United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Central Bedfordshire vs Luton
Central Bedfordshire (East of England, England · ~294k people) · Luton (East of England, England · ~214k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Central Bedfordshire leads on 3, Luton on 3, 1 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Central Bedfordshire
£45,172/yr
Better than 83% of UK LAs
Luton
£36,868/yr
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
Central Bedfordshire: 23% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Central Bedfordshire
£365,000
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
Luton
£315,000
Worse than 59% of UK LAs
Luton: 16% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Central Bedfordshire
£1,238/mo
Worse than 67% of UK LAs
Luton
£1,211/mo
Worse than 65% of UK LAs
Luton: 2% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Central Bedfordshire
£2,516/yr
Worse than 73% of UK LAs
Luton
£2,440/yr
Around UK average
Luton: £76 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Central Bedfordshire
48.7/1k
Better than 90% of UK LAs
Luton
82.9/1k
Worse than 65% of UK LAs
Central Bedfordshire: 70% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Central Bedfordshire
12.2
Better than 81% of UK LAs
Luton
25.9
Worse than 77% of UK LAs
Central Bedfordshire: lower average deprivation score (12.2 vs 25.9).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Central Bedfordshire
94.5%
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Luton
95.0%
Better than 71% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Central Bedfordshire
Rent takes 33% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 8.1× median annual pay
Luton
Rent takes 39% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 8.5× median annual pay
Full Central Bedfordshire profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Luton profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.