South West, England

Cost of living in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Data last updated: 8 October 2026
Page last reviewed: 8 October 2026
£1,582 estimated monthly cost
Rent £918
Council tax £152
Groceries £220
Transport £80
Energy £144
Water £68

Single: 1-bed home. Couple: 2-bed home. Family: 3-bed home with one child. Estimates use average local rent, Band D council tax, and standard figures for groceries, transport and childcare.

£1,398/mo
Average rent
£31,848/yr
Average earnings
£335,000
Average house price
£2,436/yr
Council tax (Band D)
£212/mo
Est. energy & water

Rent in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

The average monthly rent in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is £1,398.

1 Bed
£918
2 Bed
£1,169
3 Bed
£1,456
4+ Bed
£2,080

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

The average annual salary for residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is £31,848.

Average salary
£31,848
per year
Mean salary (pulled up by top earners)
£36,636
per year

The average salary is the middle value: half of residents earn more and half earn less. The mean salary adds up everyone's pay and divides it by the number of people, so a few very high earners pull it up. We use the middle value as the average throughout this site.

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)

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Average house prices in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

The average house price in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole was £335,000.

Detached
£475,000
Semi-detached
£340,000
Terraced
£295,000
Flat
£212,000

How house prices have changed in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Average house prices over time, based on quarterly rolling-year averages from Land Registry data.

£0£90k£180k£270k£360k£450k19952000200520102015202020252026

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry. Historical trend based on quarterly rolling-year average prices.

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Climate and weather in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Summer daytime highs in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole typically reach 22.0°C in July, dropping to around 8.7°C in January. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is drier than average for the UK, with rain falling on about 2.4 days a week. It gets around 24% less rainfall than the UK average. The area is sunnier than most of the UK, averaging around 7.4 hours of sunshine per day in summer. Expect frost on around 86 days per year, mostly between November and April.

Month Daytime high Rainfall Rain days Sunshine Frost days
Jan 8.7°C 97mm 13 64h 15
Feb 9.0°C 67mm 11 85h 14
Mar 11.3°C 60mm 10 130h 13
Apr 14.1°C 58mm 9 189h 9
May 17.2°C 49mm 8 225h 4
Jun 19.9°C 53mm 8 231h 1
Jul 22.0°C 49mm 8 238h 0
Aug 21.8°C 59mm 8 214h 0
Sep 19.4°C 68mm 9 166h 1
Oct 15.6°C 103mm 13 116h 5
Nov 11.8°C 110mm 13 78h 10
Dec 9.2°C 105mm 13 56h 15

Swipe sideways to see every column

How this is calculated

Climate data is based on Met Office 30-year averages (1991-2020), calculated from 8 observation grid points covering the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority area.

Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid , 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Council tax in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Band D council tax in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is £2,436 per year.

Band A
£1,624
Band B
£1,894
Band C
£2,165
Band D Benchmark
£2,436
Band E
£2,977
Band F
£3,518
Band G
£4,059
Band H
£4,871

Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government

Energy costs in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

A typical household in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole pays approximately £1,723/year (£144/month) for gas and electricity.

Annual
£1,723
per year
Monthly
£144
per month

Energy region: South West

This estimate is based on the Ofgem price cap for a typical dual-fuel household using 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas per year, paying by Direct Debit. Your actual costs will depend on your usage, tariff, and whether you're on a fixed deal.

Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q4 2026

Water costs in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

The average annual water and sewerage bill for South West Water customers is £813/year (£68/month).

Annual
£813
per year
Monthly
£68
per month

Water company: South West Water

Water bills vary based on whether you have a meter and your household's water usage. This figure is the company average for unmetered customers.

Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27

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Broadband in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 79.4% full fibre coverage and 90.1% gigabit-capable coverage across residential premises.

Gigabit-capable
90.1%
of premises
Full fibre (FTTP)
79.4%
of premises
Superfast (30+ Mbit/s)
98.9%
of premises
No decent broadband
0%
of premises

Full fibre take-up: 28% of premises with full fibre available have taken it up.

"Gigabit-capable" means a connection of 1 Gbit/s or faster is available at the premises (full fibre or upgraded cable). "Full fibre" is fibre-to-the-premises specifically. "No decent broadband" counts premises below the 10 Mbit/s down / 1 Mbit/s up Universal Service Obligation.

See all UK areas ranked by broadband coverage →

Source: Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, July 2025

Schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has 100 schools, with 92.7% rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

Outstanding
6
schools (14.6%)
Good
32
schools (78.0%)
Requires Improvement
3
schools (7.3%)
Inadequate
0
schools (0.0%)

66 primary schools, 24 secondary schools, 10 special / nursery / alternative provision. Approximately 52,691 pupils across all schools.

Ofsted grades reflect the school's most recent inspection: Outstanding means the school is exceptional across the evaluation areas, Good means it is effective, Requires Improvement means it is not yet good enough, and Inadequate means serious concerns were found.

See all areas ranked by school ratings →

Source: Ofsted, most recent inspections as at March 2026. England only; Scotland (Education Scotland) and Wales (Estyn) use separate frameworks.

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Frequently asked questions about Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole