Dorset vs South Hams: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £10,000 (4%) more in South Hams than in Dorset. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| Dorset | South Hams | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Recorded crime | Low | Low |
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 Hams (£38,638) is 3% higher than in Dorset (£37,462), while a typical terraced house costs 4% more (£275,000 against £265,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 7.1× annual pay in Dorset and 7.1× in South Hams. Renting one takes 33% of pay in Dorset and 29% in South Hams. Renting is harder in Dorset; 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 Hams is the 85th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Dorset is around the middle of 316 areas (148th most expensive) and South Hams is around the middle of 316 areas (179th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Dorset would need about £41,500 in South Hams to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to South Hams 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 46.3 in South Hams, so recorded crime per resident is 4% higher in South Hams. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.1 per 1,000 in Dorset against 1.3 in South Hams.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Dorset | South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £37,462 | £38,638 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.1× | 7.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 71% | 70% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 33% | 29% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Dorset | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £475,000 | £515,000 | +8% in South Hams |
| Semi-detached | £332,000 | £305,000 | -8% in South Hams |
| Terraced | £265,000 | £275,000 | +4% in South Hams |
| Flat | £177,750 | £210,000 | +18% in South Hams |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Dorset | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,442 | £1,394 | -3% in South Hams |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £1,103 | -4% in South Hams |
| Terraced | £1,045 | £949 | -9% in South Hams |
| Flat | £841 | £853 | +1% in South Hams |
Crime
Police recorded 44.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dorset and 46.3 in South Hams, so recorded crime per resident is 4% higher in South Hams.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Dorset | South Hams | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 44.5 | 46.3 | +4% in South Hams |
| Violence against the person | 18.9 | 21.8 | +15% in South Hams |
| Sexual offences | 2.3 | 2.6 | +16% in South Hams |
| Robbery | 0.3 | 0.2 | -26% in South Hams |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.3 | 2.4 | -29% in South Hams |
| Vehicle offences | 2.1 | 1.3 | -40% in South Hams |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | +5% in South Hams |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.8 | 4.9 | +1% in South Hams |
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 Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 106 |
| 2007 | 116 | 118 |
| 2008 | 112 | 112 |
| 2009 | 101 | 100 |
| 2010 | 110 | 112 |
| 2011 | 108 | 112 |
| 2012 | 109 | 111 |
| 2013 | 111 | 110 |
| 2014 | 117 | 117 |
| 2015 | 123 | 122 |
| 2016 | 130 | 126 |
| 2017 | 138 | 126 |
| 2018 | 141 | 132 |
| 2019 | 140 | 135 |
| 2020 | 143 | 140 |
| 2021 | 153 | 152 |
| 2022 | 172 | 170 |
| 2023 | 172 | 170 |
| 2024 | 167 | 168 |
| 2025 | 167 | 164 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 167 | 159 |
In 2005 the average home cost £196,167 in Dorset and £228,256 in South Hams. Now it is £327,915 and £362,244: Dorset is up 67% and South Hams is up 59%. Prices have risen faster in Dorset, 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 Hams |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 102 |
| 2017 | 106 | 104 |
| 2018 | 109 | 106 |
| 2019 | 112 | 108 |
| 2020 | 114 | 110 |
| 2021 | 116 | 114 |
| 2022 | 124 | 122 |
| 2023 | 129 | 130 |
| 2024 | 136 | 136 |
| 2025 | 141 | 142 |
| August 2026 | 148 | 148 |
In 2015 the average rent was £714 a month in Dorset and £686 in South Hams. Now it is £1,056 and £1,012: up 48% in Dorset and up 48% in South Hams.
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 Hams
| Earning in Dorset | Equivalent to buy in South Hams | Equivalent to rent in South Hams |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,000 | £27,000 |
| £40,000 | £41,500 | £36,500 |
| £50,000 | £52,000 | £45,500 |
| £60,000 | £62,500 | £54,500 |
Moving from South Hams to Dorset
| Earning in South Hams | Equivalent to buy in Dorset | Equivalent to rent in Dorset |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £29,000 | £33,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,500 | £44,000 |
| £50,000 | £48,000 | £55,000 |
| £60,000 | £58,000 | £66,000 |