St Albans vs Three Rivers: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £125,000 (28%) more in St Albans than in Three Rivers. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| St Albans | Three Rivers | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very 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 Three Rivers (£43,980) is 23% lower than in St Albans (£57,396), while a typical terraced house costs 22% less (£450,000 against £575,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 10.0× annual pay in St Albans and 10.2× in Three Rivers. Renting one takes 38% of pay in St Albans and 46% in Three Rivers. Renting is harder in Three Rivers; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, St Albans is the 36th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Three Rivers is the 9th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, St Albans is the 82nd most expensive of 316 areas and Three Rivers is the 26th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in St Albans would need about £31,500 in Three Rivers to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Three Rivers 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 64.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in St Albans and 52.4 in Three Rivers, so recorded crime per resident is 18% lower in Three Rivers. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 6.2 per 1,000 in St Albans against 3.5 in Three Rivers.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | St Albans | Three Rivers |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £57,396 | £43,980 |
| House price ÷ pay | 10.0× | 10.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 50% | 49% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 38% | 46% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | St Albans | Three Rivers | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £950,000 | £960,000 | +1% in Three Rivers |
| Semi-detached | £716,500 | £625,000 | -13% in Three Rivers |
| Terraced | £575,000 | £450,000 | -22% in Three Rivers |
| Flat | £320,000 | £306,000 | -4% in Three Rivers |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | St Albans | Three Rivers | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,667 | £2,604 | -2% in Three Rivers |
| Semi-detached | £2,169 | £1,996 | -8% in Three Rivers |
| Terraced | £1,798 | £1,671 | -7% in Three Rivers |
| Flat | £1,486 | £1,461 | -2% in Three Rivers |
Crime
Police recorded 64.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in St Albans and 52.4 in Three Rivers, so recorded crime per resident is 18% lower in Three Rivers.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | St Albans | Three Rivers | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 64.2 | 52.4 | -18% in Three Rivers |
| Violence against the person | 21.2 | 21.4 | +1% in Three Rivers |
| Sexual offences | 1.9 | 2.1 | +9% in Three Rivers |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 0.5 | -32% in Three Rivers |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 6.6 | 5.8 | -11% in Three Rivers |
| Vehicle offences | 6.2 | 3.5 | -43% in Three Rivers |
| Theft from the person | 0.7 | 0.3 | -53% in Three Rivers |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.7 | 4.1 | -28% in Three Rivers |
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 | St Albans | Three Rivers |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 106 |
| 2007 | 120 | 116 |
| 2008 | 120 | 117 |
| 2009 | 107 | 105 |
| 2010 | 122 | 115 |
| 2011 | 126 | 118 |
| 2012 | 130 | 120 |
| 2013 | 134 | 127 |
| 2014 | 149 | 141 |
| 2015 | 166 | 161 |
| 2016 | 185 | 183 |
| 2017 | 193 | 190 |
| 2018 | 191 | 187 |
| 2019 | 185 | 185 |
| 2020 | 190 | 184 |
| 2021 | 198 | 193 |
| 2022 | 212 | 207 |
| 2023 | 209 | 204 |
| 2024 | 213 | 202 |
| 2025 | 216 | 206 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 217 | 207 |
In 2005 the average home cost £291,095 in St Albans and £283,435 in Three Rivers. Now it is £631,404 and £585,828: St Albans is up 117% and Three Rivers is up 107%. Prices have risen faster in St Albans, 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 | St Albans | Three Rivers |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.7 years of pay | 10.2 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.5 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 12.9 years of pay | 14.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | – | 13.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.9 years of pay | 13.3 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.7 years of pay in St Albans and 10.2 years in Three Rivers. In 2025 it was 10.9 years and 13.3 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Three Rivers 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 | St Albans | Three Rivers |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 107 |
| 2017 | 109 | 109 |
| 2018 | 110 | 108 |
| 2019 | 110 | 108 |
| 2020 | 114 | 107 |
| 2021 | 118 | 110 |
| 2022 | 124 | 114 |
| 2023 | 131 | 121 |
| 2024 | 140 | 131 |
| 2025 | 151 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 155 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,243 a month in St Albans and £1,258 in Three Rivers. Now it is £1,931 and £1,826: up 55% in St Albans and up 45% in Three Rivers. Rents have risen faster in St Albans.
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 St Albans to Three Rivers
| Earning in St Albans | Equivalent to buy in Three Rivers | Equivalent to rent in Three Rivers |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £23,500 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £31,500 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £39,000 | £46,500 |
| £60,000 | £47,000 | £56,000 |
Moving from Three Rivers to St Albans
| Earning in Three Rivers | Equivalent to buy in St Albans | Equivalent to rent in St Albans |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £38,500 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £51,000 | £43,000 |
| £50,000 | £64,000 | £54,000 |
| £60,000 | £76,500 | £64,500 |