Pay vs Place

Sevenoaks: what a home costs and what you need to earn

South East. House prices are based on 1,324 sales over the last 12 months.

Buying a home
Expensive
A typical home costs 11.0× median full-time pay
Renting a home
Very expensive
Average rent takes 49% of median pay
Recorded crime
Low
52.7 per 1,000 residents (England and Wales: 81.3)

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.

Median full-time pay
£44,581
Gross a year, people living in Sevenoaks
Terraced house price ÷ pay
8.5×
A typical terraced house costs this many years of median pay
Renting a terraced house
45%
of median gross pay goes on rent (£1,655 a month)

What the numbers say about Sevenoaks

Across all property types, the typical home sold in Sevenoaks over the past year cost £490,000, which is 11.0× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, Sevenoaks is the 30th most expensive of 316 areas for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within the South East it is the 9th most expensive of 64 areas.

For a terraced house at £380,000, a lender would typically look for an income of around £76,000, and the 10% deposit would be £38,000, about 10 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £44,581, 59% 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 £1,655 a month, which is 45% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £1,809 a month. Measured against pay, it is the 32nd most expensive of 316 areas for renting. Rents rose 5.0% over the latest year ONS measured, faster than the typical area (3.9%).

Median full-time pay of £44,581 is the 52nd highest of 316 areas; the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in Sevenoaks, wherever they work. ONS rates the pay estimate for this area as less reliable than most, so treat it with caution.

Police recorded 52.7 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is 35% below average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it the 55th lowest of 310 areas for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest below average is sexual offences (52% below).

Buying

Property type Sales Median price Price ÷ pay Deposit (10%) Income typically needed
Detached 391 £850,000 19.1× £85,000 £170,000
Semi-detached 378 £495,498 11.1× £49,500 £99,000
Terraced 361 £380,000 8.5× £38,000 £76,000
Flat 194 £265,000 5.9× £26,500 £53,000

Renting

Property type Average rent a month Rent a year Share of median pay
Detached £2,750 £33,000 74%
Semi-detached £1,902 £22,824 51%
Terraced £1,655 £19,860 45%
Flat £1,475 £17,700 40%
Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in Sevenoaks, before tax, and rents are the ONS average for the area. Property types with fewer than 100 sales in the last 12 months are left out. The pay estimate for this area is less reliable than most.

How prices in Sevenoaks have changed

Average house price for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest 12 months.

Average house price in Sevenoaks, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £88,897 in 1995 to £538,214 now.£0£200k£400k£600k1995200020052010201520202025£538,214Average house price in Sevenoaks, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £88,897 in 1995 to £538,214 now.£0£200k£400k£600k200020102020£538,214
Show the figures
YearAverage price
1995£88,897
1996£89,887
1997£100,232
1998£114,470
1999£127,768
2000£152,812
2001£169,927
2002£195,447
2003£225,319
2004£242,837
2005£256,378
2006£265,261
2007£292,256
2008£295,292
2009£260,925
2010£283,442
2011£286,300
2012£297,472
2013£307,543
2014£339,205
2015£372,768
2016£413,685
2017£426,021
2018£436,005
2019£436,511
2020£451,433
2021£467,011
2022£504,388
2023£517,999
2024£509,362
2025£532,951
12 months to July 2026£538,214

The average home price in Sevenoaks was £413,685 in 2016 and £538,214 in the 12 months to July 2026, a rise of 30% over ten years. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 36%. That makes Sevenoaks the 117th slowest-rising of 316 areas for ten-year price growth.

Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £256,378 to £538,214, which is 2.1 times as much (the typical area: 1.8 times).

Prices fell 12% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £295,292 in 2008 to £260,925 in 2009. They did not get back to their 2008 level until 2012.

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.

Sevenoaks: 12.0 years of payTypical area in England and Wales: 7.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Sevenoaks, 2005 to 2025Rose from 9.4 to 12.0 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Sevenoaks, 2005 to 2025Rose from 9.4 to 12.0 years of pay.0×5×10×15×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearSevenoaksTypical area in England and Wales
20059.4 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20108.7 years of pay6.5 years of pay
201512.1 years of pay7.1 years of pay
202012.1 years of pay7.8 years of pay
202512.0 years of pay7.5 years of pay

In 2005 the average home in Sevenoaks cost 9.4 years of median full-time pay. By 2025 it cost 12.0 years, so homes have become harder to afford relative to local pay.

Between 2005 and 2025, median pay in Sevenoaks rose 63% (from £27,374 to £44,581), while the average house price rose 108%.

The typical area of England and Wales needed 7.5 years of pay in 2025, so Sevenoaks 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 Sevenoaks have changed

Average monthly rent for all property types, by year. The last point is the latest month.

Average monthly rent in Sevenoaks, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £1,196 a month in 2015 to £1,809 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500£2,000201620182020202220242026£1,809Average monthly rent in Sevenoaks, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £1,196 a month in 2015 to £1,809 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500£2,000201520202025£1,809
Show the figures
YearAverage rent
2015£1,196 a month
2016£1,216 a month
2017£1,255 a month
2018£1,287 a month
2019£1,306 a month
2020£1,314 a month
2021£1,374 a month
2022£1,482 a month
2023£1,541 a month
2024£1,630 a month
2025£1,726 a month
August 2026£1,809 a month

The average rent in Sevenoaks was £1,196 a month in 2015 and £1,809 in August 2026, a rise of 51%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes Sevenoaks around the middle of 316 areas (163rd fastest-rising) for rent growth since 2015.

Over the same period the average house price rose 44%. Rents have risen faster than house prices here, by 7 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) 52.7 81.3 35% below average −11%
Violence against the person 19.7 31.0 36% below average −9%
Sexual offences 1.6 3.4 52% below average −20%
Robbery 0.3 1.4 76% below average –
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 5.1 6.2 17% below average −38%
Vehicle offences 4.6 4.9 6% below average −13%
Theft from the person 0.2 1.6 86% below average –
Criminal damage and arson 6.8 7.1 3% below average −6%

Recorded crime in Sevenoaks was 59.4 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 52.7 in the year ending March 2026, down 11%. Across England and Wales it was down 4%.

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.

Rates use the resident population, so areas with many daytime visitors, students or a busy night-time economy, such as city centres, show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on how likely crimes are to be reported and how police record them. Residential burglary is per 1,000 households. Robbery and theft from the person are concentrated in a few city centres, so most areas sit well below the national average for them.

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