Tonbridge and Malling vs Vale of White Horse: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £25,000 (8%) more in Tonbridge and Malling than in Vale of White Horse. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Tonbridge and Malling: it takes 8.0× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Vale of White Horse.
At a glance
| Tonbridge and Malling | Vale of White Horse | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | – | 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 Vale of White Horse (£44,454) is 4% higher than in Tonbridge and Malling (£42,752), while a typical terraced house costs 7% less (£315,000 against £340,000). Set against local pay, Vale of White Horse is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.0× annual pay in Tonbridge and Malling and 7.1× in Vale of White Horse. Renting one takes 40% of pay in Tonbridge and Malling and 37% in Vale of White Horse. Both are harder in Tonbridge and Malling, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Tonbridge and Malling is the 73rd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Vale of White Horse is the 102nd most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Tonbridge and Malling is the 68th most expensive of 316 areas and Vale of White Horse is the 117th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Tonbridge and Malling would need about £37,000 in Vale of White Horse to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Vale of White Horse 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.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Tonbridge and Malling | Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £42,752 | £44,454 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.0× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 63% | 71% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 40% | 37% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Tonbridge and Malling | Vale of White Horse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £650,000 | £555,000 | -15% in Vale of White Horse |
| Semi-detached | £421,250 | £380,000 | -10% in Vale of White Horse |
| Terraced | £340,000 | £315,000 | -7% in Vale of White Horse |
| Flat | £240,750 | £213,500 | -11% in Vale of White Horse |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Tonbridge and Malling | Vale of White Horse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £2,200 | £1,898 | -14% in Vale of White Horse |
| Semi-detached | £1,593 | £1,436 | -10% in Vale of White Horse |
| Terraced | £1,427 | £1,355 | -5% in Vale of White Horse |
| Flat | £1,219 | £1,140 | -6% in Vale of White Horse |
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 | Tonbridge and Malling | Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 109 | 105 |
| 2007 | 117 | 116 |
| 2008 | 116 | 115 |
| 2009 | 103 | 103 |
| 2010 | 113 | 113 |
| 2011 | 115 | 113 |
| 2012 | 117 | 116 |
| 2013 | 121 | 119 |
| 2014 | 132 | 131 |
| 2015 | 143 | 140 |
| 2016 | 161 | 150 |
| 2017 | 166 | 152 |
| 2018 | 174 | 156 |
| 2019 | 176 | 157 |
| 2020 | 179 | 158 |
| 2021 | 185 | 161 |
| 2022 | 204 | 174 |
| 2023 | 202 | 176 |
| 2024 | 198 | 175 |
| 2025 | 202 | 184 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 202 | 189 |
In 2005 the average home cost £199,361 in Tonbridge and Malling and £216,019 in Vale of White Horse. Now it is £403,269 and £409,253: Tonbridge and Malling is up 102% and Vale of White Horse is up 89%. Prices have risen faster in Tonbridge and Malling, 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 | Tonbridge and Malling | Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.3 years of pay | 8.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.6 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.2 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2020 | – | 9.0 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.4 years of pay | 9.0 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.3 years of pay in Tonbridge and Malling and 8.0 years in Vale of White Horse. In 2025 it was 9.4 years and 9.0 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 | Tonbridge and Malling | Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 104 |
| 2017 | 109 | 103 |
| 2018 | 112 | 103 |
| 2019 | 115 | 105 |
| 2020 | 116 | 108 |
| 2021 | 119 | 114 |
| 2022 | 124 | 119 |
| 2023 | 132 | 124 |
| 2024 | 141 | 133 |
| 2025 | 150 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 156 | 145 |
In 2015 the average rent was £955 a month in Tonbridge and Malling and £931 in Vale of White Horse. Now it is £1,489 and £1,352: up 56% in Tonbridge and Malling and up 45% in Vale of White Horse. Rents have risen faster in Tonbridge and Malling.
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 Tonbridge and Malling to Vale of White Horse
| Earning in Tonbridge and Malling | Equivalent to buy in Vale of White Horse | Equivalent to rent in Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £28,500 |
| £40,000 | £37,000 | £38,000 |
| £50,000 | £46,500 | £47,500 |
| £60,000 | £55,500 | £57,000 |
Moving from Vale of White Horse to Tonbridge and Malling
| Earning in Vale of White Horse | Equivalent to buy in Tonbridge and Malling | Equivalent to rent in Tonbridge and Malling |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,500 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £43,000 | £42,000 |
| £50,000 | £54,000 | £52,500 |
| £60,000 | £65,000 | £63,000 |
All Tonbridge and Malling figures · All Vale of White Horse figures