Somerset vs Swindon: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (7%) more in Swindon than in Somerset. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Somerset | Swindon | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About 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 Swindon (£38,900) is 7% higher than in Somerset (£36,279), while a typical terraced house costs 7% more (£245,000 against £230,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 6.3× annual pay in Somerset and 6.3× in Swindon. Renting one takes 34% of pay in Somerset and 33% in Swindon. On both measures the two areas are close.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Somerset is around the middle of 316 areas (153rd most expensive) to buy in, and Swindon is the 126th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Somerset is around the middle of 316 areas (151st most expensive) and Swindon is around the middle of 316 areas (149th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Somerset would need about £42,500 in Swindon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Swindon would leave you worse 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 84.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Somerset and 69.6 in Swindon, so recorded crime per resident is 17% lower in Swindon. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 4.6 per 1,000 in Somerset against 3.5 in Swindon.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Somerset | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,279 | £38,900 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.3× | 6.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 79% | 79% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 34% | 33% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Somerset | Swindon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £422,500 | £420,000 | -1% in Swindon |
| Semi-detached | £275,000 | £300,000 | +9% in Swindon |
| Terraced | £230,000 | £245,000 | +7% in Swindon |
| Flat | £143,000 | £145,000 | +1% in Swindon |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Somerset | Swindon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,392 | £1,514 | +9% in Swindon |
| Semi-detached | £1,097 | £1,174 | +7% in Swindon |
| Terraced | £1,016 | £1,066 | +5% in Swindon |
| Flat | £788 | £907 | +15% in Swindon |
Crime
Police recorded 84.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Somerset and 69.6 in Swindon, so recorded crime per resident is 17% lower in Swindon.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Somerset | Swindon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 84.1 | 69.6 | -17% in Swindon |
| Violence against the person | 36.9 | 28.9 | -22% in Swindon |
| Sexual offences | 4.1 | 3.6 | -10% in Swindon |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 0.7 | -34% in Swindon |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.6 | 3.5 | -24% in Swindon |
| Vehicle offences | 2.6 | 3.1 | +22% in Swindon |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.5 | +156% in Swindon |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.9 | 6.0 | -13% in Swindon |
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 | Somerset | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 104 |
| 2007 | 115 | 114 |
| 2008 | 111 | 107 |
| 2009 | 101 | 94 |
| 2010 | 106 | 101 |
| 2011 | 105 | 99 |
| 2012 | 104 | 100 |
| 2013 | 106 | 104 |
| 2014 | 111 | 110 |
| 2015 | 116 | 121 |
| 2016 | 122 | 135 |
| 2017 | 129 | 142 |
| 2018 | 135 | 148 |
| 2019 | 137 | 146 |
| 2020 | 140 | 148 |
| 2021 | 150 | 156 |
| 2022 | 167 | 174 |
| 2023 | 168 | 179 |
| 2024 | 164 | 177 |
| 2025 | 166 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 168 | 180 |
In 2005 the average home cost £165,777 in Somerset and £144,311 in Swindon. Now it is £279,149 and £259,183: Somerset is up 68% and Swindon is up 80%. Prices have risen faster in Swindon, 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 | Somerset | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.7 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.2 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.6 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.8 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.6 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.7 years of pay in Somerset and 6.3 years in Swindon. In 2025 it was 7.6 years and 6.6 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 | Somerset | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 106 |
| 2017 | 105 | 113 |
| 2018 | 107 | 114 |
| 2019 | 110 | 114 |
| 2020 | 114 | 117 |
| 2021 | 119 | 121 |
| 2022 | 124 | 124 |
| 2023 | 135 | 131 |
| 2024 | 145 | 144 |
| 2025 | 152 | 155 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £631 a month in Somerset and £680 in Swindon. Now it is £1,016 and £1,096: up 61% in Somerset and up 61% in Swindon.
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 Somerset to Swindon
| Earning in Somerset | Equivalent to buy in Swindon | Equivalent to rent in Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,500 | £52,500 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £63,000 |
Moving from Swindon to Somerset
| Earning in Swindon | Equivalent to buy in Somerset | Equivalent to rent in Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,500 | £57,000 |