Rugby vs Shropshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £10,000 (5%) more in Rugby than in Shropshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Shropshire: it takes 5.7× median annual pay, against 4.7× in Rugby.
At a glance
| Rugby | Shropshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Shropshire (£36,991) is 22% lower than in Rugby (£47,191), while a typical terraced house costs 5% less (£210,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, Rugby is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.7× annual pay in Rugby and 5.7× in Shropshire. Renting one takes 26% of pay in Rugby and 26% in Shropshire. Buying is harder in Shropshire; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Rugby is the 68th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Shropshire is around the middle of 316 areas (163rd most expensive). For renting against pay, Rugby is the 66th least expensive of 316 areas and Shropshire is the 67th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Rugby would need about £38,000 in Shropshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Shropshire 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 55.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Rugby and 47.6 in Shropshire, so recorded crime per resident is 14% lower in Shropshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.3 per 1,000 in Rugby against 1.6 in Shropshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Rugby | Shropshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £47,191 | £36,991 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.7× | 5.7× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 107% | 88% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 26% | 26% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Rugby | Shropshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £435,000 | £385,000 | -11% in Shropshire |
| Semi-detached | £278,000 | £245,000 | -12% in Shropshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £210,000 | -5% in Shropshire |
| Flat | £135,000 | £141,500 | +5% in Shropshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Rugby | Shropshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,528 | £1,121 | -27% in Shropshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,099 | £878 | -20% in Shropshire |
| Terraced | £1,003 | £794 | -21% in Shropshire |
| Flat | £841 | £673 | -20% in Shropshire |
Crime
Police recorded 55.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Rugby and 47.6 in Shropshire, so recorded crime per resident is 14% lower in Shropshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Rugby | Shropshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 55.1 | 47.6 | -14% in Shropshire |
| Violence against the person | 22.2 | 20.9 | -6% in Shropshire |
| Sexual offences | 2.9 | 2.6 | -12% in Shropshire |
| Robbery | 0.6 | 0.4 | -34% in Shropshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.2 | 3.4 | +6% in Shropshire |
| Vehicle offences | 3.3 | 1.6 | -53% in Shropshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.1 | -12% in Shropshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.6 | 4.8 | -15% in Shropshire |
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 | Rugby | Shropshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 108 | 114 |
| 2008 | 106 | 111 |
| 2009 | 93 | 102 |
| 2010 | 98 | 107 |
| 2011 | 98 | 105 |
| 2012 | 99 | 103 |
| 2013 | 102 | 105 |
| 2014 | 111 | 108 |
| 2015 | 117 | 112 |
| 2016 | 129 | 117 |
| 2017 | 135 | 121 |
| 2018 | 143 | 126 |
| 2019 | 143 | 128 |
| 2020 | 147 | 131 |
| 2021 | 160 | 142 |
| 2022 | 175 | 156 |
| 2023 | 178 | 160 |
| 2024 | 176 | 160 |
| 2025 | 182 | 167 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 182 | 169 |
In 2005 the average home cost £153,099 in Rugby and £164,927 in Shropshire. Now it is £278,357 and £279,190: Rugby is up 82% and Shropshire is up 69%. Prices have risen faster in Rugby, 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 | Rugby | Shropshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.2 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.4 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.9 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.9 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.9 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.2 years of pay in Rugby and 7.5 years in Shropshire. In 2025 it was 5.9 years and 7.5 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 | Rugby | Shropshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 102 |
| 2017 | 112 | 103 |
| 2018 | 115 | 105 |
| 2019 | 118 | 109 |
| 2020 | 119 | 112 |
| 2021 | 121 | 115 |
| 2022 | 126 | 119 |
| 2023 | 131 | 126 |
| 2024 | 141 | 136 |
| 2025 | 152 | 144 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £650 a month in Rugby and £545 in Shropshire. Now it is £1,049 and £823: up 61% in Rugby and up 51% in Shropshire. Rents have risen faster in Rugby.
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 Rugby to Shropshire
| Earning in Rugby | Equivalent to buy in Shropshire | Equivalent to rent in Shropshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,500 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £38,000 | £31,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,500 | £39,500 |
| £60,000 | £57,500 | £47,500 |
Moving from Shropshire to Rugby
| Earning in Shropshire | Equivalent to buy in Rugby | Equivalent to rent in Rugby |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,500 | £38,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,000 | £50,500 |
| £50,000 | £52,500 | £63,000 |
| £60,000 | £63,000 | £76,000 |