South Oxfordshire vs Woking: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £50,000 (14%) more in Woking than in South Oxfordshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Woking: it takes 9.5× median annual pay, against 7.5× in South Oxfordshire.
At a glance
| South Oxfordshire | Woking | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Woking (£43,719) is 10% lower than in South Oxfordshire (£48,525), while a typical terraced house costs 14% more (£415,000 against £365,000). Set against local pay, South Oxfordshire is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.5× annual pay in South Oxfordshire and 9.5× in Woking. Renting one takes 33% of pay in South Oxfordshire and 41% in Woking. Both are harder in Woking, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, South Oxfordshire is the 77th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Woking is the 46th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, South Oxfordshire is around the middle of 316 areas (135th most expensive) and Woking is the 52nd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in South Oxfordshire would need about £45,500 in Woking to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £45,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Woking 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 40.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in South Oxfordshire and 62.3 in Woking, so recorded crime per resident is 53% higher in Woking. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 2.6 per 1,000 in South Oxfordshire against 4.1 in Woking.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | South Oxfordshire | Woking |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £48,525 | £43,719 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.5× | 9.5× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 66% | 53% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 41% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | South Oxfordshire | Woking | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £685,000 | £787,500 | +15% in Woking |
| Semi-detached | £420,250 | £482,000 | +15% in Woking |
| Terraced | £365,000 | £415,000 | +14% in Woking |
| Flat | £255,000 | £250,000 | -2% in Woking |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | South Oxfordshire | Woking | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,026 | £2,508 | +24% in Woking |
| Semi-detached | £1,553 | £1,762 | +13% in Woking |
| Terraced | £1,330 | £1,491 | +12% in Woking |
| Flat | £1,171 | £1,292 | +10% in Woking |
Crime
Police recorded 40.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in South Oxfordshire and 62.3 in Woking, so recorded crime per resident is 53% higher in Woking.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | South Oxfordshire | Woking | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 40.6 | 62.3 | +53% in Woking |
| Violence against the person | 16.4 | 24.8 | +52% in Woking |
| Sexual offences | 1.9 | 2.3 | +20% in Woking |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.7 | +86% in Woking |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 2.6 | 4.1 | +59% in Woking |
| Vehicle offences | 2.1 | 2.6 | +23% in Woking |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.3 | +75% in Woking |
| Criminal damage and arson | 3.9 | 5.7 | +46% in Woking |
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 | South Oxfordshire | Woking |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 104 |
| 2007 | 120 | 118 |
| 2008 | 116 | 118 |
| 2009 | 107 | 104 |
| 2010 | 119 | 114 |
| 2011 | 119 | 116 |
| 2012 | 121 | 121 |
| 2013 | 127 | 125 |
| 2014 | 135 | 141 |
| 2015 | 147 | 155 |
| 2016 | 158 | 170 |
| 2017 | 164 | 173 |
| 2018 | 165 | 175 |
| 2019 | 166 | 175 |
| 2020 | 174 | 176 |
| 2021 | 182 | 183 |
| 2022 | 195 | 196 |
| 2023 | 195 | 197 |
| 2024 | 193 | 194 |
| 2025 | 197 | 192 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 199 | 189 |
In 2005 the average home cost £235,703 in South Oxfordshire and £231,726 in Woking. Now it is £470,058 and £438,721: South Oxfordshire is up 99% and Woking is up 89%. Prices have risen faster in South Oxfordshire, 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 | South Oxfordshire | Woking |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.4 years of pay | – |
| 2010 | 8.9 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.9 years of pay | 11.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.6 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.6 years of pay | 10.2 years of pay |
In 2010 a home cost 8.9 years of pay in South Oxfordshire and 9.2 years in Woking. In 2025 it was 9.6 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 | South Oxfordshire | Woking |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 104 |
| 2017 | 110 | 105 |
| 2018 | 110 | 103 |
| 2019 | 109 | 102 |
| 2020 | 113 | 103 |
| 2021 | 114 | 104 |
| 2022 | 119 | 107 |
| 2023 | 123 | 115 |
| 2024 | 133 | 124 |
| 2025 | 141 | 130 |
| August 2026 | 145 | 128 |
In 2015 the average rent was £967 a month in South Oxfordshire and £1,264 in Woking. Now it is £1,402 and £1,620: up 45% in South Oxfordshire and up 28% in Woking. Rents have risen faster in South Oxfordshire.
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 South Oxfordshire to Woking
| Earning in South Oxfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Woking | Equivalent to rent in Woking |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,000 | £33,500 |
| £40,000 | £45,500 | £45,000 |
| £50,000 | £57,000 | £56,000 |
| £60,000 | £68,000 | £67,500 |
Moving from Woking to South Oxfordshire
| Earning in Woking | Equivalent to buy in South Oxfordshire | Equivalent to rent in South Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £35,000 | £35,500 |
| £50,000 | £44,000 | £44,500 |
| £60,000 | £53,000 | £53,500 |