Maidstone vs Rushmoor: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £44,000 (15%) more in Rushmoor than in Maidstone. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Rushmoor: it takes 9.1× median annual pay, against 7.9× in Maidstone.
At a glance
| Maidstone | Rushmoor | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Very expensive | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | – | 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 Rushmoor (£37,883) is 1% lower than in Maidstone (£38,191), while a typical terraced house costs 15% more (£344,000 against £300,000). Set against local pay, Maidstone is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 7.9× annual pay in Maidstone and 9.1× in Rushmoor. Renting one takes 41% of pay in Maidstone and 44% in Rushmoor. Both are harder in Rushmoor, and the gap is wider for buying.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Maidstone is the 72nd most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Rushmoor is the 68th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Maidstone is the 76th most expensive of 316 areas and Rushmoor is the 53rd most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Maidstone would need about £46,000 in Rushmoor to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £42,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Rushmoor 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.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Maidstone | Rushmoor |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,191 | £37,883 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.9× | 9.1× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 64% | 55% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 41% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Maidstone | Rushmoor | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £543,983 | £550,000 | +1% in Rushmoor |
| Semi-detached | £380,000 | £415,000 | +9% in Rushmoor |
| Terraced | £300,000 | £344,000 | +15% in Rushmoor |
| Flat | £185,000 | £205,000 | +11% in Rushmoor |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Maidstone | Rushmoor | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,792 | £1,932 | +8% in Rushmoor |
| Semi-detached | £1,447 | £1,527 | +6% in Rushmoor |
| Terraced | £1,301 | £1,384 | +6% in Rushmoor |
| Flat | £1,058 | £1,138 | +8% in Rushmoor |
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 | Maidstone | Rushmoor |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 104 |
| 2007 | 114 | 115 |
| 2008 | 110 | 115 |
| 2009 | 99 | 102 |
| 2010 | 107 | 111 |
| 2011 | 104 | 110 |
| 2012 | 106 | 112 |
| 2013 | 108 | 115 |
| 2014 | 119 | 127 |
| 2015 | 130 | 143 |
| 2016 | 143 | 161 |
| 2017 | 150 | 165 |
| 2018 | 157 | 167 |
| 2019 | 153 | 164 |
| 2020 | 152 | 164 |
| 2021 | 158 | 173 |
| 2022 | 175 | 189 |
| 2023 | 177 | 191 |
| 2024 | 173 | 188 |
| 2025 | 177 | 192 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 177 | 193 |
In 2005 the average home cost £200,335 in Maidstone and £168,083 in Rushmoor. Now it is £354,962 and £324,665: Maidstone is up 77% and Rushmoor is up 93%. Prices have risen faster in Rushmoor, 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 | Maidstone | Rushmoor |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.1 years of pay | 6.7 years of pay |
| 2010 | 7.3 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 8.8 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 9.4 years of pay | 7.8 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.3 years of pay | 8.5 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 8.1 years of pay in Maidstone and 6.7 years in Rushmoor. In 2025 it was 9.3 years and 8.5 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Rushmoor 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 | Maidstone | Rushmoor |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 104 | 104 |
| 2017 | 109 | 106 |
| 2018 | 113 | 107 |
| 2019 | 115 | 110 |
| 2020 | 116 | 111 |
| 2021 | 118 | 111 |
| 2022 | 123 | 115 |
| 2023 | 131 | 123 |
| 2024 | 144 | 133 |
| 2025 | 155 | 141 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £804 a month in Maidstone and £927 in Rushmoor. Now it is £1,297 and £1,385: up 61% in Maidstone and up 49% in Rushmoor. Rents have risen faster in Maidstone.
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 Maidstone to Rushmoor
| Earning in Maidstone | Equivalent to buy in Rushmoor | Equivalent to rent in Rushmoor |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,500 | £32,000 |
| £40,000 | £46,000 | £42,500 |
| £50,000 | £57,500 | £53,000 |
| £60,000 | £69,000 | £64,000 |
Moving from Rushmoor to Maidstone
| Earning in Rushmoor | Equivalent to buy in Maidstone | Equivalent to rent in Maidstone |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £28,000 |
| £40,000 | £35,000 | £37,500 |
| £50,000 | £43,500 | £47,000 |
| £60,000 | £52,500 | £56,500 |