Reigate and Banstead vs Surrey Heath: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £53,000 (14%) more in Reigate and Banstead than in Surrey Heath. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Reigate and Banstead: it takes 10.1× median annual pay, against 8.8× in Surrey Heath.
At a glance
| Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very 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 Surrey Heath (£43,633) is the same than in Reigate and Banstead (£43,434), while a typical terraced house costs 12% less (£385,000 against £438,000). Set against local pay, Surrey Heath is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 10.1× annual pay in Reigate and Banstead and 8.8× in Surrey Heath. Renting one takes 46% of pay in Reigate and Banstead and 40% in Surrey Heath. Both are harder in Reigate and Banstead, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Reigate and Banstead is the 29th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Surrey Heath is the 27th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Reigate and Banstead is the 48th most expensive of 316 areas and Surrey Heath is the 69th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Reigate and Banstead would need about £35,000 in Surrey Heath to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £35,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Surrey Heath 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 59.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Reigate and Banstead and 51.7 in Surrey Heath, so recorded crime per resident is 14% lower in Surrey Heath. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.2 per 1,000 in Reigate and Banstead against 3.0 in Surrey Heath.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £43,434 | £43,633 |
| House price ÷ pay | 10.1× | 8.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 50% | 57% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 46% | 40% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £812,500 | £710,000 | -13% in Surrey Heath |
| Semi-detached | £540,000 | £471,000 | -13% in Surrey Heath |
| Terraced | £438,000 | £385,000 | -12% in Surrey Heath |
| Flat | £260,000 | £232,500 | -11% in Surrey Heath |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,396 | £2,243 | -6% in Surrey Heath |
| Semi-detached | £1,751 | £1,609 | -8% in Surrey Heath |
| Terraced | £1,654 | £1,457 | -12% in Surrey Heath |
| Flat | £1,318 | £1,218 | -8% in Surrey Heath |
Crime
Police recorded 59.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in Reigate and Banstead and 51.7 in Surrey Heath, so recorded crime per resident is 14% lower in Surrey Heath.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 59.8 | 51.7 | -14% in Surrey Heath |
| Violence against the person | 24.2 | 20.3 | -16% in Surrey Heath |
| Sexual offences | 2.4 | 2.3 | -4% in Surrey Heath |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 0.3 | -33% in Surrey Heath |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.2 | 3.0 | -43% in Surrey Heath |
| Vehicle offences | 3.8 | 2.5 | -34% in Surrey Heath |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.3 | -24% in Surrey Heath |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.6 | 4.6 | -17% in Surrey Heath |
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 | Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 103 | 104 |
| 2007 | 116 | 116 |
| 2008 | 115 | 114 |
| 2009 | 102 | 102 |
| 2010 | 113 | 113 |
| 2011 | 113 | 110 |
| 2012 | 116 | 114 |
| 2013 | 121 | 119 |
| 2014 | 136 | 131 |
| 2015 | 151 | 145 |
| 2016 | 165 | 157 |
| 2017 | 169 | 159 |
| 2018 | 171 | 160 |
| 2019 | 168 | 160 |
| 2020 | 174 | 158 |
| 2021 | 178 | 170 |
| 2022 | 193 | 185 |
| 2023 | 194 | 183 |
| 2024 | 193 | 180 |
| 2025 | 195 | 184 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 194 | 188 |
In 2005 the average home cost £247,666 in Reigate and Banstead and £242,306 in Surrey Heath. Now it is £481,000 and £454,644: Reigate and Banstead is up 94% and Surrey Heath is up 88%. Prices have risen faster in Reigate and Banstead, 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 | Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.6 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.1 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.7 years of pay | 10.3 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.8 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 11.1 years of pay | 10.2 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.6 years of pay in Reigate and Banstead and 7.6 years in Surrey Heath. In 2025 it was 11.1 years and 10.2 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 | Reigate and Banstead | Surrey Heath |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 102 |
| 2017 | 107 | 109 |
| 2018 | 107 | 109 |
| 2019 | 108 | 106 |
| 2020 | 110 | 106 |
| 2021 | 112 | 107 |
| 2022 | 115 | 111 |
| 2023 | 124 | 120 |
| 2024 | 135 | 133 |
| 2025 | 143 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 147 | 142 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,117 a month in Reigate and Banstead and £1,056 in Surrey Heath. Now it is £1,640 and £1,503: up 47% in Reigate and Banstead and up 42% in Surrey Heath.
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 Reigate and Banstead to Surrey Heath
| Earning in Reigate and Banstead | Equivalent to buy in Surrey Heath | Equivalent to rent in Surrey Heath |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £26,500 |
| £40,000 | £35,000 | £35,000 |
| £50,000 | £44,000 | £44,000 |
| £60,000 | £52,500 | £53,000 |
Moving from Surrey Heath to Reigate and Banstead
| Earning in Surrey Heath | Equivalent to buy in Reigate and Banstead | Equivalent to rent in Reigate and Banstead |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,000 | £34,000 |
| £40,000 | £45,500 | £45,500 |
| £50,000 | £57,000 | £57,000 |
| £60,000 | £68,500 | £68,000 |