster, so recorded crime per resident in Westminster is 3.3 times the rate in Hammersmith and Fulham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 107.0 | 355.5 | +232% in Westminster |
| Violence against the person | 30.8 | 52.9 | +71% in Westminster |
| Sexual offences | 3.7 | 7.6 | +105% in Westminster |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 14.5 | +365% in Westminster |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 10.0 | 12.5 | +25% in Westminster |
| Vehicle offences | 8.1 | 14.4 | +78% in Westminster |
| Theft from the person | 4.5 | 92.5 | +1957% in Westminster |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.1 | 10.8 | +78% in Westminster |
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 | Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 110 | 109 |
| 2007 | 131 | 129 |
| 2008 | 131 | 135 |
| 2009 | 120 | 133 |
| 2010 | 139 | 152 |
| 2011 | 143 | 158 |
| 2012 | 156 | 174 |
| 2013 | 174 | 198 |
| 2014 | 199 | 231 |
| 2015 | 210 | 242 |
| 2016 | 208 | 249 |
| 2017 | 209 | 267 |
| 2018 | 200 | 255 |
| 2019 | 198 | 239 |
| 2020 | 201 | 241 |
| 2021 | 211 | 255 |
| 2022 | 214 | 272 |
| 2023 | 228 | 270 |
| 2024 | 218 | 255 |
| 2025 | 211 | 242 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 200 | 220 |
In 2005 the average home cost £375,524 in Hammersmith and Fulham and £424,580 in Westminster. Now it is £751,998 and £932,605: Hammersmith and Fulham is up 100% and Westminster is up 120%. Prices have risen faster in Westminster, 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 | Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 12.8 years of pay | 13.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 14.0 years of pay | 14.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 20.8 years of pay | 23.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 18.2 years of pay | 23.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 16.8 years of pay | 19.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 12.8 years of pay in Hammersmith and Fulham and 13.0 years in Westminster. In 2025 it was 16.8 years and 19.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Westminster 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 | Hammersmith and Fulham | Westminster |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 101 |
| 2017 | 104 | 100 |
| 2018 | 101 | 98 |
| 2019 | 105 | 100 |
| 2020 | 107 | 103 |
| 2021 | 109 | 97 |
| 2022 | 112 | 99 |
| 2023 | 121 | 112 |
| 2024 | 133 | 124 |
| 2025 | 143 | 132 |
| August 2026 | 148 | 130 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,909 a month in Hammersmith and Fulham and £2,462 in Westminster. Now it is £2,825 and £3,196: up 48% in Hammersmith and Fulham and up 30% in Westminster. Rents have risen faster in Hammersmith and Fulham.
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 Hammersmith and Fulham to Westminster
| Earning in Hammersmith and Fulham | Equivalent to buy in Westminster | Equivalent to rent in Westminster |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £43,500 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £58,000 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £72,500 | £50,500 |
| £60,000 | £87,500 | £60,500 |
Moving from Westminster to Hammersmith and Fulham
| Earning in Westminster | Equivalent to buy in Hammersmith and Fulham | Equivalent to rent in Hammersmith and Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £20,500 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £27,500 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £34,500 | £49,500 |
| £60,000 | £41,500 | £59,500 |
All Hammersmith and Fulham figures · All Westminster figures