Somerset vs Torridge: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £21,750 (10%) more in Somerset than in Torridge. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Somerset | Torridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| 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 Torridge (£34,425) is 5% lower than in Somerset (£36,279), while a typical terraced house costs 9% less (£208,250 against £230,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 6.3× annual pay in Somerset and 6.0× in Torridge. Renting one takes 34% of pay in Somerset and 27% in Torridge. Renting is harder in Somerset; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Somerset is around the middle of 316 areas (153rd most expensive) to buy in, and Torridge is around the middle of 316 areas (151st most expensive). For renting against pay, Somerset is around the middle of 316 areas (151st most expensive) and Torridge is the 78th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Somerset would need about £36,000 in Torridge to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £31,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Torridge 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 84.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Somerset and 55.3 in Torridge, so recorded crime per resident is 34% lower in Torridge. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.6 per 1,000 in Somerset against 1.1 in Torridge.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Somerset | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £36,279 | £34,425 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.3× | 6.0× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 79% | 83% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 34% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Somerset | Torridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £422,500 | £375,000 | -11% in Torridge |
| Semi-detached | £275,000 | £250,000 | -9% in Torridge |
| Terraced | £230,000 | £208,250 | -9% in Torridge |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Somerset | Torridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,392 | £1,036 | -26% in Torridge |
| Semi-detached | £1,097 | £859 | -22% in Torridge |
| Terraced | £1,016 | £788 | -22% in Torridge |
Crime
Police recorded 84.1 crimes per 1,000 residents in Somerset and 55.3 in Torridge, so recorded crime per resident is 34% lower in Torridge.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Somerset | Torridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 84.1 | 55.3 | -34% in Torridge |
| Violence against the person | 36.9 | 24.6 | -33% in Torridge |
| Sexual offences | 4.1 | 3.3 | -20% in Torridge |
| Robbery | 1.0 | 0.4 | -60% in Torridge |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.6 | 2.4 | -47% in Torridge |
| Vehicle offences | 2.6 | 1.1 | -57% in Torridge |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.3 | +78% in Torridge |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.9 | 5.8 | -17% in Torridge |
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 | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 105 |
| 2007 | 115 | 111 |
| 2008 | 111 | 112 |
| 2009 | 101 | 99 |
| 2010 | 106 | 106 |
| 2011 | 105 | 102 |
| 2012 | 104 | 103 |
| 2013 | 106 | 103 |
| 2014 | 111 | 107 |
| 2015 | 116 | 115 |
| 2016 | 122 | 117 |
| 2017 | 129 | 121 |
| 2018 | 135 | 127 |
| 2019 | 137 | 130 |
| 2020 | 140 | 132 |
| 2021 | 150 | 145 |
| 2022 | 167 | 168 |
| 2023 | 168 | 169 |
| 2024 | 164 | 158 |
| 2025 | 166 | 155 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 168 | 155 |
In 2005 the average home cost £165,777 in Somerset and £170,563 in Torridge. Now it is £279,149 and £264,461: Somerset is up 68% and Torridge is up 55%. Prices have risen faster in Somerset, 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 | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.7 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.2 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.6 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.8 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.6 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.7 years of pay in Somerset and 9.9 years in Torridge. In 2025 it was 7.6 years and 7.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Somerset 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 | Somerset | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 101 |
| 2017 | 105 | 101 |
| 2018 | 107 | 103 |
| 2019 | 110 | 105 |
| 2020 | 114 | 109 |
| 2021 | 119 | 113 |
| 2022 | 124 | 118 |
| 2023 | 135 | 126 |
| 2024 | 145 | 134 |
| 2025 | 152 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £631 a month in Somerset and £551 in Torridge. Now it is £1,016 and £789: up 61% in Somerset and up 43% in Torridge. Rents have risen faster in Somerset.
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 Torridge
| Earning in Somerset | Equivalent to buy in Torridge | Equivalent to rent in Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,000 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £36,000 | £31,000 |
| £50,000 | £45,500 | £39,000 |
| £60,000 | £54,500 | £46,500 |
Moving from Torridge to Somerset
| Earning in Torridge | Equivalent to buy in Somerset | Equivalent to rent in Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,000 | £38,500 |
| £40,000 | £44,000 | £51,500 |
| £50,000 | £55,000 | £64,500 |
| £60,000 | £66,500 | £77,500 |