Folkestone and Hythe vs Swale: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £15,000 (6%) more in Folkestone and Hythe than in Swale. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Folkestone and Hythe: it takes 7.2× median annual pay, against 6.9× in Swale.
At a glance
| Folkestone and Hythe | Swale | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | 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 Swale (£38,432) is 1% lower than in Folkestone and Hythe (£38,864), while a typical terraced house costs 5% less (£265,000 against £280,000). Set against local pay, Swale is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.2× annual pay in Folkestone and Hythe and 6.9× in Swale. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Folkestone and Hythe and 36% in Swale. On both measures the two areas are close.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Folkestone and Hythe is around the middle of 316 areas (135th most expensive) to buy in, and Swale is around the middle of 316 areas (145th most expensive). For renting against pay, Folkestone and Hythe is the 120th most expensive of 316 areas and Swale is around the middle of 316 areas (133rd most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Folkestone and Hythe would need about £38,000 in Swale to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £38,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Swale would leave you better 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 74.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Folkestone and Hythe and 85.5 in Swale, so recorded crime per resident is 15% higher in Swale. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 2.3 per 1,000 in Folkestone and Hythe against 3.8 in Swale.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Folkestone and Hythe | Swale |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,864 | £38,432 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.2× | 6.9× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 69% | 73% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 36% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Folkestone and Hythe | Swale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £460,000 | £445,000 | -3% in Swale |
| Semi-detached | £345,000 | £325,000 | -6% in Swale |
| Terraced | £280,000 | £265,000 | -5% in Swale |
| Flat | £185,500 | £170,000 | -8% in Swale |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Folkestone and Hythe | Swale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,610 | £1,578 | -2% in Swale |
| Semi-detached | £1,328 | £1,243 | -6% in Swale |
| Terraced | £1,201 | £1,151 | -4% in Swale |
| Flat | £919 | £869 | -5% in Swale |
Crime
Police recorded 74.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Folkestone and Hythe and 85.5 in Swale, so recorded crime per resident is 15% higher in Swale.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Folkestone and Hythe | Swale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 74.5 | 85.5 | +15% in Swale |
| Violence against the person | 31.4 | 37.4 | +19% in Swale |
| Sexual offences | 3.4 | 3.7 | +10% in Swale |
| Robbery | 0.6 | 0.7 | +16% in Swale |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.8 | 5.0 | +30% in Swale |
| Vehicle offences | 2.3 | 3.8 | +63% in Swale |
| Theft from the person | 0.4 | 0.2 | -52% in Swale |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.1 | 10.9 | +34% in Swale |
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 | Folkestone and Hythe | Swale |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 105 |
| 2007 | 113 | 112 |
| 2008 | 111 | 110 |
| 2009 | 99 | 97 |
| 2010 | 107 | 102 |
| 2011 | 102 | 101 |
| 2012 | 104 | 102 |
| 2013 | 106 | 105 |
| 2014 | 114 | 115 |
| 2015 | 123 | 124 |
| 2016 | 137 | 139 |
| 2017 | 145 | 151 |
| 2018 | 153 | 159 |
| 2019 | 155 | 159 |
| 2020 | 159 | 160 |
| 2021 | 171 | 169 |
| 2022 | 192 | 187 |
| 2023 | 190 | 187 |
| 2024 | 185 | 183 |
| 2025 | 189 | 184 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 189 | 187 |
In 2005 the average home cost £162,080 in Folkestone and Hythe and £157,284 in Swale. Now it is £306,553 and £293,393: Folkestone and Hythe is up 89% and Swale is up 87%.
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 | Folkestone and Hythe | Swale |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.1 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.1 years of pay | 6.0 years of pay |
| 2015 | 7.1 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 8.3 years of pay | 7.9 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.9 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.1 years of pay in Folkestone and Hythe and 6.6 years in Swale. In 2025 it was 7.9 years and 7.5 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 | Folkestone and Hythe | Swale |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 103 | 106 |
| 2017 | 106 | 112 |
| 2018 | 109 | 116 |
| 2019 | 114 | 119 |
| 2020 | 116 | 123 |
| 2021 | 120 | 128 |
| 2022 | 124 | 133 |
| 2023 | 134 | 141 |
| 2024 | 157 | 151 |
| 2025 | 167 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 185 | 163 |
In 2015 the average rent was £638 a month in Folkestone and Hythe and £683 in Swale. Now it is £1,178 and £1,114: up 85% in Folkestone and Hythe and up 63% in Swale. Rents have risen faster in Folkestone and Hythe.
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 Folkestone and Hythe to Swale
| Earning in Folkestone and Hythe | Equivalent to buy in Swale | Equivalent to rent in Swale |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £28,500 | £29,000 |
| £40,000 | £38,000 | £38,500 |
| £50,000 | £47,500 | £48,000 |
| £60,000 | £57,000 | £57,500 |
Moving from Swale to Folkestone and Hythe
| Earning in Swale | Equivalent to buy in Folkestone and Hythe | Equivalent to rent in Folkestone and Hythe |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £31,500 | £31,500 |
| £40,000 | £42,500 | £41,500 |
| £50,000 | £53,000 | £52,000 |
| £60,000 | £63,500 | £62,500 |