Liverpool vs Vale of Glamorgan: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £70,000 (42%) more in Vale of Glamorgan than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Vale of Glamorgan: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above 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 Vale of Glamorgan (£38,656) is 4% higher than in Liverpool (£37,144), while a typical terraced house costs 42% more (£235,000 against £165,000). Set against local pay, Liverpool is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.4× annual pay in Liverpool and 6.1× in Vale of Glamorgan. Renting one takes 30% of pay in Liverpool and 29% in Vale of Glamorgan. Buying is harder in Vale of Glamorgan; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (171st most expensive). For renting against pay, Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas and Vale of Glamorgan is around the middle of 316 areas (189th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Liverpool would need about £57,000 in Vale of Glamorgan to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £41,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Vale of Glamorgan 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 124.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Liverpool and 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 51% lower in Vale of Glamorgan. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 6.1 per 1,000 in Liverpool against 2.4 in Vale of Glamorgan.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,144 | £38,656 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.4× | 6.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 113% | 82% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 30% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £380,000 | £455,000 | +20% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | £287,000 | +20% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £165,000 | £235,000 | +42% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £147,500 | £167,000 | +13% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,225 | £1,341 | +9% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Semi-detached | £1,008 | £996 | -1% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Terraced | £917 | £946 | +3% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Flat | £786 | £806 | +3% in Vale of Glamorgan |
Crime
Police recorded 124.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Liverpool and 60.9 in Vale of Glamorgan, so recorded crime per resident is 51% lower in Vale of Glamorgan.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 124.1 | 60.9 | -51% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Violence against the person | 45.6 | 23.9 | -48% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Sexual offences | 4.1 | 2.4 | -42% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Robbery | 1.6 | 0.5 | -67% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.1 | 2.4 | -61% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Vehicle offences | 5.3 | 3.0 | -44% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Theft from the person | 1.2 | 0.2 | -80% in Vale of Glamorgan |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 5.6 | -46% in Vale of Glamorgan |
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 | Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 110 | 106 |
| 2007 | 117 | 113 |
| 2008 | 113 | 110 |
| 2009 | 104 | 103 |
| 2010 | 105 | 108 |
| 2011 | 101 | 107 |
| 2012 | 99 | 110 |
| 2013 | 99 | 110 |
| 2014 | 103 | 117 |
| 2015 | 107 | 122 |
| 2016 | 110 | 126 |
| 2017 | 115 | 131 |
| 2018 | 121 | 139 |
| 2019 | 123 | 143 |
| 2020 | 128 | 147 |
| 2021 | 148 | 158 |
| 2022 | 161 | 179 |
| 2023 | 163 | 182 |
| 2024 | 166 | 182 |
| 2025 | 179 | 187 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 190 |
In 2005 the average home cost £99,018 in Liverpool and £155,856 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £181,637 and £295,470: Liverpool is up 83% and Vale of Glamorgan is up 90%. Prices have risen faster in Vale of Glamorgan, 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 | Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 4.3 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 4.1 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.1 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.8 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2015 a home cost 4.1 years of pay in Liverpool and 6.8 years in Vale of Glamorgan. In 2025 it was 4.8 years and 7.5 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 | Liverpool | Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 101 |
| 2017 | 104 | 104 |
| 2018 | 104 | 107 |
| 2019 | 105 | 108 |
| 2020 | 106 | 112 |
| 2021 | 111 | 112 |
| 2022 | 119 | 118 |
| 2023 | 127 | 129 |
| 2024 | 138 | 140 |
| 2025 | 151 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 158 |
In 2015 the average rent was £567 a month in Liverpool and £620 in Vale of Glamorgan. Now it is £913 and £982: up 61% in Liverpool and up 58% in Vale of Glamorgan.
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 Liverpool to Vale of Glamorgan
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to rent in Vale of Glamorgan |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £42,500 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £57,000 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £71,000 | £51,500 |
| £60,000 | £85,500 | £62,000 |
Moving from Vale of Glamorgan to Liverpool
| Earning in Vale of Glamorgan | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £21,000 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £28,000 | £39,000 |
| £50,000 | £35,000 | £48,500 |
| £60,000 | £42,000 | £58,000 |