Vale of White Horse vs West Oxfordshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £20,000 (6%) more in West Oxfordshire than in Vale of White Horse. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in West Oxfordshire: it takes 7.6× median annual pay, against 7.1× in Vale of White Horse.
At a glance
| Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | 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 West Oxfordshire (£43,932) is 1% lower than in Vale of White Horse (£44,454), while a typical terraced house costs 6% more (£335,000 against £315,000). 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 7.1× annual pay in Vale of White Horse and 7.6× in West Oxfordshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Vale of White Horse and 36% in West Oxfordshire. Buying is harder in West Oxfordshire; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Vale of White Horse is the 102nd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and West Oxfordshire is the 95th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Vale of White Horse is the 117th most expensive of 316 areas and West Oxfordshire is the 125th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Vale of White Horse would need about £42,500 in West Oxfordshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £39,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Oxfordshire 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 46.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Vale of White Horse and 42.8 in West Oxfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 8% lower in West Oxfordshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.7 per 1,000 in Vale of White Horse against 2.3 in West Oxfordshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £44,454 | £43,932 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 7.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 66% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 36% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £555,000 | £552,500 | -0% in West Oxfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £380,000 | £385,000 | +1% in West Oxfordshire |
| Terraced | £315,000 | £335,000 | +6% in West Oxfordshire |
| Flat | £213,500 | £200,000 | -6% in West Oxfordshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,898 | £1,738 | -8% in West Oxfordshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,436 | £1,458 | +2% in West Oxfordshire |
| Terraced | £1,355 | £1,319 | -3% in West Oxfordshire |
| Flat | £1,140 | £1,048 | -8% in West Oxfordshire |
Crime
Police recorded 46.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Vale of White Horse and 42.8 in West Oxfordshire, so recorded crime per resident is 8% lower in West Oxfordshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 46.4 | 42.8 | -8% in West Oxfordshire |
| Violence against the person | 19.2 | 18.9 | -2% in West Oxfordshire |
| Sexual offences | 2.3 | 2.2 | -5% in West Oxfordshire |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0% in West Oxfordshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.4 | 4.4 | +30% in West Oxfordshire |
| Vehicle offences | 1.7 | 2.3 | +32% in West Oxfordshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.3 | -21% in West Oxfordshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 3.7 | -17% in West Oxfordshire |
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 | Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 107 |
| 2007 | 116 | 116 |
| 2008 | 115 | 112 |
| 2009 | 103 | 104 |
| 2010 | 113 | 113 |
| 2011 | 113 | 112 |
| 2012 | 116 | 116 |
| 2013 | 119 | 120 |
| 2014 | 131 | 127 |
| 2015 | 140 | 139 |
| 2016 | 150 | 148 |
| 2017 | 152 | 156 |
| 2018 | 156 | 157 |
| 2019 | 157 | 153 |
| 2020 | 158 | 158 |
| 2021 | 161 | 156 |
| 2022 | 174 | 170 |
| 2023 | 176 | 178 |
| 2024 | 175 | 176 |
| 2025 | 184 | 185 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 189 | 185 |
In 2005 the average home cost £216,019 in Vale of White Horse and £229,671 in West Oxfordshire. Now it is £409,253 and £424,836: Vale of White Horse is up 89% and West Oxfordshire is up 85%.
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 | Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.0 years of pay | 9.4 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.8 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.4 years of pay | 10.0 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.0 years of pay | 10.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.0 years of pay | 9.7 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.0 years of pay in Vale of White Horse and 9.4 years in West Oxfordshire. In 2025 it was 9.0 years and 9.7 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Vale of White Horse 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 | Vale of White Horse | West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 99 |
| 2017 | 103 | 105 |
| 2018 | 103 | 108 |
| 2019 | 105 | 109 |
| 2020 | 108 | 110 |
| 2021 | 114 | 113 |
| 2022 | 119 | 118 |
| 2023 | 124 | 128 |
| 2024 | 133 | 136 |
| 2025 | 141 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 145 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £931 a month in Vale of White Horse and £910 in West Oxfordshire. Now it is £1,352 and £1,305: up 45% in Vale of White Horse and up 43% in West 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 Vale of White Horse to West Oxfordshire
| Earning in Vale of White Horse | Equivalent to buy in West Oxfordshire | Equivalent to rent in West Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £32,000 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £39,000 |
| £50,000 | £53,000 | £48,500 |
| £60,000 | £64,000 | £58,500 |
Moving from West Oxfordshire to Vale of White Horse
| Earning in West Oxfordshire | Equivalent to buy in Vale of White Horse | Equivalent to rent in Vale of White Horse |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,000 | £31,000 |
| £40,000 | £37,500 | £41,000 |
| £50,000 | £47,000 | £51,500 |
| £60,000 | £56,500 | £61,500 |
All Vale of White Horse figures · All West Oxfordshire figures