Forest of Dean vs Somerset: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £22,000 (11%) more in Somerset than in Forest of Dean. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Somerset: it takes 6.3× median annual pay, against 4.9× in Forest of Dean.
At a glance
| Forest of Dean | Somerset | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Affordable | 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 Somerset (£36,279) is 14% lower than in Forest of Dean (£42,326), while a typical terraced house costs 11% more (£230,000 against £208,000). Set against local pay, Forest of Dean is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.9× annual pay in Forest of Dean and 6.3× in Somerset. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Forest of Dean and 34% in Somerset. Both are harder in Somerset, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Forest of Dean is the 94th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Somerset is around the middle of 316 areas (153rd most expensive). For renting against pay, Forest of Dean is the 23rd least expensive of 316 areas and Somerset is around the middle of 316 areas (151st most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Forest of Dean would need about £44,000 in Somerset to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £49,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Somerset 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 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Forest of Dean and 84.1 in Somerset, so recorded crime per resident is 80% higher in Somerset. The biggest difference is in sexual offences: 2.3 per 1,000 in Forest of Dean against 4.1 in Somerset.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Forest of Dean | Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £42,326 | £36,279 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.9× | 6.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 102% | 79% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 24% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Forest of Dean | Somerset | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £376,000 | £422,500 | +12% in Somerset |
| Semi-detached | £242,250 | £275,000 | +14% in Somerset |
| Terraced | £208,000 | £230,000 | +11% in Somerset |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Forest of Dean | Somerset | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,121 | £1,392 | +24% in Somerset |
| Semi-detached | £911 | £1,097 | +20% in Somerset |
| Terraced | £831 | £1,016 | +22% in Somerset |
Crime
Police recorded 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Forest of Dean and 84.1 in Somerset, so recorded crime per resident is 80% higher in Somerset.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Forest of Dean | Somerset | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 46.6 | 84.1 | +80% in Somerset |
| Violence against the person | 22.0 | 36.9 | +68% in Somerset |
| Sexual offences | 2.3 | 4.1 | +74% in Somerset |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 1.0 | +405% in Somerset |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.8 | 4.6 | -4% in Somerset |
| Vehicle offences | 1.6 | 2.6 | +61% in Somerset |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 0.2 | +50% in Somerset |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.0 | 6.9 | +39% in Somerset |
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 | Forest of Dean | Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 105 |
| 2007 | 113 | 115 |
| 2008 | 110 | 111 |
| 2009 | 97 | 101 |
| 2010 | 104 | 106 |
| 2011 | 103 | 105 |
| 2012 | 101 | 104 |
| 2013 | 101 | 106 |
| 2014 | 106 | 111 |
| 2015 | 110 | 116 |
| 2016 | 117 | 122 |
| 2017 | 122 | 129 |
| 2018 | 134 | 135 |
| 2019 | 138 | 137 |
| 2020 | 141 | 140 |
| 2021 | 150 | 150 |
| 2022 | 167 | 167 |
| 2023 | 170 | 168 |
| 2024 | 166 | 164 |
| 2025 | 173 | 166 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 175 | 168 |
In 2005 the average home cost £166,791 in Forest of Dean and £165,777 in Somerset. Now it is £291,818 and £279,149: Forest of Dean is up 75% and Somerset is up 68%. Prices have risen faster in Forest of Dean, so the gap between the two has widened.
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 | Forest of Dean | Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.9 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.0 years of pay | 7.2 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.9 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.3 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.8 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Forest of Dean and 7.7 years in Somerset. In 2025 it was 6.8 years and 7.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Somerset over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Forest of Dean | Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 102 |
| 2017 | 105 | 105 |
| 2018 | 107 | 107 |
| 2019 | 110 | 110 |
| 2020 | 111 | 114 |
| 2021 | 114 | 119 |
| 2022 | 121 | 124 |
| 2023 | 127 | 135 |
| 2024 | 135 | 145 |
| 2025 | 148 | 152 |
| August 2026 | 150 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £553 a month in Forest of Dean and £631 in Somerset. Now it is £828 and £1,016: up 50% in Forest of Dean and up 61% in Somerset. Rents have risen faster in Somerset.
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 Forest of Dean to Somerset
| Earning in Forest of Dean | Equivalent to buy in Somerset | Equivalent to rent in Somerset |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £33,000 | £36,500 |
| £40,000 | £44,000 | £49,000 |
| £50,000 | £55,500 | £61,000 |
| £60,000 | £66,500 | £73,500 |
Moving from Somerset to Forest of Dean
| Earning in Somerset | Equivalent to buy in Forest of Dean | Equivalent to rent in Forest of Dean |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £27,000 | £24,500 |
| £40,000 | £36,000 | £32,500 |
| £50,000 | £45,000 | £41,000 |
| £60,000 | £54,500 | £49,000 |