Swindon vs Torridge: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £36,750 (18%) more in Swindon than in Torridge. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Swindon | 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 12% lower than in Swindon (£38,900), while a typical terraced house costs 15% less (£208,250 against £245,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 6.3× annual pay in Swindon and 6.0× in Torridge. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Swindon and 27% in Torridge. Renting is harder in Swindon; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Swindon is the 126th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Torridge is around the middle of 316 areas (151st most expensive). For renting against pay, Swindon is around the middle of 316 areas (149th most expensive) and Torridge is the 78th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Swindon would need about £34,000 in Torridge to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £29,500 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 69.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Swindon and 55.3 in Torridge, so recorded crime per resident is 21% lower in Torridge. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.1 per 1,000 in Swindon against 1.1 in Torridge.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Swindon | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,900 | £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 | 33% | 27% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Swindon | Torridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £420,000 | £375,000 | -11% in Torridge |
| Semi-detached | £300,000 | £250,000 | -17% in Torridge |
| Terraced | £245,000 | £208,250 | -15% in Torridge |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Swindon | Torridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,514 | £1,036 | -32% in Torridge |
| Semi-detached | £1,174 | £859 | -27% in Torridge |
| Terraced | £1,066 | £788 | -26% in Torridge |
Crime
Police recorded 69.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Swindon and 55.3 in Torridge, so recorded crime per resident is 21% lower in Torridge.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Swindon | Torridge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 69.6 | 55.3 | -21% in Torridge |
| Violence against the person | 28.9 | 24.6 | -15% in Torridge |
| Sexual offences | 3.6 | 3.3 | -10% in Torridge |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 0.4 | -40% in Torridge |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.5 | 2.4 | -30% in Torridge |
| Vehicle offences | 3.1 | 1.1 | -65% in Torridge |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 0.3 | -30% in Torridge |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.0 | 5.8 | -4% 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 | Swindon | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 105 |
| 2007 | 114 | 111 |
| 2008 | 107 | 112 |
| 2009 | 94 | 99 |
| 2010 | 101 | 106 |
| 2011 | 99 | 102 |
| 2012 | 100 | 103 |
| 2013 | 104 | 103 |
| 2014 | 110 | 107 |
| 2015 | 121 | 115 |
| 2016 | 135 | 117 |
| 2017 | 142 | 121 |
| 2018 | 148 | 127 |
| 2019 | 146 | 130 |
| 2020 | 148 | 132 |
| 2021 | 156 | 145 |
| 2022 | 174 | 168 |
| 2023 | 179 | 169 |
| 2024 | 177 | 158 |
| 2025 | 178 | 155 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 180 | 155 |
In 2005 the average home cost £144,311 in Swindon and £170,563 in Torridge. Now it is £259,183 and £264,461: Swindon is up 80% and Torridge is up 55%. 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 | Swindon | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.3 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.2 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.7 years of pay | 8.4 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.6 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.3 years of pay in Swindon and 9.9 years in Torridge. In 2025 it was 6.6 years and 7.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Swindon 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 | Swindon | Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 101 |
| 2017 | 113 | 101 |
| 2018 | 114 | 103 |
| 2019 | 114 | 105 |
| 2020 | 117 | 109 |
| 2021 | 121 | 113 |
| 2022 | 124 | 118 |
| 2023 | 131 | 126 |
| 2024 | 144 | 134 |
| 2025 | 155 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £680 a month in Swindon and £551 in Torridge. Now it is £1,096 and £789: up 61% in Swindon and up 43% in Torridge. Rents have risen faster 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 Swindon to Torridge
| Earning in Swindon | Equivalent to buy in Torridge | Equivalent to rent in Torridge |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £22,000 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £29,500 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £37,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £44,500 |
Moving from Torridge to Swindon
| Earning in Torridge | Equivalent to buy in Swindon | Equivalent to rent in Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £40,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £54,000 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £67,500 |
| £60,000 | £70,500 | £81,000 |