Liverpool vs West Oxfordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £170,000 (103%) more in West Oxfordshire than in Liverpool. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in West Oxfordshire: it takes 7.6× median annual pay, against 4.4× in Liverpool.
At a glance
| Liverpool | West Oxfordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| 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 West Oxfordshire (£43,932) is 18% higher than in Liverpool (£37,144), while a typical terraced house costs 103% more (£335,000 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 7.6× in West Oxfordshire. Renting one takes 30% of pay in Liverpool and 36% in West Oxfordshire. Both are harder in West Oxfordshire, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Liverpool is the 27th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and West Oxfordshire is the 95th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Liverpool is the 115th least expensive of 316 areas and West Oxfordshire is the 125th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Liverpool would need about £81,000 in West Oxfordshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £57,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Oxfordshire 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 42.8 in West Oxfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 66% lower in West Oxfordshire. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 10.3 per 1,000 in Liverpool against 3.7 in West Oxfordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Liverpool | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,144 | £43,932 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.4× | 7.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 113% | 66% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 30% | 36% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Liverpool | West Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £380,000 | £552,500 | +45% in West Oxfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | £385,000 | +60% in West Oxfordshire |
| Terraced | £165,000 | £335,000 | +103% in West Oxfordshire |
| Flat | £147,500 | £200,000 | +36% in West Oxfordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Liverpool | West Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,225 | £1,738 | +42% in West Oxfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,008 | £1,458 | +45% in West Oxfordshire |
| Terraced | £917 | £1,319 | +44% in West Oxfordshire |
| Flat | £786 | £1,048 | +33% in West Oxfordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 124.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Liverpool and 42.8 in West Oxfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 66% lower in West Oxfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Liverpool | West Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 124.1 | 42.8 | -66% in West Oxfordshire |
| Violence against the person | 45.6 | 18.9 | -59% in West Oxfordshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.1 | 2.2 | -48% in West Oxfordshire |
| Robbery | 1.6 | 0.3 | -83% in West Oxfordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.1 | 4.4 | -27% in West Oxfordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 5.3 | 2.3 | -57% in West Oxfordshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.2 | 0.3 | -78% in West Oxfordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 3.7 | -65% in West Oxfordshire |
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 | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 110 | 107 |
| 2007 | 117 | 116 |
| 2008 | 113 | 112 |
| 2009 | 104 | 104 |
| 2010 | 105 | 113 |
| 2011 | 101 | 112 |
| 2012 | 99 | 116 |
| 2013 | 99 | 120 |
| 2014 | 103 | 127 |
| 2015 | 107 | 139 |
| 2016 | 110 | 148 |
| 2017 | 115 | 156 |
| 2018 | 121 | 157 |
| 2019 | 123 | 153 |
| 2020 | 128 | 158 |
| 2021 | 148 | 156 |
| 2022 | 161 | 170 |
| 2023 | 163 | 178 |
| 2024 | 166 | 176 |
| 2025 | 179 | 185 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 183 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £99,018 in Liverpool and £229,671 in West Oxfordshire. Now it is £181,637 and £424,836: Liverpool is up 83% and West Oxfordshire is up 85%.
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 | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.9 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.3 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 4.1 years of pay | 10.0 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.1 years of pay | 10.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.8 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.9 years of pay in Liverpool and 9.4 years in West Oxfordshire. In 2025 it was 4.8 years and 9.7 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 | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 99 |
| 2017 | 104 | 105 |
| 2018 | 104 | 108 |
| 2019 | 105 | 109 |
| 2020 | 106 | 110 |
| 2021 | 111 | 113 |
| 2022 | 119 | 118 |
| 2023 | 127 | 128 |
| 2024 | 138 | 136 |
| 2025 | 151 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £567 a month in Liverpool and £910 in West Oxfordshire. Now it is £913 and £1,305: up 61% in Liverpool and up 43% in West Oxfordshire. Rents have risen faster in Liverpool.
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 West Oxfordshire
| Earning in Liverpool | Equivalent to buy in West Oxfordshire | Equivalent to rent in West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £61,000 | £43,000 |
| £40,000 | £81,000 | £57,500 |
| £50,000 | £101,500 | £72,000 |
| £60,000 | £122,000 | £86,500 |
Moving from West Oxfordshire to Liverpool
| Earning in West Oxfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Liverpool | Equivalent to rent in Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £15,000 | £21,000 |
| £40,000 | £19,500 | £28,000 |
| £50,000 | £24,500 | £35,000 |
| £60,000 | £29,500 | £41,500 |