Surrey Heath vs Wokingham: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £0 (0%) more in Surrey Heath than in Wokingham. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Surrey Heath: it takes 8.8× median annual pay, against 7.4× in Wokingham.
At a glance
| Surrey Heath | Wokingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | 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 Wokingham (£52,222) is 20% higher than in Surrey Heath (£43,633), while a typical terraced house costs the same (£385,000 against £385,000). Set against local pay, Wokingham is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.8× annual pay in Surrey Heath and 7.4× in Wokingham. Renting one takes 40% of pay in Surrey Heath and 32% in Wokingham. Both are harder in Surrey Heath, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Surrey Heath is the 27th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Wokingham is the 81st most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Surrey Heath is the 69th most expensive of 316 areas and Wokingham is around the middle of 316 areas (150th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Surrey Heath would need about £40,000 in Wokingham to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,500 to be equally placed to rent one. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 51.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Surrey Heath and 39.2 in Wokingham, so recorded crime per resident is 24% lower in Wokingham. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.3 per 1,000 in Surrey Heath against 1.6 in Wokingham.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Surrey Heath | Wokingham |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £43,633 | £52,222 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.8× | 7.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 57% | 68% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 40% | 32% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Surrey Heath | Wokingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £710,000 | £670,000 | -6% in Wokingham |
| Semi-detached | £471,000 | £482,000 | +2% in Wokingham |
| Terraced | £385,000 | £385,000 | 0% in Wokingham |
| Flat | £232,500 | £260,000 | +12% in Wokingham |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Surrey Heath | Wokingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,243 | £2,120 | -5% in Wokingham |
| Semi-detached | £1,609 | £1,679 | +4% in Wokingham |
| Terraced | £1,457 | £1,401 | -4% in Wokingham |
| Flat | £1,218 | £1,206 | -1% in Wokingham |
Crime
Police recorded 51.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in Surrey Heath and 39.2 in Wokingham, so recorded crime per resident is 24% lower in Wokingham.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Surrey Heath | Wokingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 51.7 | 39.2 | -24% in Wokingham |
| Violence against the person | 20.3 | 14.9 | -27% in Wokingham |
| Sexual offences | 2.3 | 1.6 | -28% in Wokingham |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.4 | +14% in Wokingham |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.0 | 2.9 | -3% in Wokingham |
| Vehicle offences | 2.5 | 2.2 | -11% in Wokingham |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.2 | -32% in Wokingham |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.6 | 3.5 | -25% in Wokingham |
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 | Surrey Heath | Wokingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 116 | 117 |
| 2008 | 114 | 115 |
| 2009 | 102 | 104 |
| 2010 | 113 | 113 |
| 2011 | 110 | 114 |
| 2012 | 114 | 115 |
| 2013 | 119 | 120 |
| 2014 | 131 | 135 |
| 2015 | 145 | 151 |
| 2016 | 157 | 168 |
| 2017 | 159 | 170 |
| 2018 | 160 | 171 |
| 2019 | 160 | 166 |
| 2020 | 158 | 171 |
| 2021 | 170 | 177 |
| 2022 | 185 | 191 |
| 2023 | 183 | 197 |
| 2024 | 180 | 195 |
| 2025 | 184 | 205 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 188 | 203 |
In 2005 the average home cost £242,306 in Surrey Heath and £245,648 in Wokingham. Now it is £454,644 and £498,516: Surrey Heath is up 88% and Wokingham is up 103%. Prices have risen faster in Wokingham, 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 | Surrey Heath | Wokingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.6 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.8 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.3 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.7 years of pay | 11.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 10.2 years of pay | 9.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.6 years of pay in Surrey Heath and 7.6 years in Wokingham. In 2025 it was 10.2 years and 9.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Surrey Heath 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 | Surrey Heath | Wokingham |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 102 |
| 2017 | 109 | 105 |
| 2018 | 109 | 103 |
| 2019 | 106 | 104 |
| 2020 | 106 | 103 |
| 2021 | 107 | 104 |
| 2022 | 111 | 106 |
| 2023 | 120 | 112 |
| 2024 | 133 | 126 |
| 2025 | 140 | 137 |
| August 2026 | 142 | 139 |
In 2015 the average rent was £1,056 a month in Surrey Heath and £1,057 in Wokingham. Now it is £1,503 and £1,466: up 42% in Surrey Heath and up 39% in Wokingham.
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 Surrey Heath to Wokingham
| Earning in Surrey Heath | Equivalent to buy in Wokingham | Equivalent to rent in Wokingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,000 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £40,000 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £50,000 | £48,000 |
| £60,000 | £60,000 | £57,500 |
Moving from Wokingham to Surrey Heath
| Earning in Wokingham | Equivalent to buy in Surrey Heath | Equivalent to rent in Surrey Heath |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,000 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £40,000 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £50,000 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £60,000 | £62,500 |