Cost of living in Dorset
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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.
Rent in Dorset
The average monthly rent in Dorset is £1,056.
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)
Earnings in Dorset
The average annual salary for residents of Dorset is £31,444.
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 Dorset
The average house price in Dorset was £340,000.
How house prices have changed in Dorset
Average house prices over time, based on quarterly rolling-year averages from Land Registry data.
Source: ONS / HM Land Registry. Historical trend based on quarterly rolling-year average prices.
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Climate and weather in Dorset
Summer daytime highs in Dorset typically reach 21.5°C in July, dropping to around 8.3°C in January. Dorset is drier than average for the UK, with rain falling on about 2.5 days a week. It gets around 16% less rainfall than the UK average. The area is sunnier than most of the UK, averaging around 6.7 hours of sunshine per day in summer. Expect frost on around 96 days per year, mostly between October and April.
| Month | Daytime high | Rainfall | Rain days | Sunshine | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.3°C | 106mm | 14 | 61h | 16 |
| Feb | 8.6°C | 75mm | 11 | 81h | 15 |
| Mar | 10.9°C | 68mm | 10 | 124h | 14 |
| Apr | 13.6°C | 65mm | 10 | 178h | 11 |
| May | 16.8°C | 57mm | 9 | 210h | 5 |
| Jun | 19.5°C | 58mm | 8 | 208h | 1 |
| Jul | 21.5°C | 57mm | 9 | 215h | 0 |
| Aug | 21.3°C | 72mm | 10 | 194h | 0 |
| Sep | 18.9°C | 72mm | 10 | 152h | 2 |
| Oct | 15.1°C | 112mm | 13 | 109h | 6 |
| Nov | 11.3°C | 119mm | 14 | 74h | 11 |
| Dec | 8.8°C | 112mm | 14 | 55h | 15 |
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How this is calculated
Climate data is based on Met Office 30-year averages (1991-2020), calculated from 100 observation grid points covering the Dorset local authority area.
Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid , 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Council tax in Dorset
Band D council tax in Dorset is £2,765 per year.
Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government
Energy costs in Dorset
A typical household in Dorset pays approximately £1,723/year (£144/month) for gas and electricity.
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 Dorset
The average annual water and sewerage bill for South West Water customers is £813/year (£68/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 Dorset
Dorset has 70.9% full fibre coverage and 72.3% gigabit-capable coverage across residential premises.
Full fibre take-up: 41% 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.
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Source: Ofcom Connected Nations 2025, July 2025
Schools in Dorset
Dorset has 158 schools, with 79.1% rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.
119 primary schools, 29 secondary schools, 10 special / nursery / alternative provision. Approximately 47,319 pupils across all schools.
4 schools have been inspected under Ofsted's renewed framework (November 2025 onwards) and are not included in the percentage above.
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.
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Source: Ofsted, most recent inspections as at March 2026. England only; Scotland (Education Scotland) and Wales (Estyn) use separate frameworks.
Crime in Dorset
There were 501 recorded crimes per 10,000 people in Dorset, which is below the England and Wales average of 837. Dorset ranks #51 out of 303 areas for lowest crime rate.
Recorded crime statistics reflect crimes reported to and recorded by police. They may not capture the full picture of crime in an area, and recording practices vary between forces.
Source: Home Office police recorded crime, Year ending March 2026
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