Mole Valley vs Waverley: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £23,750 (6%) more in Mole Valley than in Waverley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Mole Valley: it takes 10.3× median annual pay, against 8.4× in Waverley.
At a glance
| Mole Valley | Waverley | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Waverley (£49,769) is 16% higher than in Mole Valley (£42,937), while a typical terraced house costs 5% less (£420,000 against £443,750). Set against local pay, Waverley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 10.3× annual pay in Mole Valley and 8.4× in Waverley. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Mole Valley and 34% in Waverley. Both are harder in Mole Valley, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Mole Valley is the 6th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Waverley is the 35th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Mole Valley is the 57th most expensive of 316 areas and Waverley is around the middle of 316 areas (128th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Mole Valley would need about £38,000 in Waverley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Waverley would leave you better 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 54.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Mole Valley and 37.5 in Waverley, so recorded crime per resident is 31% lower in Waverley. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.7 per 1,000 in Mole Valley against 1.8 in Waverley.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Mole Valley | Waverley |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £42,937 | £49,769 |
| House price ÷ pay | 10.3× | 8.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 48% | 59% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 41% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Mole Valley | Waverley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £875,000 | £825,000 | -6% in Waverley |
| Semi-detached | £580,000 | £550,000 | -5% in Waverley |
| Terraced | £443,750 | £420,000 | -5% in Waverley |
| Flat | £270,000 | £270,500 | +0% in Waverley |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Mole Valley | Waverley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,201 | £2,128 | -3% in Waverley |
| Semi-detached | £1,750 | £1,553 | -11% in Waverley |
| Terraced | £1,463 | £1,407 | -4% in Waverley |
| Flat | £1,271 | £1,194 | -6% in Waverley |
Crime
Police recorded 54.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Mole Valley and 37.5 in Waverley, so recorded crime per resident is 31% lower in Waverley.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Mole Valley | Waverley | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 54.4 | 37.5 | -31% in Waverley |
| Violence against the person | 21.2 | 14.9 | -30% in Waverley |
| Sexual offences | 1.9 | 1.4 | -27% in Waverley |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 0.2 | -49% in Waverley |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.9 | 4.3 | -27% in Waverley |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 1.8 | -36% in Waverley |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0% in Waverley |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.8 | 3.5 | -28% in Waverley |
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 | Mole Valley | Waverley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 108 | 108 |
| 2007 | 118 | 121 |
| 2008 | 121 | 119 |
| 2009 | 105 | 106 |
| 2010 | 120 | 121 |
| 2011 | 120 | 122 |
| 2012 | 123 | 125 |
| 2013 | 127 | 129 |
| 2014 | 143 | 140 |
| 2015 | 156 | 153 |
| 2016 | 168 | 164 |
| 2017 | 173 | 168 |
| 2018 | 173 | 172 |
| 2019 | 168 | 168 |
| 2020 | 170 | 174 |
| 2021 | 180 | 180 |
| 2022 | 192 | 197 |
| 2023 | 194 | 195 |
| 2024 | 189 | 193 |
| 2025 | 194 | 201 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 196 | 200 |
In 2005 the average home cost £281,829 in Mole Valley and £278,992 in Waverley. Now it is £552,942 and £557,629: Mole Valley is up 96% and Waverley is up 100%.
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 | Mole Valley | Waverley |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.8 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.4 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 14.2 years of pay | 11.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 15.6 years of pay | 11.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 12.8 years of pay | 11.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.8 years of pay in Mole Valley and 9.2 years in Waverley. In 2025 it was 12.8 years and 11.3 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Mole Valley 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 | Mole Valley | Waverley |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 106 |
| 2017 | 104 | 109 |
| 2018 | 103 | 108 |
| 2019 | 104 | 109 |
| 2020 | 105 | 109 |
| 2021 | 105 | 110 |
| 2022 | 109 | 116 |
| 2023 | 113 | 122 |
| 2024 | 122 | 129 |
| 2025 | 131 | 138 |
| August 2026 | 135 | 136 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,152 a month in Mole Valley and £1,071 in Waverley. Now it is £1,551 and £1,459: up 35% in Mole Valley and up 36% in Waverley.
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 Mole Valley to Waverley
| Earning in Mole Valley | Equivalent to buy in Waverley | Equivalent to rent in Waverley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,500 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,000 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,500 | £48,000 |
| £60,000 | £57,000 | £57,500 |
Moving from Waverley to Mole Valley
| Earning in Waverley | Equivalent to buy in Mole Valley | Equivalent to rent in Mole Valley |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,500 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £53,000 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £63,500 | £62,500 |