Merton vs Waltham Forest: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £25,000 (4%) more in Waltham Forest than in Merton. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Waltham Forest: it takes 15.2× median annual pay, against 13.1× in Merton.
At a glance
| Merton | Waltham Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Waltham Forest (£45,350) is 11% lower than in Merton (£50,844), while a typical terraced house costs 4% more (£690,000 against £665,000). Set against local pay, Merton is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 13.1× annual pay in Merton and 15.2× in Waltham Forest. Renting one takes 58% of pay in Merton and 54% in Waltham Forest. The two measures point different ways: buying is harder in Waltham Forest, but renting takes a bigger share of pay in Merton.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Merton is the 40th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Waltham Forest is the 18th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Merton is the 22nd most expensive of 316 areas and Waltham Forest is the 37th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Merton would need about £41,500 in Waltham Forest to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £33,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Waltham Forest 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 59.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merton and 80.2 in Waltham Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Waltham Forest. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.7 per 1,000 in Merton against 8.5 in Waltham Forest.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Merton | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £50,844 | £45,350 |
| House price ÷ pay | 13.1× | 15.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 38% | 33% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 58% | 54% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Merton | Waltham Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £840,000 | £698,700 | -17% in Waltham Forest |
| Terraced | £665,000 | £690,000 | +4% in Waltham Forest |
| Flat | £389,000 | £400,000 | +3% in Waltham Forest |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Merton | Waltham Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £2,967 | £2,306 | -22% in Waltham Forest |
| Terraced | £2,462 | £2,050 | -17% in Waltham Forest |
| Flat | £1,931 | £1,593 | -18% in Waltham Forest |
Crime
Police recorded 59.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merton and 80.2 in Waltham Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 35% higher in Waltham Forest.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Merton | Waltham Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 59.3 | 80.2 | +35% in Waltham Forest |
| Violence against the person | 19.6 | 22.8 | +16% in Waltham Forest |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 2.5 | -1% in Waltham Forest |
| Robbery | 1.6 | 2.8 | +73% in Waltham Forest |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.8 | 7.6 | +11% in Waltham Forest |
| Vehicle offences | 5.7 | 8.5 | +48% in Waltham Forest |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 5.0 | +273% in Waltham Forest |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.5 | 5.3 | +18% in Waltham Forest |
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 | Merton | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 121 | 120 |
| 2008 | 122 | 118 |
| 2009 | 110 | 104 |
| 2010 | 122 | 113 |
| 2011 | 124 | 112 |
| 2012 | 129 | 117 |
| 2013 | 140 | 129 |
| 2014 | 171 | 160 |
| 2015 | 186 | 181 |
| 2016 | 203 | 209 |
| 2017 | 208 | 221 |
| 2018 | 208 | 224 |
| 2019 | 205 | 218 |
| 2020 | 213 | 229 |
| 2021 | 220 | 236 |
| 2022 | 228 | 245 |
| 2023 | 230 | 247 |
| 2024 | 229 | 245 |
| 2025 | 234 | 254 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 234 | 259 |
In 2005 the average home cost £263,240 in Merton and £203,660 in Waltham Forest. Now it is £615,908 and £526,735: Merton is up 134% and Waltham Forest is up 159%. Prices have risen faster in Waltham Forest, 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 | Merton | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9.0 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.8 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 14.8 years of pay | 12.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 13.3 years of pay | 12.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 12.1 years of pay | 11.4 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 9.0 years of pay in Merton and 7.8 years in Waltham Forest. In 2025 it was 12.1 years and 11.4 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 | Merton | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 105 | 111 |
| 2018 | 105 | 112 |
| 2019 | 106 | 114 |
| 2020 | 110 | 115 |
| 2021 | 110 | 118 |
| 2022 | 114 | 120 |
| 2023 | 121 | 126 |
| 2024 | 130 | 136 |
| 2025 | 139 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 147 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,478 a month in Merton and £1,182 in Waltham Forest. Now it is £2,172 and £1,763: up 47% in Merton and up 49% in Waltham Forest.
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 Merton to Waltham Forest
| Earning in Merton | Equivalent to buy in Waltham Forest | Equivalent to rent in Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £25,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,500 | £33,500 |
| £50,000 | £52,000 | £41,500 |
| £60,000 | £62,500 | £50,000 |
Moving from Waltham Forest to Merton
| Earning in Waltham Forest | Equivalent to buy in Merton | Equivalent to rent in Merton |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £36,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,500 | £48,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,000 | £60,000 |
| £60,000 | £58,000 | £72,000 |