Dover vs Hastings: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £24,064 (10%) more in Hastings than in Dover. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Hastings: it takes 7.8× median annual pay, against 6.1× in Dover.
At a glance
| Dover | Hastings | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above 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 Hastings (£34,714) is 14% lower than in Dover (£40,142), while a typical terraced house costs 10% more (£270,000 against £245,936). Set against local pay, Dover is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Dover and 7.8× in Hastings. Renting one takes 31% of pay in Dover and 36% in Hastings. Both are harder in Hastings, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Dover is around the middle of 316 areas (185th most expensive) to buy in, and Hastings is around the middle of 316 areas (140th most expensive). For renting against pay, Dover is around the middle of 316 areas (188th most expensive) and Hastings is around the middle of 316 areas (132nd most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Dover would need about £44,000 in Hastings to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Hastings 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 76.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dover and 110.0 in Hastings, so recorded crime per resident is 44% higher in Hastings. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.0 per 1,000 in Dover against 5.6 in Hastings.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Dover | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,142 | £34,714 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 7.8× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 64% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 31% | 36% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Dover | Hastings | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £425,000 | £400,000 | -6% in Hastings |
| Semi-detached | £300,000 | £310,000 | +3% in Hastings |
| Terraced | £245,936 | £270,000 | +10% in Hastings |
| Flat | £160,000 | £169,225 | +6% in Hastings |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Dover | Hastings | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,383 | £1,372 | -1% in Hastings |
| Semi-detached | £1,144 | £1,138 | -1% in Hastings |
| Terraced | £1,032 | £1,035 | +0% in Hastings |
| Flat | £837 | £793 | -5% in Hastings |
Crime
Police recorded 76.4 crimes per 1,000 residents in Dover and 110.0 in Hastings, so recorded crime per resident is 44% higher in Hastings.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Dover | Hastings | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 76.4 | 110.0 | +44% in Hastings |
| Violence against the person | 34.4 | 39.4 | +15% in Hastings |
| Sexual offences | 3.4 | 4.5 | +32% in Hastings |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 1.8 | +160% in Hastings |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.0 | 4.0 | +31% in Hastings |
| Vehicle offences | 3.0 | 5.6 | +91% in Hastings |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 0.5 | +38% in Hastings |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.0 | 9.8 | +9% in Hastings |
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 | Dover | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 104 |
| 2007 | 114 | 115 |
| 2008 | 111 | 111 |
| 2009 | 99 | 97 |
| 2010 | 108 | 104 |
| 2011 | 104 | 102 |
| 2012 | 104 | 105 |
| 2013 | 108 | 105 |
| 2014 | 118 | 115 |
| 2015 | 125 | 124 |
| 2016 | 137 | 142 |
| 2017 | 147 | 153 |
| 2018 | 156 | 159 |
| 2019 | 158 | 163 |
| 2020 | 162 | 166 |
| 2021 | 173 | 187 |
| 2022 | 191 | 210 |
| 2023 | 194 | 204 |
| 2024 | 178 | 197 |
| 2025 | 177 | 191 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 178 | 187 |
In 2005 the average home cost £156,547 in Dover and £128,414 in Hastings. Now it is £278,371 and £240,240: Dover is up 78% and Hastings is up 87%. Prices have risen faster in Hastings, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Dover | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.2 years of pay | 7.0 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.0 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | – | 6.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.3 years of pay | 8.3 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.9 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.2 years of pay in Dover and 7.0 years in Hastings. In 2025 it was 6.9 years and 7.1 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Dover | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 104 |
| 2017 | 109 | 112 |
| 2018 | 111 | 117 |
| 2019 | 116 | 121 |
| 2020 | 119 | 125 |
| 2021 | 124 | 129 |
| 2022 | 127 | 136 |
| 2023 | 134 | 143 |
| 2024 | 144 | 151 |
| 2025 | 154 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 169 | 162 |
In 2015 the average rent was £603 a month in Dover and £620 in Hastings. Now it is £1,021 and £1,007: up 69% in Dover and up 62% in Hastings. Rents have risen faster in Dover.
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 Dover to Hastings
| Earning in Dover | Equivalent to buy in Hastings | Equivalent to rent in Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,000 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £44,000 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £55,000 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £66,000 | £60,000 |
Moving from Hastings to Dover
| Earning in Hastings | Equivalent to buy in Dover | Equivalent to rent in Dover |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,500 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £36,500 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £45,500 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £54,500 | £60,000 |