Forest of Dean vs Swindon: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £37,000 (18%) more in Swindon than in Forest of Dean. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Swindon: it takes 6.3× median annual pay, against 4.9× in Forest of Dean.
At a glance
| Forest of Dean | Swindon | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Swindon (£38,900) is 8% lower than in Forest of Dean (£42,326), while a typical terraced house costs 18% more (£245,000 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 Swindon. Renting one takes 24% of pay in Forest of Dean and 33% in Swindon. Both are harder in Swindon, 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 Swindon is the 126th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Forest of Dean is the 23rd least expensive of 316 areas and Swindon is around the middle of 316 areas (149th most expensive).
Someone on £40,000 in Forest of Dean would need about £47,000 in Swindon to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £51,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Swindon 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 69.6 in Swindon, so recorded crime per resident is 49% higher in Swindon. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.6 per 1,000 in Forest of Dean against 3.1 in Swindon.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Forest of Dean | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £42,326 | £38,900 |
| 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% | 33% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Forest of Dean | Swindon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £376,000 | £420,000 | +12% in Swindon |
| Semi-detached | £242,250 | £300,000 | +24% in Swindon |
| Terraced | £208,000 | £245,000 | +18% in Swindon |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Forest of Dean | Swindon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,121 | £1,514 | +35% in Swindon |
| Semi-detached | £911 | £1,174 | +29% in Swindon |
| Terraced | £831 | £1,066 | +28% in Swindon |
Crime
Police recorded 46.6 crimes per 1,000 residents in Forest of Dean and 69.6 in Swindon, so recorded crime per resident is 49% higher in Swindon.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Forest of Dean | Swindon | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 46.6 | 69.6 | +49% in Swindon |
| Violence against the person | 22.0 | 28.9 | +31% in Swindon |
| Sexual offences | 2.3 | 3.6 | +56% in Swindon |
| Robbery | 0.2 | 0.7 | +235% in Swindon |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 4.8 | 3.5 | -27% in Swindon |
| Vehicle offences | 1.6 | 3.1 | +96% in Swindon |
| Theft from the person | 0.1 | 0.5 | +283% in Swindon |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.0 | 6.0 | +21% in Swindon |
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 | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 104 |
| 2007 | 113 | 114 |
| 2008 | 110 | 107 |
| 2009 | 97 | 94 |
| 2010 | 104 | 101 |
| 2011 | 103 | 99 |
| 2012 | 101 | 100 |
| 2013 | 101 | 104 |
| 2014 | 106 | 110 |
| 2015 | 110 | 121 |
| 2016 | 117 | 135 |
| 2017 | 122 | 142 |
| 2018 | 134 | 148 |
| 2019 | 138 | 146 |
| 2020 | 141 | 148 |
| 2021 | 150 | 156 |
| 2022 | 167 | 174 |
| 2023 | 170 | 179 |
| 2024 | 166 | 177 |
| 2025 | 173 | 178 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 175 | 180 |
In 2005 the average home cost £166,791 in Forest of Dean and £144,311 in Swindon. Now it is £291,818 and £259,183: Forest of Dean is up 75% and Swindon is up 80%.
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 | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 7.9 years of pay | 6.3 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.0 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.9 years of pay | 6.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.3 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.8 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 7.9 years of pay in Forest of Dean and 6.3 years in Swindon. In 2025 it was 6.8 years and 6.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Swindon 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 | Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 102 | 106 |
| 2017 | 105 | 113 |
| 2018 | 107 | 114 |
| 2019 | 110 | 114 |
| 2020 | 111 | 117 |
| 2021 | 114 | 121 |
| 2022 | 121 | 124 |
| 2023 | 127 | 131 |
| 2024 | 135 | 144 |
| 2025 | 148 | 155 |
| August 2026 | 150 | 161 |
In 2015 the average rent was £553 a month in Forest of Dean and £680 in Swindon. Now it is £828 and £1,096: up 50% in Forest of Dean and up 61% in Swindon. Rents have risen faster in Swindon.
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 Swindon
| Earning in Forest of Dean | Equivalent to buy in Swindon | Equivalent to rent in Swindon |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £38,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,000 | £51,500 |
| £50,000 | £59,000 | £64,000 |
| £60,000 | £70,500 | £77,000 |
Moving from Swindon to Forest of Dean
| Earning in Swindon | Equivalent to buy in Forest of Dean | Equivalent to rent in Forest of Dean |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,500 | £23,500 |
| £40,000 | £34,000 | £31,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,500 | £39,000 |
| £60,000 | £51,000 | £47,000 |