Pay vs Place

Hart vs Oxford: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £80,000 (21%) more in Oxford than in Hart. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Oxford: it takes 10.6× median annual pay, against 8.2× in Hart.

Hart, terraced
£380,000
Income typically needed: £76,000
Median full-time pay: £46,502
Oxford, terraced
£460,000
Income typically needed: £92,000
Median full-time pay: £43,289

At a glance

Hart Oxford
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Low Above 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 Oxford (£43,289) is 7% lower than in Hart (£46,502), while a typical terraced house costs 21% more (£460,000 against £380,000). Set against local pay, Hart is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 8.2× annual pay in Hart and 10.6× in Oxford. Renting one takes 36% of pay in Hart and 56% in Oxford. Both are harder in Oxford, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Hart is the 63rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Oxford is the 43rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Hart is the 118th most expensive of 316 areas and Oxford is the 18th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Hart would need about £48,500 in Oxford to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £58,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Oxford 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 58.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hart and 96.3 in Oxford, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in Oxford. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.6 per 1,000 in Hart against 3.9 in Oxford.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Hart Oxford
Median full-time pay £46,502 £43,289
House price ÷ pay 8.2× 10.6×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 61% 47%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 36% 56%

Buying, by property type

Type Hart Oxford Difference
Detached £675,000 £922,500 +37% in Oxford
Semi-detached £456,500 £479,500 +5% in Oxford
Terraced £380,000 £460,000 +21% in Oxford
Flat £230,000 £335,000 +46% in Oxford

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Hart Oxford Difference
Detached £2,106 £2,593 +23% in Oxford
Semi-detached £1,494 £2,188 +46% in Oxford
Terraced £1,391 £2,022 +45% in Oxford
Flat £1,159 £1,557 +34% in Oxford

Crime

Police recorded 58.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Hart and 96.3 in Oxford, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in Oxford.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Hart Oxford Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 58.2 96.3 +66% in Oxford
Violence against the person 24.4 30.7 +26% in Oxford
Sexual offences 2.6 3.9 +50% in Oxford
Robbery 0.6 1.3 +109% in Oxford
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.4 5.7 +30% in Oxford
Vehicle offences 3.0 4.3 +45% in Oxford
Theft from the person 0.3 2.1 +556% in Oxford
Criminal damage and arson 5.2 6.6 +27% in Oxford

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.

Hart: 197Oxford: 200
House prices in Hart and Oxford since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Hart now 197, Oxford now 200.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Hart and Oxford since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Hart now 197, Oxford now 200.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearHartOxford
2005100100
2006105107
2007115118
2008113117
2009102105
2010114121
2011114119
2012118127
2013124131
2014135146
2015147164
2016160176
2017164180
2018164178
2019164178
2020166180
2021174187
2022188197
2023191197
2024189201
2025194199
12 months to July 2026197200

In 2005 the average home cost £242,722 in Hart and £241,793 in Oxford. Now it is £479,162 and £483,054: Hart is up 97% and Oxford is up 100%.

Buying a home against local pay, over time

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

Hart: 10.1 years of payOxford: 11.1 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Hart and OxfordHart now 10.1, Oxford now 11.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Hart and OxfordHart now 10.1, Oxford now 11.1 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearHartOxford
20057.6 years of pay10.4 years of pay
20107.7 years of pay11.0 years of pay
20159.8 years of pay13.0 years of pay
20209.8 years of pay12.8 years of pay
202510.1 years of pay11.1 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 7.6 years of pay in Hart and 10.4 years in Oxford. In 2025 it was 10.1 years and 11.1 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Hart over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

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

Hart: 142Oxford: 156
Rents in Hart and Oxford since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Hart now 142, Oxford now 156.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Hart and Oxford since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Hart now 142, Oxford now 156.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearHartOxford
2015100100
2016103103
2017106108
2018107111
2019107113
2020108116
2021109116
2022112121
2023118127
2024130135
2025137148
August 2026142156

In 2015 the average rent was £996 a month in Hart and £1,260 in Oxford. Now it is £1,414 and £1,963: up 42% in Hart and up 56% in Oxford. Rents have risen faster in Oxford.

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 Hart to Oxford

Earning in Hart Equivalent to buy in Oxford Equivalent to rent in Oxford
£30,000 £36,500 £43,500
£40,000 £48,500 £58,000
£50,000 £60,500 £72,500
£60,000 £72,500 £87,000

Moving from Oxford to Hart

Earning in Oxford Equivalent to buy in Hart Equivalent to rent in Hart
£30,000 £25,000 £20,500
£40,000 £33,000 £27,500
£50,000 £41,500 £34,500
£60,000 £49,500 £41,500
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 Hart figures · All Oxford figures