Pay vs Place

Oxford vs Woking: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £45,000 (11%) more in Oxford than in Woking. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Oxford: it takes 10.6× median annual pay, against 9.5× in Woking.

Oxford, terraced
£460,000
Income typically needed: £92,000
Median full-time pay: £43,289
Woking, terraced
£415,000
Income typically needed: £83,000
Median full-time pay: £43,719

At a glance

Oxford Woking
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very expensive Very expensive
Recorded crime Above 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 Woking (£43,719) is 1% higher than in Oxford (£43,289), while a typical terraced house costs 10% less (£415,000 against £460,000). Set against local pay, Woking is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 10.6× annual pay in Oxford and 9.5× in Woking. Renting one takes 56% of pay in Oxford and 41% in Woking. Both are harder in Oxford, and the gap is wider for renting.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Oxford is the 43rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Woking is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Oxford is the 18th most expensive of 316 areas and Woking is the 52nd most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Oxford would need about £36,000 in Woking to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Woking 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 96.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Oxford and 62.3 in Woking, so recorded crime per resident is 35% lower in Woking. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 3.9 per 1,000 in Oxford against 2.3 in Woking.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Oxford Woking
Median full-time pay £43,289 £43,719
House price ÷ pay 10.6× 9.5×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 47% 53%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 56% 41%

Buying, by property type

Type Oxford Woking Difference
Detached £922,500 £787,500 -15% in Woking
Semi-detached £479,500 £482,000 +1% in Woking
Terraced £460,000 £415,000 -10% in Woking
Flat £335,000 £250,000 -25% in Woking

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Oxford Woking Difference
Detached £2,593 £2,508 -3% in Woking
Semi-detached £2,188 £1,762 -19% in Woking
Terraced £2,022 £1,491 -26% in Woking
Flat £1,557 £1,292 -17% in Woking

Crime

Police recorded 96.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in Oxford and 62.3 in Woking, so recorded crime per resident is 35% lower in Woking.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Oxford Woking Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 96.3 62.3 -35% in Woking
Violence against the person 30.7 24.8 -19% in Woking
Sexual offences 3.9 2.3 -40% in Woking
Robbery 1.3 0.7 -51% in Woking
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.7 4.1 -28% in Woking
Vehicle offences 4.3 2.6 -38% in Woking
Theft from the person 2.1 0.3 -83% in Woking
Criminal damage and arson 6.6 5.7 -14% in Woking

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.

Oxford: 200Woking: 189
House prices in Oxford and Woking since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Oxford now 200, Woking now 189.10015020025020052010201520202025House prices in Oxford and Woking since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Oxford now 200, Woking now 189.10015020025020102020
Show the figures
YearOxfordWoking
2005100100
2006107104
2007118118
2008117118
2009105104
2010121114
2011119116
2012127121
2013131125
2014146141
2015164155
2016176170
2017180173
2018178175
2019178175
2020180176
2021187183
2022197196
2023197197
2024201194
2025199192
12 months to July 2026200189

In 2005 the average home cost £241,793 in Oxford and £231,726 in Woking. Now it is £483,054 and £438,721: Oxford is up 100% and Woking is up 89%. Prices have risen faster in Oxford, 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.

Oxford: 11.1 years of payWoking: 10.2 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Oxford and WokingOxford now 11.1, Woking now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Oxford and WokingOxford now 11.1, Woking now 10.2 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearOxfordWoking
200510.4 years of pay–
201011.0 years of pay9.2 years of pay
201513.0 years of pay11.6 years of pay
202012.8 years of pay10.1 years of pay
202511.1 years of pay10.2 years of pay

In 2010 a home cost 11.0 years of pay in Oxford and 9.2 years in Woking. In 2025 it was 11.1 years and 10.2 years.

Affordability has worsened more in Woking over that time.

How rents have changed in each area

Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.

Oxford: 156Woking: 128
Rents in Oxford and Woking since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Oxford now 156, Woking now 128.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Oxford and Woking since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Oxford now 156, Woking now 128.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearOxfordWoking
2015100100
2016103104
2017108105
2018111103
2019113102
2020116103
2021116104
2022121107
2023127115
2024135124
2025148130
August 2026156128

In 2015 the average rent was £1,260 a month in Oxford and £1,264 in Woking. Now it is £1,963 and £1,620: up 56% in Oxford and up 28% in Woking. Rents have risen faster in Oxford.

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 Oxford to Woking

Earning in Oxford Equivalent to buy in Woking Equivalent to rent in Woking
£30,000 £27,000 £22,000
£40,000 £36,000 £29,500
£50,000 £45,000 £37,000
£60,000 £54,000 £44,000

Moving from Woking to Oxford

Earning in Woking Equivalent to buy in Oxford Equivalent to rent in Oxford
£30,000 £33,500 £40,500
£40,000 £44,500 £54,000
£50,000 £55,500 £68,000
£60,000 £66,500 £81,500
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Oxford figures · All Woking figures