Merthyr Tydfil vs Rhondda Cynon Taf: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £10,500 (8%) more in Rhondda Cynon Taf than in Merthyr Tydfil. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Rhondda Cynon Taf: it takes 3.9× median annual pay, against 3.5× in Merthyr Tydfil.
At a glance
| Merthyr Tydfil | Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Affordable | Affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly 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 Rhondda Cynon Taf (£34,837) is 1% lower than in Merthyr Tydfil (£35,152), while a typical terraced house costs 8% more (£135,000 against £124,500). Set against local pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 3.5× annual pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 3.9× in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Renting one takes 23% of pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 25% in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Both are harder in Rhondda Cynon Taf, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the 3rd least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Rhondda Cynon Taf is the 15th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Merthyr Tydfil is the 44th least expensive of 316 areas and Rhondda Cynon Taf is the 50th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Merthyr Tydfil would need about £43,500 in Rhondda Cynon Taf to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £43,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Rhondda Cynon Taf 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 76.5 in Rhondda Cynon Taf: about the same.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Merthyr Tydfil | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,152 | £34,837 |
| House price ÷ pay | 3.5× | 3.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 141% | 129% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 23% | 25% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Merthyr Tydfil | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £183,000 | £205,850 | +12% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Terraced | £124,500 | £135,000 | +8% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Merthyr Tydfil | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £765 | £802 | +5% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Terraced | £684 | £733 | +7% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
Crime
Police recorded 76.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merthyr Tydfil and 76.5 in Rhondda Cynon Taf: about the same.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Merthyr Tydfil | Rhondda Cynon Taf | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.5 | 76.5 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Violence against the person | 34.0 | 34.0 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Sexual offences | 3.5 | 3.5 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.4 | 3.4 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Vehicle offences | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.1 | 7.1 | 0% in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
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 | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 113 | 111 |
| 2007 | 124 | 121 |
| 2008 | 116 | 113 |
| 2009 | 106 | 103 |
| 2010 | 107 | 104 |
| 2011 | 105 | 102 |
| 2012 | 105 | 102 |
| 2013 | 103 | 101 |
| 2014 | 107 | 108 |
| 2015 | 112 | 112 |
| 2016 | 115 | 119 |
| 2017 | 120 | 122 |
| 2018 | 125 | 126 |
| 2019 | 133 | 133 |
| 2020 | 136 | 139 |
| 2021 | 158 | 160 |
| 2022 | 181 | 181 |
| 2023 | 187 | 183 |
| 2024 | 187 | 187 |
| 2025 | 190 | 195 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 192 | 202 |
In 2005 the average home cost £77,602 in Merthyr Tydfil and £80,055 in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Now it is £149,087 and £162,007: Merthyr Tydfil is up 92% and Rhondda Cynon Taf is up 102%. Prices have risen faster in Rhondda Cynon Taf, 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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.1 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 4.0 years of pay | – |
| 2015 | 3.9 years of pay | 3.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 4.1 years of pay | 4.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 4.2 years of pay | 4.5 years of pay |
In 2015 a home cost 3.9 years of pay in Merthyr Tydfil and 3.6 years in Rhondda Cynon Taf. In 2025 it was 4.2 years and 4.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Rhondda Cynon Taf 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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 99 |
| 2017 | 102 | 99 |
| 2018 | 105 | 101 |
| 2019 | 108 | 103 |
| 2020 | 112 | 108 |
| 2021 | 115 | 110 |
| 2022 | 127 | 116 |
| 2023 | 137 | 129 |
| 2024 | 149 | 140 |
| 2025 | 166 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 166 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £453 a month in Merthyr Tydfil and £464 in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Now it is £754 and £754: up 66% in Merthyr Tydfil and up 63% in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
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 Rhondda Cynon Taf
| Earning in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to buy in Rhondda Cynon Taf | Equivalent to rent in Rhondda Cynon Taf |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £43,500 | £43,000 |
| £50,000 | £54,000 | £53,500 |
| £60,000 | £65,000 | £64,500 |
Moving from Rhondda Cynon Taf to Merthyr Tydfil
| Earning in Rhondda Cynon Taf | Equivalent to buy in Merthyr Tydfil | Equivalent to rent in Merthyr Tydfil |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,000 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £46,000 | £46,500 |
| £60,000 | £55,500 | £56,000 |