New Forest vs West Berkshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £37,000 (13%) more in West Berkshire than in New Forest. Measured against local pay, buying is about equally hard in both.
At a glance
| New Forest | West Berkshire | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West Berkshire (£44,887) is 16% higher than in New Forest (£38,571), while a typical terraced house costs 13% more (£332,000 against £295,000).
Buying a terraced house takes 7.6× annual pay in New Forest and 7.4× in West Berkshire. Renting one takes 39% of pay in New Forest and 34% in West Berkshire. Renting is harder in New Forest; buying is about the same.
Across all property types and measured against pay, New Forest is the 55th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and West Berkshire is the 110th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, New Forest is the 93rd most expensive of 316 areas and West Berkshire is the 124th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in New Forest would need about £45,000 in West Berkshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to West Berkshire 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 52.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in New Forest and 55.0 in West Berkshire, so recorded crime per resident is 4% higher in West Berkshire. The biggest difference is in residential burglary: 5.3 per 1,000 in New Forest against 3.3 in West Berkshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | New Forest | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,571 | £44,887 |
| House price ÷ pay | 7.6× | 7.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 65% | 68% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 39% | 34% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | New Forest | West Berkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £560,000 | £625,000 | +12% in West Berkshire |
| Semi-detached | £358,000 | £400,000 | +12% in West Berkshire |
| Terraced | £295,000 | £332,000 | +13% in West Berkshire |
| Flat | £210,000 | £210,000 | 0% in West Berkshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | New Forest | West Berkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,692 | £2,011 | +19% in West Berkshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,344 | £1,447 | +8% in West Berkshire |
| Terraced | £1,269 | £1,272 | +0% in West Berkshire |
| Flat | £1,013 | £1,104 | +9% in West Berkshire |
Crime
Police recorded 52.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in New Forest and 55.0 in West Berkshire, so recorded crime per resident is 4% higher in West Berkshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | New Forest | West Berkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 52.9 | 55.0 | +4% in West Berkshire |
| Violence against the person | 21.4 | 20.7 | -3% in West Berkshire |
| Sexual offences | 2.5 | 2.4 | -2% in West Berkshire |
| Robbery | 0.4 | 0.6 | +58% in West Berkshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.3 | 3.3 | -38% in West Berkshire |
| Vehicle offences | 2.7 | 2.9 | +9% in West Berkshire |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.2 | -5% in West Berkshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.4 | 5.6 | +3% in West Berkshire |
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 | New Forest | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 106 |
| 2007 | 113 | 116 |
| 2008 | 111 | 114 |
| 2009 | 101 | 102 |
| 2010 | 111 | 113 |
| 2011 | 112 | 115 |
| 2012 | 111 | 116 |
| 2013 | 113 | 120 |
| 2014 | 121 | 130 |
| 2015 | 129 | 142 |
| 2016 | 140 | 155 |
| 2017 | 150 | 161 |
| 2018 | 154 | 163 |
| 2019 | 151 | 161 |
| 2020 | 154 | 161 |
| 2021 | 166 | 168 |
| 2022 | 185 | 184 |
| 2023 | 182 | 187 |
| 2024 | 176 | 183 |
| 2025 | 172 | 193 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 173 | 193 |
In 2005 the average home cost £221,635 in New Forest and £208,303 in West Berkshire. Now it is £382,503 and £401,327: New Forest is up 73% and West Berkshire is up 93%. Prices have risen faster in West Berkshire, 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 | New Forest | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 10.1 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
| 2010 | 9.1 years of pay | 7.7 years of pay |
| 2015 | 10.2 years of pay | 9.2 years of pay |
| 2020 | 10.1 years of pay | 9.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 9.9 years of pay | 8.9 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 10.1 years of pay in New Forest and 7.5 years in West Berkshire. In 2025 it was 9.9 years and 8.9 years.
Affordability has worsened more in West Berkshire 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 | New Forest | West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 106 |
| 2017 | 108 | 109 |
| 2018 | 110 | 111 |
| 2019 | 112 | 114 |
| 2020 | 113 | 114 |
| 2021 | 116 | 116 |
| 2022 | 122 | 119 |
| 2023 | 130 | 126 |
| 2024 | 139 | 135 |
| 2025 | 147 | 140 |
| August 2026 | 151 | 149 |
In 2015 the average rent was £826 a month in New Forest and £899 in West Berkshire. Now it is £1,244 and £1,338: up 51% in New Forest and up 49% in West Berkshire.
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 New Forest to West Berkshire
| Earning in New Forest | Equivalent to buy in West Berkshire | Equivalent to rent in West Berkshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,000 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £45,000 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £56,500 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £67,500 | £60,000 |
Moving from West Berkshire to New Forest
| Earning in West Berkshire | Equivalent to buy in New Forest | Equivalent to rent in New Forest |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,500 | £30,000 |
| £40,000 | £35,500 | £40,000 |
| £50,000 | £44,500 | £50,000 |
| £60,000 | £53,500 | £60,000 |