Reading vs Rother: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £60,000 (21%) more in Reading than in Rother. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Reading: it takes 8.5× median annual pay, against 7.9× in Rother.
At a glance
| Reading | Rother | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Above average | 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 Rother (£36,197) is 11% lower than in Reading (£40,700), while a typical terraced house costs 17% less (£285,000 against £345,000). Set against local pay, Rother is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.5× annual pay in Reading and 7.9× in Rother. Renting one takes 47% of pay in Reading and 39% in Rother. Both are harder in Reading, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Reading is the 118th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Rother is the 65th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Reading is the 38th most expensive of 316 areas and Rother is the 95th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Reading would need about £33,000 in Rother 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 Rother 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 98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Reading and 57.5 in Rother, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Rother. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 5.4 per 1,000 in Reading against 2.2 in Rother.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Reading | Rother |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,700 | £36,197 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.5× | 7.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 59% | 64% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 47% | 39% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Reading | Rother | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £615,000 | £500,000 | -19% in Rother |
| Semi-detached | £428,500 | £335,000 | -22% in Rother |
| Terraced | £345,000 | £285,000 | -17% in Rother |
| Flat | £225,000 | £191,500 | -15% in Rother |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Reading | Rother | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,172 | £1,590 | -27% in Rother |
| Semi-detached | £1,755 | £1,291 | -26% in Rother |
| Terraced | £1,607 | £1,181 | -27% in Rother |
| Flat | £1,272 | £925 | -27% in Rother |
Crime
Police recorded 98.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Reading and 57.5 in Rother, so recorded crime per resident is 41% lower in Rother.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Reading | Rother | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 98.0 | 57.5 | -41% in Rother |
| Violence against the person | 33.6 | 22.5 | -33% in Rother |
| Sexual offences | 4.0 | 2.8 | -30% in Rother |
| Robbery | 1.7 | 0.5 | -69% in Rother |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.8 | 3.2 | -45% in Rother |
| Vehicle offences | 5.4 | 2.2 | -59% in Rother |
| Theft from the person | 1.5 | 0.2 | -89% in Rother |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.5 | 6.9 | +5% in Rother |
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 | Reading | Rother |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 117 | 113 |
| 2008 | 112 | 111 |
| 2009 | 101 | 98 |
| 2010 | 109 | 108 |
| 2011 | 109 | 107 |
| 2012 | 112 | 107 |
| 2013 | 117 | 109 |
| 2014 | 130 | 116 |
| 2015 | 146 | 123 |
| 2016 | 168 | 136 |
| 2017 | 173 | 143 |
| 2018 | 170 | 149 |
| 2019 | 164 | 152 |
| 2020 | 162 | 153 |
| 2021 | 171 | 168 |
| 2022 | 187 | 190 |
| 2023 | 188 | 188 |
| 2024 | 188 | 184 |
| 2025 | 193 | 187 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 193 | 187 |
In 2005 the average home cost £183,968 in Reading and £183,724 in Rother. Now it is £354,278 and £343,407: Reading is up 93% and Rother is up 87%. Prices have risen faster in Reading, 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 | Reading | Rother |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.3 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 6.8 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.2 years of pay | 8.7 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 9.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 8.7 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 6.8 years of pay in Reading and 7.6 years in Rother. In 2025 it was 8.7 years and 9.5 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 | Reading | Rother |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 105 |
| 2017 | 108 | 111 |
| 2018 | 109 | 114 |
| 2019 | 112 | 118 |
| 2020 | 113 | 120 |
| 2021 | 112 | 125 |
| 2022 | 115 | 132 |
| 2023 | 122 | 141 |
| 2024 | 136 | 148 |
| 2025 | 148 | 156 |
| August 2026 | 150 | 158 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,049 a month in Reading and £737 in Rother. Now it is £1,574 and £1,165: up 50% in Reading and up 58% in Rother. Rents have risen faster in Rother.
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 Reading to Rother
| Earning in Reading | Equivalent to buy in Rother | Equivalent to rent in Rother |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £33,000 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £41,500 | £36,500 |
| £60,000 | £49,500 | £44,000 |
Moving from Rother to Reading
| Earning in Rother | Equivalent to buy in Reading | Equivalent to rent in Reading |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £36,500 | £41,000 |
| £40,000 | £48,500 | £54,500 |
| £50,000 | £60,500 | £68,000 |
| £60,000 | £72,500 | £81,500 |