Lewes vs New Forest: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £56,000 (19%) more in Lewes than in New Forest. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Lewes: it takes 8.6× median annual pay, against 7.6× in New Forest.
At a glance
| Lewes | New Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| 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 New Forest (£38,571) is 5% lower than in Lewes (£40,807), while a typical terraced house costs 16% less (£295,000 against £351,000). Set against local pay, New Forest is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 8.6× annual pay in Lewes and 7.6× in New Forest. Renting one takes 40% of pay in Lewes and 39% in New Forest. Buying is harder in Lewes; renting is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Lewes is the 76th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and New Forest is the 55th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Lewes is the 90th most expensive of 316 areas and New Forest is the 93rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Lewes would need about £33,500 in New Forest to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £37,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to New Forest 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 55.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lewes and 52.9 in New Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 4% lower in New Forest. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 1.5 per 1,000 in Lewes against 2.7 in New Forest.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Lewes | New Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £40,807 | £38,571 |
| House price ÷ pay | 8.6× | 7.6× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 58% | 65% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 40% | 39% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Lewes | New Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £485,000 | £560,000 | +15% in New Forest |
| Semi-detached | £390,000 | £358,000 | -8% in New Forest |
| Terraced | £351,000 | £295,000 | -16% in New Forest |
| Flat | £215,000 | £210,000 | -2% in New Forest |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Lewes | New Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,822 | £1,692 | -7% in New Forest |
| Semi-detached | £1,468 | £1,344 | -8% in New Forest |
| Terraced | £1,372 | £1,269 | -8% in New Forest |
| Flat | £1,061 | £1,013 | -5% in New Forest |
Crime
Police recorded 55.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lewes and 52.9 in New Forest, so recorded crime per resident is 4% lower in New Forest.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Lewes | New Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 55.2 | 52.9 | -4% in New Forest |
| Violence against the person | 22.3 | 21.4 | -4% in New Forest |
| Sexual offences | 2.7 | 2.5 | -7% in New Forest |
| Robbery | 0.5 | 0.4 | -24% in New Forest |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 3.0 | 5.3 | +77% in New Forest |
| Vehicle offences | 1.5 | 2.7 | +85% in New Forest |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | +10% in New Forest |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.7 | 5.4 | -5% in New Forest |
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 | Lewes | New Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 104 |
| 2007 | 116 | 113 |
| 2008 | 114 | 111 |
| 2009 | 101 | 101 |
| 2010 | 110 | 111 |
| 2011 | 112 | 112 |
| 2012 | 115 | 111 |
| 2013 | 119 | 113 |
| 2014 | 127 | 121 |
| 2015 | 135 | 129 |
| 2016 | 147 | 140 |
| 2017 | 152 | 150 |
| 2018 | 157 | 154 |
| 2019 | 157 | 151 |
| 2020 | 156 | 154 |
| 2021 | 167 | 166 |
| 2022 | 185 | 185 |
| 2023 | 188 | 182 |
| 2024 | 180 | 176 |
| 2025 | 176 | 172 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 177 | 173 |
In 2005 the average home cost £207,480 in Lewes and £221,635 in New Forest. Now it is £367,890 and £382,503: Lewes is up 77% and New Forest is up 73%.
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 | Lewes | New Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.9 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 8.2 years of pay | 9.1 years of pay |
| 2015 | 9.7 years of pay | 10.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.3 years of pay | 10.1 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.0 years of pay | 9.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.9 years of pay in Lewes and 10.1 years in New Forest. In 2025 it was 9.0 years and 9.9 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 | Lewes | New Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 105 |
| 2017 | 109 | 108 |
| 2018 | 111 | 110 |
| 2019 | 111 | 112 |
| 2020 | 113 | 113 |
| 2021 | 117 | 116 |
| 2022 | 123 | 122 |
| 2023 | 131 | 130 |
| 2024 | 135 | 139 |
| 2025 | 139 | 147 |
| August 2026 | 146 | 151 |
In 2015 the average rent was £910 a month in Lewes and £826 in New Forest. Now it is £1,333 and £1,244: up 46% in Lewes and up 51% in New Forest.
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 Lewes to New Forest
| Earning in Lewes | Equivalent to buy in New Forest | Equivalent to rent in New Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £25,000 | £27,500 |
| £40,000 | £33,500 | £37,000 |
| £50,000 | £42,000 | £46,000 |
| £60,000 | £50,500 | £55,500 |
Moving from New Forest to Lewes
| Earning in New Forest | Equivalent to buy in Lewes | Equivalent to rent in Lewes |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £35,500 | £32,500 |
| £40,000 | £47,500 | £43,000 |
| £50,000 | £59,500 | £54,000 |
| £60,000 | £71,500 | £65,000 |