Islington vs Wandsworth: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £439,500 (43%) more in Islington than in Wandsworth. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Islington: it takes 28.9× median annual pay, against 18.8× in Wandsworth.
At a glance
| Islington | Wandsworth | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | High | 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 Wandsworth (£54,584) is 8% higher than in Islington (£50,692), while a typical terraced house costs 30% less (£1,025,500 against £1,465,000). Set against local pay, Wandsworth is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 28.9× annual pay in Islington and 18.8× in Wandsworth. Renting one takes 91% of pay in Islington and 69% in Wandsworth. Both are harder in Islington, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Islington is the 10th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wandsworth is the 23rd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Islington is the 4th most expensive of 316 areas and Wandsworth is the 12th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Islington would need about £28,000 in Wandsworth to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Wandsworth 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 131.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Islington and 76.4 in Wandsworth, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Wandsworth. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 6.8 per 1,000 in Islington against 4.6 in Wandsworth.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Islington | Wandsworth |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £50,692 | £54,584 |
| House price ÷ pay | 28.9× | 18.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 17% | 27% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 91% | 69% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Islington | Wandsworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £1,465,000 | £1,025,500 | -30% in Wandsworth |
| Flat | £565,000 | £505,500 | -11% in Wandsworth |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Islington | Wandsworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £3,827 | £3,138 | -18% in Wandsworth |
| Flat | £2,483 | £2,335 | -6% in Wandsworth |
Crime
Police recorded 131.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Islington and 76.4 in Wandsworth, so recorded crime per resident is 42% lower in Wandsworth.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Islington | Wandsworth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 131.2 | 76.4 | -42% in Wandsworth |
| Violence against the person | 32.1 | 22.1 | -31% in Wandsworth |
| Sexual offences | 3.3 | 2.6 | -21% in Wandsworth |
| Robbery | 5.7 | 2.3 | -60% in Wandsworth |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 10.0 | 7.8 | -22% in Wandsworth |
| Vehicle offences | 7.8 | 8.1 | +3% in Wandsworth |
| Theft from the person | 14.3 | 3.8 | -74% in Wandsworth |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.8 | 4.6 | -32% in Wandsworth |
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 | Islington | Wandsworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 109 |
| 2007 | 131 | 131 |
| 2008 | 131 | 128 |
| 2009 | 117 | 120 |
| 2010 | 135 | 132 |
| 2011 | 144 | 136 |
| 2012 | 150 | 144 |
| 2013 | 168 | 161 |
| 2014 | 198 | 192 |
| 2015 | 218 | 202 |
| 2016 | 218 | 214 |
| 2017 | 220 | 217 |
| 2018 | 220 | 210 |
| 2019 | 215 | 207 |
| 2020 | 224 | 215 |
| 2021 | 230 | 209 |
| 2022 | 235 | 227 |
| 2023 | 235 | 219 |
| 2024 | 240 | 221 |
| 2025 | 238 | 219 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 235 | 214 |
In 2005 the average home cost £295,275 in Islington and £326,051 in Wandsworth. Now it is £693,753 and £696,379: Islington is up 135% and Wandsworth is up 114%. Prices have risen faster in Islington, 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 | Islington | Wandsworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 10.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 11.7 years of pay | 11.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 18.2 years of pay | 16.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 14.2 years of pay | 15.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 13.9 years of pay | 13.1 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 11.7 years of pay in Islington and 11.2 years in Wandsworth. In 2025 it was 13.9 years and 13.1 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 | Islington | Wandsworth |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 104 |
| 2017 | 102 | 104 |
| 2018 | 103 | 104 |
| 2019 | 104 | 106 |
| 2020 | 107 | 110 |
| 2021 | 101 | 108 |
| 2022 | 103 | 113 |
| 2023 | 113 | 120 |
| 2024 | 129 | 130 |
| 2025 | 138 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 146 | 146 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,960 a month in Islington and £1,798 in Wandsworth. Now it is £2,868 and £2,632: up 46% in Islington and up 46% in Wandsworth.
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 Islington to Wandsworth
| Earning in Islington | Equivalent to buy in Wandsworth | Equivalent to rent in Wandsworth |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £21,000 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £28,000 | £33,000 |
| £50,000 | £35,000 | £41,000 |
| £60,000 | £42,000 | £49,000 |
Moving from Wandsworth to Islington
| Earning in Wandsworth | Equivalent to buy in Islington | Equivalent to rent in Islington |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £43,000 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £57,000 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £71,500 | £61,000 |
| £60,000 | £85,500 | £73,000 |