Swale vs Thanet: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £0 (0%) more in Swale than in Thanet. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Thanet: it takes 7.4× median annual pay, against 6.9× in Swale.
At a glance
| Swale | Thanet | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Expensive |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above 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 Thanet (£35,775) is 7% lower than in Swale (£38,432), while a typical terraced house costs the same (£265,000 against £265,000). Set against local pay, Swale is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.9× annual pay in Swale and 7.4× in Thanet. Renting one takes 36% of pay in Swale and 39% in Thanet. Both are harder in Thanet, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Swale is around the middle of 316 areas (145th most expensive) to buy in, and Thanet is around the middle of 316 areas (134th most expensive). For renting against pay, Swale is around the middle of 316 areas (133rd most expensive) and Thanet is the 105th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Swale would need about £40,000 in Thanet to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £40,500 to be equally placed to rent one. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 85.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Swale and 103.4 in Thanet, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Thanet. The biggest difference is in violence against the person: 37.4 per 1,000 in Swale against 48.0 in Thanet.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Swale | Thanet |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £38,432 | £35,775 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.9× | 7.4× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 73% | 68% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 36% | 39% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Swale | Thanet | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £445,000 | £438,000 | -2% in Thanet |
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | £308,500 | -5% in Thanet |
| Terraced | £265,000 | £265,000 | 0% in Thanet |
| Flat | £170,000 | £170,000 | 0% in Thanet |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Swale | Thanet | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,578 | £1,467 | -7% in Thanet |
| Semi-detached | £1,243 | £1,278 | +3% in Thanet |
| Terraced | £1,151 | £1,162 | +1% in Thanet |
| Flat | £869 | £908 | +4% in Thanet |
Crime
Police recorded 85.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Swale and 103.4 in Thanet, so recorded crime per resident is 21% higher in Thanet.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Swale | Thanet | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 85.5 | 103.4 | +21% in Thanet |
| Violence against the person | 37.4 | 48.0 | +28% in Thanet |
| Sexual offences | 3.7 | 4.4 | +18% in Thanet |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 1.1 | +47% in Thanet |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 5.0 | 3.9 | -22% in Thanet |
| Vehicle offences | 3.8 | 3.7 | -1% in Thanet |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 0.6 | +162% in Thanet |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.9 | 10.5 | -4% in Thanet |
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 | Swale | Thanet |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 105 | 105 |
| 2007 | 112 | 114 |
| 2008 | 110 | 112 |
| 2009 | 97 | 96 |
| 2010 | 102 | 101 |
| 2011 | 101 | 98 |
| 2012 | 102 | 97 |
| 2013 | 105 | 100 |
| 2014 | 115 | 111 |
| 2015 | 124 | 120 |
| 2016 | 139 | 136 |
| 2017 | 151 | 149 |
| 2018 | 159 | 159 |
| 2019 | 159 | 159 |
| 2020 | 160 | 162 |
| 2021 | 169 | 180 |
| 2022 | 187 | 203 |
| 2023 | 187 | 201 |
| 2024 | 183 | 190 |
| 2025 | 184 | 190 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 187 | 189 |
In 2005 the average home cost £157,284 in Swale and £142,506 in Thanet. Now it is £293,393 and £268,789: Swale is up 87% and Thanet is up 89%.
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 | Swale | Thanet |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.6 years of pay | 7.1 years of pay |
| 2010 | 6.0 years of pay | 6.8 years of pay |
| 2015 | 6.6 years of pay | 7.5 years of pay |
| 2020 | 7.9 years of pay | 8.6 years of pay |
| 2025 | 7.5 years of pay | 7.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.6 years of pay in Swale and 7.1 years in Thanet. In 2025 it was 7.5 years and 7.6 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 | Swale | Thanet |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 106 | 106 |
| 2017 | 112 | 115 |
| 2018 | 116 | 118 |
| 2019 | 119 | 122 |
| 2020 | 123 | 125 |
| 2021 | 128 | 129 |
| 2022 | 133 | 138 |
| 2023 | 141 | 146 |
| 2024 | 151 | 159 |
| 2025 | 160 | 170 |
| August 2026 | 163 | 179 |
In 2015 the average rent was £683 a month in Swale and £626 in Thanet. Now it is £1,114 and £1,118: up 63% in Swale and up 79% in Thanet. Rents have risen faster in Thanet.
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 Swale to Thanet
| Earning in Swale | Equivalent to buy in Thanet | Equivalent to rent in Thanet |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,000 | £30,500 |
| £40,000 | £40,000 | £40,500 |
| £50,000 | £50,000 | £50,500 |
| £60,000 | £60,000 | £60,500 |
Moving from Thanet to Swale
| Earning in Thanet | Equivalent to buy in Swale | Equivalent to rent in Swale |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £30,000 | £29,500 |
| £40,000 | £40,000 | £39,500 |
| £50,000 | £50,000 | £49,500 |
| £60,000 | £60,000 | £59,500 |