South East, England

Cost of living in New Forest

Data last updated: 14 May 2026

Page last reviewed: 14 May 2026

£1,234/mo
Average rent
£31,344/yr
Average earnings
£380,000
Average house price
£2,420/yr
Council tax (Band D)
£197/mo
Est. energy & water

Rent in New Forest

The average monthly rent in New Forest is £1,234.

  • 1 Bed
    £857 /mo
  • 2 Bed
    £1,123 /mo
  • 3 Bed
    £1,379 /mo
  • 4+ Bed
    £1,980 /mo

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings in New Forest

The average annual salary for residents of New Forest is £31,344.

Median
£31,344
per year
Mean
£37,271
per year

We use the median (middle value) as the average throughout this site. This is more representative than the mean, which can be skewed by extremely high or low values.

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

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Average house prices in New Forest

The average house price in New Forest was £380,000.

  • Detached
    £525,000
  • Semi-detached
    £350,000
  • Terraced
    £297,000
  • Flat
    £208,000

How house prices have changed in New Forest

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

£0£100k£200k£300k£400k£500k1995200020052010201520202025

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

Climate and weather in New Forest

Summer daytime highs in New Forest typically reach 22.1°C in July, dropping to around 8.4°C in January. New Forest is drier than average for the UK, with rain falling on about 2.4 days a week. It gets around 22% less rainfall than the UK average. The area is sunnier than most of the UK, averaging around 7.1 hours of sunshine per day in summer. Expect frost on around 93 days per year, mostly between November and April.

Month Daytime high Rainfall Rain days Sunshine Frost days
Jan 8.4°C 98mm 13 65h 16
Feb 8.8°C 69mm 11 85h 15
Mar 11.3°C 61mm 10 128h 14
Apr 14.2°C 59mm 10 184h 10
May 17.4°C 52mm 8 219h 4
Jun 20.1°C 56mm 8 220h 1
Jul 22.1°C 52mm 8 228h 0
Aug 21.9°C 64mm 9 206h 0
Sep 19.5°C 67mm 9 160h 1
Oct 15.6°C 101mm 13 114h 5
Nov 11.6°C 110mm 13 77h 11
Dec 8.9°C 106mm 13 58h 16
How this is calculated

Climate data is based on Met Office 30-year averages (1991-2020), calculated from 28 observation grid points covering the New Forest local authority area.

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

Council tax in New Forest

Band D council tax in New Forest is £2,420 per year.

  • Band A
    £1,613
  • Band B
    £1,882
  • Band C
    £2,151
  • Band D
    Benchmark
    £2,420
  • Band E
    £2,957
  • Band F
    £3,495
  • Band G
    £4,033
  • Band H
    £4,840

Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government

Energy costs in New Forest

A typical household in New Forest pays approximately £1,641/year (£137/month) for gas and electricity.

Annual
£1,641
per year
Monthly
£137
per month

Energy region: South East

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, Q2 2026

Water costs in New Forest

The average annual water and sewerage bill for Southern Water customers is £720/year (£60/month).

Annual
£720
per year
Monthly
£60
per month

Water company: Southern 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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Crime in New Forest

There were 545 recorded crimes per 10,000 people in New Forest, which is below the national average of 813.2. New Forest ranks #78 out of 303 areas for lowest crime rate.

Violence & sexual offences
241/10k
(4,246 offences)
Burglary
38/10k
(666 offences)
Theft
126/10k
(2,223 offences)
Criminal damage
57/10k
(999 offences)
Drug offences
12/10k
(219 offences)
Public order
53/10k
(926 offences)
Other
18/10k
(313 offences)

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 December 2025

Compare New Forest with another area

Pick one more area to compare.

Nearby areas

Explore the cost of living in areas close to New Forest.

Southampton 15.3 km away South East Affordability: 52.7% Eastleigh 21.1 km away South East Affordability: 48.7% Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 21.8 km away South West Affordability: 60.3% Fareham 25.0 km away South East Affordability: 43.1% Isle of Wight 27.6 km away South East Affordability: 52.0% Gosport 30.4 km away South East Affordability: 47.1% Winchester 31.1 km away South East Affordability: 53.0% Test Valley 31.4 km away South East Affordability: 47.4%

Frequently asked questions about New Forest

Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, Ofgem Energy Price Cap, and Water UK / Discover Water. All official data is published under the Open Government Licence.