Pay vs Place

Rushmoor vs Test Valley: buying or renting a home

A typical terraced house costs £49,000 (17%) more in Rushmoor than in Test Valley. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Rushmoor: it takes 9.1× median annual pay, against 7.3× in Test Valley.

Rushmoor, terraced
£344,000
Income typically needed: £69,000
Median full-time pay: £37,883
Test Valley, terraced
£295,000
Income typically needed: £59,000
Median full-time pay: £40,576

At a glance

Rushmoor Test Valley
Buying a home Expensive Expensive
Renting a home Very 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 Test Valley (£40,576) is 7% higher than in Rushmoor (£37,883), while a typical terraced house costs 14% less (£295,000 against £344,000). Set against local pay, Test Valley is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.

Buying a terraced house takes 9.1× annual pay in Rushmoor and 7.3× in Test Valley. Renting one takes 44% of pay in Rushmoor and 37% in Test Valley. Both are harder in Rushmoor, and the gap is wider for buying.

Across all property types and measured against pay, Rushmoor is the 68th most expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Test Valley is the 96th most expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Rushmoor is the 53rd most expensive of 316 areas and Test Valley is the 115th most expensive of 316 areas.

Someone on £40,000 in Rushmoor would need about £34,500 in Test Valley to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £36,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Test Valley 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 58.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Rushmoor and 52.2 in Test Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Test Valley. The biggest difference is in criminal damage and arson: 5.2 per 1,000 in Rushmoor against 4.4 in Test Valley.

Can a typical earner buy?

Terraced house Rushmoor Test Valley
Median full-time pay £37,883 £40,576
House price ÷ pay 9.1× 7.3×
Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy 55% 69%
Rent a year as a share of median pay 44% 37%

Buying, by property type

Type Rushmoor Test Valley Difference
Detached £550,000 £564,500 +3% in Test Valley
Semi-detached £415,000 £355,000 -14% in Test Valley
Terraced £344,000 £295,000 -14% in Test Valley
Flat £205,000 £190,000 -7% in Test Valley

Renting, by property type

Type (average rent a month) Rushmoor Test Valley Difference
Detached £1,932 £1,739 -10% in Test Valley
Semi-detached £1,527 £1,369 -10% in Test Valley
Terraced £1,384 £1,257 -9% in Test Valley
Flat £1,138 £985 -13% in Test Valley

Crime

Police recorded 58.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Rushmoor and 52.2 in Test Valley, so recorded crime per resident is 10% lower in Test Valley.

Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents Rushmoor Test Valley Difference
All recorded crime (excluding fraud) 58.2 52.2 -10% in Test Valley
Violence against the person 24.4 21.7 -11% in Test Valley
Sexual offences 2.6 2.4 -10% in Test Valley
Robbery 0.6 0.4 -38% in Test Valley
Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) 4.4 4.6 +5% in Test Valley
Vehicle offences 3.0 2.8 -5% in Test Valley
Theft from the person 0.3 0.1 -53% in Test Valley
Criminal damage and arson 5.2 4.4 -15% in Test Valley

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.

Rushmoor: 193Test Valley: 185
House prices in Rushmoor and Test Valley since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Rushmoor now 193, Test Valley now 185.10012515017520020052010201520202025House prices in Rushmoor and Test Valley since 2005, indexed so that 2005 is 100Prices indexed to 2005 = 100. Rushmoor now 193, Test Valley now 185.10012515017520020102020
Show the figures
YearRushmoorTest Valley
2005100100
2006104105
2007115117
2008115114
2009102102
2010111113
2011110111
2012112111
2013115113
2014127121
2015143132
2016161141
2017165151
2018167154
2019164154
2020164159
2021173166
2022189185
2023191190
2024188184
2025192186
12 months to July 2026193185

In 2005 the average home cost £168,083 in Rushmoor and £201,013 in Test Valley. Now it is £324,665 and £372,261: Rushmoor is up 93% and Test Valley is up 85%. 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.

Rushmoor: 8.5 years of payTest Valley: 9.2 years of pay
Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Rushmoor and Test ValleyRushmoor now 8.5, Test Valley now 9.2 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025Years of median pay needed to buy the average home in Rushmoor and Test ValleyRushmoor now 8.5, Test Valley now 9.2 years of pay.0×2.5×5×7.5×10×20052010201520202025
Show the figures
YearRushmoorTest Valley
20056.7 years of pay7.9 years of pay
20106.8 years of pay8.4 years of pay
20158.5 years of pay8.5 years of pay
20207.8 years of pay9.1 years of pay
20258.5 years of pay9.2 years of pay

In 2005 a home cost 6.7 years of pay in Rushmoor and 7.9 years in Test Valley. In 2025 it was 8.5 years and 9.2 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.

Rushmoor: 149Test Valley: 148
Rents in Rushmoor and Test Valley since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Rushmoor now 149, Test Valley now 148.100120140160201620182020202220242026Rents in Rushmoor and Test Valley since 2015, indexed so that 2015 is 100Rents indexed to 2015 = 100. Rushmoor now 149, Test Valley now 148.100120140160201520202025
Show the figures
YearRushmoorTest Valley
2015100100
2016104104
2017106107
2018107109
2019110110
2020111112
2021111116
2022115121
2023123126
2024133133
2025141139
August 2026149148

In 2015 the average rent was £927 a month in Rushmoor and £832 in Test Valley. Now it is £1,385 and £1,235: up 49% in Rushmoor and up 48% in Test Valley.

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 Rushmoor to Test Valley

Earning in Rushmoor Equivalent to buy in Test Valley Equivalent to rent in Test Valley
£30,000 £25,500 £27,000
£40,000 £34,500 £36,500
£50,000 £43,000 £45,500
£60,000 £51,500 £54,500

Moving from Test Valley to Rushmoor

Earning in Test Valley Equivalent to buy in Rushmoor Equivalent to rent in Rushmoor
£30,000 £35,000 £33,000
£40,000 £46,500 £44,000
£50,000 £58,500 £55,000
£60,000 £70,000 £66,000
Prices are medians for each property type over the last 12 months of registered sales; types with fewer than 100 sales in either area are left out. Rents are ONS averages for the area. Pay is the median for full-time employees living in the area, before tax. Income needed is illustrative: it assumes a 10% deposit and a lender willing to lend 4.5 times income. Real lending depends on your circumstances. Salary equivalents compare housing costs only, not other living costs, tax or the pay you could earn in a new job.

All Rushmoor figures · All Test Valley figures