Lewisham vs Tower Hamlets: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £178,015 (27%) more in Tower Hamlets than in Lewisham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Tower Hamlets: it takes 16.0× median annual pay, against 14.3× in Lewisham.
At a glance
| Lewisham | Tower Hamlets | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | 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 Tower Hamlets (£52,000) is 14% higher than in Lewisham (£45,702), while a typical terraced house costs 27% more (£832,250 against £654,235). Set against local pay, Lewisham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 14.3× annual pay in Lewisham and 16.0× in Tower Hamlets. Renting one takes 55% of pay in Lewisham and 63% in Tower Hamlets. Both are harder in Tower Hamlets, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Lewisham is the 47th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Tower Hamlets is the 92nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Lewisham is the 34th most expensive of 316 areas and Tower Hamlets is the 15th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Lewisham would need about £51,000 in Tower Hamlets to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £52,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Tower Hamlets 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 94.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lewisham and 106.6 in Tower Hamlets, so recorded crime per resident is 13% higher in Tower Hamlets.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Lewisham | Tower Hamlets |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £45,702 | £52,000 |
| House price ÷ pay | 14.3× | 16.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 35% | 31% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 55% | 63% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Lewisham | Tower Hamlets | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £654,235 | £832,250 | +27% in Tower Hamlets |
| Flat | £375,000 | £444,500 | +19% in Tower Hamlets |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Lewisham | Tower Hamlets | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £2,088 | £2,735 | +31% in Tower Hamlets |
| Flat | £1,657 | £2,284 | +38% in Tower Hamlets |
Crime
Police recorded 94.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lewisham and 106.6 in Tower Hamlets, so recorded crime per resident is 13% higher in Tower Hamlets.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Lewisham | Tower Hamlets | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 94.2 | 106.6 | +13% in Tower Hamlets |
| Violence against the person | 32.1 | 31.3 | -3% in Tower Hamlets |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 3.7 | +7% in Tower Hamlets |
| Robbery | 3.3 | 3.8 | +15% in Tower Hamlets |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 9.6 | 10.9 | +14% in Tower Hamlets |
| Vehicle offences | 8.1 | 7.2 | -11% in Tower Hamlets |
| Theft from the person | 3.9 | 7.6 | +96% in Tower Hamlets |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.5 | 5.8 | -11% in Tower Hamlets |
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 | Lewisham | Tower Hamlets |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 106 | 108 |
| 2007 | 120 | 127 |
| 2008 | 121 | 132 |
| 2009 | 111 | 114 |
| 2010 | 118 | 125 |
| 2011 | 119 | 127 |
| 2012 | 126 | 127 |
| 2013 | 137 | 137 |
| 2014 | 165 | 169 |
| 2015 | 186 | 187 |
| 2016 | 211 | 203 |
| 2017 | 215 | 204 |
| 2018 | 216 | 198 |
| 2019 | 214 | 194 |
| 2020 | 221 | 207 |
| 2021 | 225 | 220 |
| 2022 | 232 | 220 |
| 2023 | 233 | 204 |
| 2024 | 232 | 205 |
| 2025 | 243 | 206 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 244 | 191 |
In 2005 the average home cost £202,544 in Lewisham and £247,681 in Tower Hamlets. Now it is £494,616 and £474,233: Lewisham is up 144% and Tower Hamlets is up 91%. Prices have risen faster in Lewisham, 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 | Lewisham | Tower Hamlets |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.6 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 8.0 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 11.8 years of pay | 13.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 12.1 years of pay | 12.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.8 years of pay | 9.8 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 8.0 years of pay in Lewisham and 9.0 years in Tower Hamlets. In 2025 it was 10.8 years and 9.8 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Lewisham 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 | Lewisham | Tower Hamlets |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 106 |
| 2017 | 109 | 109 |
| 2018 | 110 | 108 |
| 2019 | 110 | 109 |
| 2020 | 112 | 110 |
| 2021 | 114 | 104 |
| 2022 | 116 | 103 |
| 2023 | 123 | 117 |
| 2024 | 134 | 130 |
| 2025 | 143 | 137 |
| August 2026 | 147 | 142 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,242 a month in Lewisham and £1,729 in Tower Hamlets. Now it is £1,829 and £2,453: up 47% in Lewisham and up 42% in Tower Hamlets. Rents have risen faster in Lewisham.
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 Lewisham to Tower Hamlets
| Earning in Lewisham | Equivalent to buy in Tower Hamlets | Equivalent to rent in Tower Hamlets |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,000 | £39,500 |
| £40,000 | £51,000 | £52,500 |
| £50,000 | £63,500 | £65,500 |
| £60,000 | £76,500 | £78,500 |
Moving from Tower Hamlets to Lewisham
| Earning in Tower Hamlets | Equivalent to buy in Lewisham | Equivalent to rent in Lewisham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,500 | £23,000 |
| £40,000 | £31,500 | £30,500 |
| £50,000 | £39,500 | £38,000 |
| £60,000 | £47,000 | £46,000 |