Pay vs Place

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

South West. House prices are based on 6,123 sales over the last 12 months.

Buying a home
Expensive
A typical home costs 8.5× median full-time pay
Renting a home
Expensive
Average rent takes 34% of median pay
Recorded crime
Low
49.3 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
£37,811
Gross a year, people living in Wiltshire
Terraced house price ÷ pay
7.0×
A typical terraced house costs this many years of median pay
Renting a terraced house
34%
of median gross pay goes on rent (£1,061 a month)

What the numbers say about Wiltshire

Across all property types, the typical home sold in Wiltshire over the past year cost £322,000, which is 8.5× median full-time pay. Measured against pay, Wiltshire is the 117th most expensive of 316 areas for buying; the typical area is 7.6×. Within the South West it is the 10th most expensive of 26 areas.

For a terraced house at £265,000, a lender would typically look for an income of around £53,000, and the 10% deposit would be £26,500, about 8 months of median gross pay. Median full-time pay here is £37,811, 71% 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 £1,061 a month, which is 34% of median gross pay. Across all property types the average rent is £1,082 a month. Measured against pay, it is around the middle of 316 areas (140th most expensive) for renting. Rents rose 6.0% over the latest year ONS measured, faster than the typical area (3.9%).

Median full-time pay of £37,811 is around the middle of 316 areas (174th highest); the typical area is £38,328. This is pay for people who live in Wiltshire, wherever they work.

Police recorded 49.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in the year, which is 39% below average for England and Wales (81.3). That makes it the 39th lowest of 310 areas for recorded crime per resident. The category furthest below average is vehicle offences (58% below).

Buying

Property type Sales Median price Price ÷ pay Deposit (10%) Income typically needed
Detached 2,135 £460,000 12.2× £46,000 £92,000
Semi-detached 1,654 £310,000 8.2× £31,000 £62,000
Terraced 1,665 £265,000 7.0× £26,500 £53,000
Flat 669 £160,000 4.2× £16,000 £32,000

Renting

Property type Average rent a month Rent a year Share of median pay
Detached £1,496 £17,952 47%
Semi-detached £1,191 £14,292 38%
Terraced £1,061 £12,732 34%
Flat £852 £10,224 27%
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 Wiltshire, 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.

How prices in Wiltshire have changed

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

Average house price in Wiltshire, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £64,096 in 1995 to £326,742 now.£0£100k£200k£300k£400k1995200020052010201520202025£326,742Average house price in Wiltshire, 1995 to July 2026Average price rose from £64,096 in 1995 to £326,742 now.£0£100k£200k£300k£400k200020102020£326,742
Show the figures
YearAverage price
1995£64,096
1996£64,648
1997£71,534
1998£80,362
1999£90,343
2000£108,018
2001£120,459
2002£141,149
2003£165,159
2004£184,482
2005£191,500
2006£202,995
2007£218,833
2008£211,186
2009£190,872
2010£206,597
2011£205,726
2012£207,100
2013£208,362
2014£217,140
2015£231,824
2016£251,577
2017£265,440
2018£274,344
2019£271,156
2020£274,614
2021£290,392
2022£318,837
2023£323,026
2024£318,412
2025£323,755
12 months to July 2026£326,742

The average home price in Wiltshire was £251,577 in 2016 and £326,742 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 Wiltshire the 115th slowest-rising of 316 areas for ten-year price growth.

Going back to 2005, the average price has moved from £191,500 to £326,742, a rise of 71% (the typical area: a rise of 84%).

Prices fell 13% after the 2008 financial crisis, from £218,833 in 2007 to £190,872 in 2009. They did not get back to their 2007 level until 2015.

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.

Wiltshire: 8.6 years of payTypical area in England and Wales: 7.5 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Wiltshire, 2005 to 2025Rose from 8.3 to 8.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Wiltshire, 2005 to 2025Rose from 8.3 to 8.6 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearWiltshireTypical area in England and Wales
20058.3 years of pay7.0 years of pay
20108.1 years of pay6.5 years of pay
20158.6 years of pay7.1 years of pay
20208.8 years of pay7.8 years of pay
20258.6 years of pay7.5 years of pay

In 2005 the average home in Wiltshire cost 8.3 years of median full-time pay. By 2025 it cost 8.6 years, so little has changed.

Between 2005 and 2025, median pay in Wiltshire rose 64% (from £23,102 to £37,811), while the average house price rose 69%.

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

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

Average monthly rent in Wiltshire, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £726 a month in 2015 to £1,082 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500201620182020202220242026£1,082Average monthly rent in Wiltshire, 2015 to August 2026Average rent rose from £726 a month in 2015 to £1,082 now.£0£500£1,000£1,500201520202025£1,082
Show the figures
YearAverage rent
2015£726 a month
2016£757 a month
2017£789 a month
2018£806 a month
2019£801 a month
2020£801 a month
2021£834 a month
2022£875 a month
2023£899 a month
2024£947 a month
2025£1,014 a month
August 2026£1,082 a month

The average rent in Wiltshire was £726 a month in 2015 and £1,082 in August 2026, a rise of 49%. The typical area of England and Wales saw a rise of 52%. That makes Wiltshire the 124th slowest-rising of 316 areas for rent growth since 2015.

Over the same period the average house price rose 41%. Rents have risen faster than house prices here, by 8 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) 49.3 81.3 39% below average +4%
Violence against the person 20.5 31.0 34% below average +5%
Sexual offences 2.7 3.4 19% below average +11%
Robbery 0.2 1.4 84% below average –
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 3.6 6.2 41% below average +8%
Vehicle offences 2.0 4.9 58% below average −17%
Theft from the person 0.2 1.6 87% below average –
Criminal damage and arson 5.5 7.1 22% below average +5%

Recorded crime in Wiltshire was 47.3 per 1,000 residents in the year ending March 2025 and 49.3 in the year ending March 2026, up 4%. 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.

Compare Wiltshire with another area