Dorset vs South Gloucestershire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £35,000 (13%) more in South Gloucestershire than in Dorset. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Dorset | South Gloucestershire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | Low | About average |
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 South Gloucestershire (£40,731) is 9% higher than in Dorset (£37,462), while a typical terraced house costs 13% more (£300,000 against £265,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 7.1× annual pay in Dorset and 7.4× in South Gloucestershire. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Dorset and 43% in South Gloucestershire. Renting is harder in South Gloucestershire; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Dorset is the 87th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and South Gloucestershire is the 124th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Dorset is around the middle of 316 areas (148th most expensive) and South Gloucestershire is the 58th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Dorset would need about £45,500 in South Gloucestershire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £56,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Gloucestershire 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 44.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dorset and 73.8 in South Gloucestershire, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in South Gloucestershire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 3.3 per 1,000 in Dorset against 6.6 in South Gloucestershire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Dorset | South Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,462 | £40,731 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 7.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 68% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 43% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Dorset | South Gloucestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £475,000 | £500,000 | +5% in South Gloucestershire |
| Semi-detached | £332,000 | £355,000 | +7% in South Gloucestershire |
| Terraced | £265,000 | £300,000 | +13% in South Gloucestershire |
| Flat | £177,750 | £199,950 | +12% in South Gloucestershire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Dorset | South Gloucestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,442 | £1,978 | +37% in South Gloucestershire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,572 | +37% in South Gloucestershire |
| Terraced | £1,045 | £1,467 | +40% in South Gloucestershire |
| Flat | £841 | £1,156 | +37% in South Gloucestershire |
Crime
Police recorded 44.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dorset and 73.8 in South Gloucestershire, so recorded crime per resident is 66% higher in South Gloucestershire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Dorset | South Gloucestershire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 44.5 | 73.8 | +66% in South Gloucestershire |
| Violence against the person | 18.9 | 30.0 | +59% in South Gloucestershire |
| Sexual offences | 2.3 | 3.4 | +49% in South Gloucestershire |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 1.0 | +263% in South Gloucestershire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.3 | 6.6 | +99% in South Gloucestershire |
| Vehicle offences | 2.1 | 3.5 | +68% in South Gloucestershire |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.1 | -21% in South Gloucestershire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.8 | 5.9 | +21% in South Gloucestershire |
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 | Dorset | South Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 106 |
| 2007 | 116 | 119 |
| 2008 | 112 | 113 |
| 2009 | 101 | 100 |
| 2010 | 110 | 108 |
| 2011 | 108 | 107 |
| 2012 | 109 | 109 |
| 2013 | 111 | 112 |
| 2014 | 117 | 122 |
| 2015 | 123 | 132 |
| 2016 | 130 | 146 |
| 2017 | 138 | 155 |
| 2018 | 141 | 160 |
| 2019 | 140 | 163 |
| 2020 | 143 | 166 |
| 2021 | 153 | 176 |
| 2022 | 172 | 195 |
| 2023 | 172 | 198 |
| 2024 | 167 | 196 |
| 2025 | 167 | 202 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 167 | 204 |
In 2005 the average home cost £196,167 in Dorset and £164,427 in South Gloucestershire. Now it is £327,915 and £334,712: Dorset is up 67% and South Gloucestershire is up 104%. Prices have risen faster in South Gloucestershire, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Dorset | South Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 106 |
| 2017 | 106 | 113 |
| 2018 | 109 | 116 |
| 2019 | 112 | 118 |
| 2020 | 114 | 120 |
| 2021 | 116 | 128 |
| 2022 | 124 | 137 |
| 2023 | 129 | 151 |
| 2024 | 136 | 162 |
| 2025 | 141 | 171 |
| August 2026 | 148 | 178 |
In 2015 the average rent was £714 a month in Dorset and £822 in South Gloucestershire. Now it is £1,056 and £1,464: up 48% in Dorset and up 78% in South Gloucestershire. Rents have risen faster in South Gloucestershire.
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 Dorset to South Gloucestershire
| Earning in Dorset | Equivalent to buy in South Gloucestershire | Equivalent to rent in South Gloucestershire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,000 | £42,000 |
| £40,000 | £45,500 | £56,000 |
| £50,000 | £56,500 | £70,000 |
| £60,000 | £68,000 | £84,000 |
Moving from South Gloucestershire to Dorset
| Earning in South Gloucestershire | Equivalent to buy in Dorset | Equivalent to rent in Dorset |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £21,500 |
| £40,000 | £35,500 | £28,500 |
| £50,000 | £44,000 | £35,500 |
| £60,000 | £53,000 | £42,500 |