New Forest: what a home costs and what you need to earn
South East. House prices are based on 2,195 sales over the last 12 months.
How we rate: buying compares the typical home price with median pay (under 5× affordable, 5 to 8× fairly affordable, 8 to 11× expensive, over 11× very expensive). Renting compares a year of average rent with median pay (under 25% affordable, 25 to 33% fairly affordable, 33 to 40% expensive, over 40% very expensive). Crime compares the rate per resident with the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say about New Forest
Across all property types, the typical home sold in New Forest over the past year cost £385,000, which is 10.0× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, New Forest is the 55th most expensive of 316 areas for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within the South East it is the 19th most expensive of 64 areas.
For a terraced house at £295,000, a lender would typically look for an income of around £59,000, and the 10% deposit would be £29,500, about 9 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £38,571, 65% of the income needed, so on these assumptions it takes two median incomes, or one well above the median, to meet the test.
Renting a terraced house costs about £1,269 a month, which is 39% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £1,244 a month. Measured against pay, it is the 93rd most expensive of 316 areas for renting. Rents rose 1.7% over the latest year ONS measured, slower than the typical area (3.9%).
Median full-time pay of £38,571 is around the middle of 316 areas (152nd highest); the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in New Forest, wherever they work.
Police recorded 52.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is 35% below average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it the 57th lowest of 310 areas for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest below average is vehicle offences (45% below).
Buying
| Property type | Sales | Median price | Price ÷ pay | Deposit (10%) | Income typically needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | 953 | £560,000 | 14.5× | £56,000 | £112,000 |
| Semi-detached | 517 | £358,000 | 9.3× | £36,000 | £71,500 |
| Terraced | 410 | £295,000 | 7.6× | £29,500 | £59,000 |
| Flat | 315 | £210,000 | 5.4× | £21,000 | £42,000 |
Renting
| Property type | Average rent a month | Rent a year | Share of median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,692 | £20,304 | 53% |
| Semi-detached | £1,344 | £16,128 | 42% |
| Terraced | £1,269 | £15,228 | 39% |
| Flat | £1,013 | £12,156 | 32% |
How prices in New Forest have changed
Average house price for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest 12 months.
Show the figures
| Year | Average price |
|---|---|
| 1995 | £71,239 |
| 1996 | £72,167 |
| 1997 | £82,053 |
| 1998 | £91,955 |
| 1999 | £101,125 |
| 2000 | £120,928 |
| 2001 | £136,619 |
| 2002 | £158,800 |
| 2003 | £194,124 |
| 2004 | £212,273 |
| 2005 | £221,635 |
| 2006 | £229,518 |
| 2007 | £250,883 |
| 2008 | £247,100 |
| 2009 | £223,401 |
| 2010 | £244,917 |
| 2011 | £248,681 |
| 2012 | £246,065 |
| 2013 | £250,798 |
| 2014 | £267,857 |
| 2015 | £286,588 |
| 2016 | £310,036 |
| 2017 | £331,723 |
| 2018 | £340,527 |
| 2019 | £333,947 |
| 2020 | £340,254 |
| 2021 | £366,837 |
| 2022 | £409,888 |
| 2023 | £403,160 |
| 2024 | £389,136 |
| 2025 | £381,977 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | £382,503 |
The average home price in New Forest was £310,036 in 2016 and £382,503 in the 12 months to July 2026, a rise of 23% over ten years. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 36%. That makes New Forest the 71st slowest-rising of 316 areas for ten-year price growth.
Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £221,635 to £382,503, a rise of 73% (the typical area: a rise of 84%).
Prices fell 11% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £250,883 in 2007 to £223,401 in 2009. They did not get back to their 2007 level until 2014.
Prices are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation, and come from the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, which uses a different method from the median prices above, so the two will not match exactly.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay, in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2025. A higher number means homes are harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | New Forest | Typical area in England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10.1 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.1 years of pay | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.2 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.1 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.9 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2005 the average home in New Forest cost 10.1 years of median full-time pay. By 2025 it cost 9.9 years, so little has changed.
Homes were hardest to afford in 2015, at 10.2 years of pay. It has eased since.
Between 2005 and 2025, median pay in New Forest rose 75% (from £22,046 to £38,571), while the average house price rose 72%.
The typical area of England and Wales needed 7.5 years of pay in 2025, so New Forest is above the typical area.
Pay is the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax, in cash terms (not adjusted for inflation). The 2025 figure is provisional. Where ONS withheld a figure because it was unreliable, or the council did not exist in its current form, that year is left out.
How rents in New Forest have changed
Average monthly rent for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest month.
Show the figures
| Year | Average rent |
|---|---|
| 2015 | £826 a month |
| 2016 | £864 a month |
| 2017 | £891 a month |
| 2018 | £912 a month |
| 2019 | £928 a month |
| 2020 | £935 a month |
| 2021 | £960 a month |
| 2022 | £1,009 a month |
| 2023 | £1,070 a month |
| 2024 | £1,150 a month |
| 2025 | £1,217 a month |
| August 2026 | £1,244 a month |
The average rent in New Forest was £826 a month in 2015 and £1,244 in August 2026, a rise of 51%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes New Forest around the middle of 316 areas (174th fastest-rising) for rent growth since 2015.
Over the same period the average house price rose 33%. Rents have risen faster than house prices here, by 17 percentage points.
Rent figures are from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents and are cash figures, not adjusted for inflation.
Crime
Police recorded crime in the year ending March 2026, per 1,000 residents, against the average for the areas of England and Wales covered here.
| Type of crime | Per 1,000 residents | England and Wales average | Compared with average | Change on a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 52.9 | 81.3 | 35% below average | −10% |
| Violence against the person | 21.4 | 31.0 | 31% below average | −2% |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 3.4 | 26% below average | −2% |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 1.4 | 72% below average | – |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.3 | 6.2 | 14% below average | −0% |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 4.9 | 45% below average | −31% |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 1.6 | 87% below average | – |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.4 | 7.1 | 23% below average | −13% |
Recorded crime in New Forest was 58.7 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 52.9 in the year ending March 2026, down 10%. Across England and Wales it was down 4%.
Violence against the person was little changed over the same year.
Changes are left blank where the rate is very low, as a few extra crimes would look like a big swing. This is one year's change only, so it can reflect one-off events or changes in how police record crime, not just a real trend. Rates per resident use ONS population estimates for each year.