Runnymede vs Winchester: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £40,000 (11%) more in Runnymede than in Winchester. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Runnymede: it takes 9.0× median annual pay, against 8.3× in Winchester.
At a glance
| Runnymede | Winchester | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About 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 Winchester (£45,766) is 2% lower than in Runnymede (£46,777), while a typical terraced house costs 10% less (£380,000 against £420,000). Set against local pay, Winchester is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 9.0× annual pay in Runnymede and 8.3× in Winchester. Renting one takes 40% of pay in Runnymede and 41% in Winchester. Buying is harder in Runnymede; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Runnymede is the 58th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Winchester is the 52nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Runnymede is the 77th most expensive of 316 areas and Winchester is the 86th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Runnymede would need about £36,000 in Winchester to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Winchester 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 71.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Runnymede and 55.8 in Winchester, so recorded crime per resident is 22% lower in Winchester. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.6 per 1,000 in Runnymede against 2.5 in Winchester.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Runnymede | Winchester |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £46,777 | £45,766 |
| House price ÷ pay | 9.0× | 8.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 56% | 60% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 40% | 41% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Runnymede | Winchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £700,000 | £650,000 | -7% in Winchester |
| Semi-detached | £500,000 | £428,750 | -14% in Winchester |
| Terraced | £420,000 | £380,000 | -10% in Winchester |
| Flat | £254,000 | £237,750 | -6% in Winchester |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Runnymede | Winchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,224 | £2,020 | -9% in Winchester |
| Semi-detached | £1,795 | £1,701 | -5% in Winchester |
| Terraced | £1,556 | £1,555 | -0% in Winchester |
| Flat | £1,281 | £1,211 | -5% in Winchester |
Crime
Police recorded 71.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Runnymede and 55.8 in Winchester, so recorded crime per resident is 22% lower in Winchester.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Runnymede | Winchester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 71.7 | 55.8 | -22% in Winchester |
| Violence against the person | 27.3 | 21.3 | -22% in Winchester |
| Sexual offences | 2.7 | 2.6 | -3% in Winchester |
| Robbery | 0.8 | 0.4 | -52% in Winchester |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.9 | 3.8 | -23% in Winchester |
| Vehicle offences | 3.6 | 2.5 | -30% in Winchester |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.5 | +81% in Winchester |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 4.3 | -26% in Winchester |
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 | Runnymede | Winchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 105 |
| 2007 | 120 | 116 |
| 2008 | 120 | 114 |
| 2009 | 104 | 101 |
| 2010 | 115 | 114 |
| 2011 | 114 | 115 |
| 2012 | 115 | 118 |
| 2013 | 121 | 121 |
| 2014 | 137 | 134 |
| 2015 | 148 | 144 |
| 2016 | 165 | 153 |
| 2017 | 170 | 163 |
| 2018 | 170 | 164 |
| 2019 | 169 | 161 |
| 2020 | 174 | 164 |
| 2021 | 185 | 168 |
| 2022 | 200 | 183 |
| 2023 | 197 | 183 |
| 2024 | 195 | 183 |
| 2025 | 198 | 177 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 199 | 178 |
In 2005 the average home cost £241,720 in Runnymede and £260,088 in Winchester. Now it is £479,967 and £463,100: Runnymede is up 99% and Winchester is up 78%. Prices have risen faster in Runnymede, 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 | Runnymede | Winchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.2 years of pay | 8.8 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.4 years of pay | 9.1 years of pay |
| 2015 | 11.3 years of pay | – |
| 2020 | 12.3 years of pay | 12.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.2 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.2 years of pay in Runnymede and 8.8 years in Winchester. In 2025 it was 10.2 years and 10.1 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Runnymede 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 | Runnymede | Winchester |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 105 |
| 2017 | 105 | 109 |
| 2018 | 103 | 110 |
| 2019 | 103 | 109 |
| 2020 | 103 | 109 |
| 2021 | 103 | 110 |
| 2022 | 107 | 115 |
| 2023 | 110 | 122 |
| 2024 | 121 | 132 |
| 2025 | 126 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 124 | 147 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,276 a month in Runnymede and £1,026 in Winchester. Now it is £1,586 and £1,508: up 24% in Runnymede and up 47% in Winchester. Rents have risen faster in Winchester.
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 Runnymede to Winchester
| Earning in Runnymede | Equivalent to buy in Winchester | Equivalent to rent in Winchester |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,000 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £36,000 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £45,000 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £54,500 | £60,000 |
Moving from Winchester to Runnymede
| Earning in Winchester | Equivalent to buy in Runnymede | Equivalent to rent in Runnymede |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,000 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £44,000 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £55,500 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £66,500 | £60,000 |