Merthyr Tydfil vs Neath Port Talbot: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £10,500 (8%) more in Neath Port Talbot than in Merthyr Tydfil. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 Neath Port Talbot (£36,359) is 3% higher than in Merthyr Tydfil (£35,152), while a typical terraced house costs 8% more (£135,000 against £124,500).
Buying a terraced house takes 3.5× annual pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 3.7× in Neath Port Talbot. Renting one takes 23% of pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 23% in Neath Port Talbot. On both measures the two areas are close.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the 3rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Neath Port Talbot is the 9th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the 44th least expensive of 316 areas and Neath Port Talbot is the 10th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Merthyr Tydfil would need about £43,500 in Neath Port Talbot to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Neath Port Talbot 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 76.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merthyr Tydfil and 67.3 in Neath Port Talbot, so recorded crime per resident is 12% lower in Neath Port Talbot. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.6 per 1,000 in Merthyr Tydfil against 2.0 in Neath Port Talbot.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,152 | £36,359 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.5× | 3.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 141% | 135% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 23% | 23% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £183,000 | £170,000 | -7% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Terraced | £124,500 | £135,000 | +8% in Neath Port Talbot |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £765 | £730 | -5% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Terraced | £684 | £691 | +1% in Neath Port Talbot |
Crime
Police recorded 76.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merthyr Tydfil and 67.3 in Neath Port Talbot, so recorded crime per resident is 12% lower in Neath Port Talbot.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.5 | 67.3 | -12% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Violence against the person | 34.0 | 31.2 | -8% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 3.5 | -2% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 0.3 | -34% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.4 | 2.3 | -32% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Vehicle offences | 3.6 | 2.0 | -45% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -47% in Neath Port Talbot |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.1 | 6.2 | -14% in Neath Port Talbot |
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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 113 | 108 |
| 2007 | 124 | 118 |
| 2008 | 116 | 114 |
| 2009 | 106 | 101 |
| 2010 | 107 | 101 |
| 2011 | 105 | 99 |
| 2012 | 105 | 98 |
| 2013 | 103 | 99 |
| 2014 | 107 | 104 |
| 2015 | 112 | 105 |
| 2016 | 115 | 110 |
| 2017 | 120 | 113 |
| 2018 | 125 | 118 |
| 2019 | 133 | 123 |
| 2020 | 136 | 131 |
| 2021 | 158 | 147 |
| 2022 | 181 | 167 |
| 2023 | 187 | 175 |
| 2024 | 187 | 174 |
| 2025 | 190 | 183 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 192 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £77,602 in Merthyr Tydfil and £87,352 in Neath Port Talbot. Now it is £149,087 and £161,632: Merthyr Tydfil is up 92% and Neath Port Talbot is up 85%. Prices have risen faster in Merthyr Tydfil, 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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.1 years of pay | 4.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 4.0 years of pay | 3.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 3.9 years of pay | 3.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.1 years of pay | 4.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.2 years of pay | 4.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 4.1 years of pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 4.2 years in Neath Port Talbot. In 2025 it was 4.2 years and 4.4 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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 100 |
| 2017 | 102 | 100 |
| 2018 | 105 | 101 |
| 2019 | 108 | 103 |
| 2020 | 112 | 105 |
| 2021 | 115 | 106 |
| 2022 | 127 | 109 |
| 2023 | 137 | 116 |
| 2024 | 149 | 128 |
| 2025 | 166 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 166 | 152 |
In 2015 the average rent was £453 a month in Merthyr Tydfil and £454 in Neath Port Talbot. Now it is £754 and £690: up 66% in Merthyr Tydfil and up 52% in Neath Port Talbot. Rents have risen faster in Merthyr Tydfil.
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 Merthyr Tydfil to Neath Port Talbot
| Earning in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to buy in Neath Port Talbot | Equivalent to rent in Neath Port Talbot |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £43,500 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £54,000 | £50,500 |
| £60,000 | £65,000 | £60,500 |
Moving from Neath Port Talbot to Merthyr Tydfil
| Earning in Neath Port Talbot | Equivalent to buy in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to rent in Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,000 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,000 | £49,500 |
| £60,000 | £55,500 | £59,500 |