House prices in Dorset
The average house price in Dorset over the last three years is £400,491, with a median sold price of £340,000 — above the ~£290,000 England & Wales norm.
HM Land Registry sold-price data · updated August 2026
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Sold prices in Dorset
Based on 18,574 sales recorded in the last three years (HM Land Registry).
The average house price in Dorset over the last three years is £400,491, with a median sold price of £340,000 — above the ~£290,000 England & Wales norm. The mean sits notably higher than the median here, which usually means a tail of larger or higher-value sales pulling the average up. That's drawn from 18,574 recorded sales — a liquid, actively-traded local market.
Dorset price trend
Quarterly median sold price (smoothed), against England & Wales. Hover for the value at any quarter.
Over five years, prices in Dorset have been broadly flat (+1.3%). Across a full decade they are +39.5%. The last twelve months alone: -1.8%. Prices in Dorset still sit about 4.6% below their 2023 peak on our smoothed index — worth knowing when a seller's asking price was set with the top of the market in mind.
How Dorset growth compares
Sold prices rebased to 100 at 2015 — so you can compare the pace of change in Dorset directly against England & Wales, regardless of price level.
Indexed to 100 in 2015. A line at +20% means prices are 20% above their 2015 level.
What it costs to buy in Dorset
From entry-level to premium — where sold prices actually land, not just the headline median.
Homes in Dorset span a broad range: the cheapest tenth of sales went for under £170,000, while the top tenth fetched over £650,000. Half of all sales fell between £245,024 and £470,000 — the practical "middle of the market" a typical buyer competes in.
Plan a budget for Dorset
Slide across what homes in Dorset actually sell for and see the deposit, stamp duty, monthly repayments and income a purchase would take.
Upfront cash ≈ £41,000 (deposit + stamp duty), before legal and survey fees. Illustration only, not financial advice — English SDLT main-residence rates for 2026/27; second homes pay a surcharge, and your mortgage rate and multiple will vary.
How Dorset compares
Average sold price here against its wider area and England (HM Land Registry UK House Price Index).
At £400,491, homes in Dorset sell for 37% above the England average. Prices here have moved slower than England as a whole over the past year (-1.8% vs +3.9%).
Prices by property type
Median sold price and share of the market, by type, across Dorset.
The most-traded type in Dorset is detached (6,733 sales, median £480,000), which tends to set the tone of the area. Flats (£185,000) and houses (~£379,846) trade well apart, so the headline figure moves a lot with the mix of what's for sale.
The Dorset market: activity & mix
How busy the market is, and what kind of homes actually change hands.
* 2026 is a part year — Land Registry sales are recorded a few weeks after completion.
Around 6,138 homes changed hands in Dorset in 2025 — busier than the area's average of roughly 4,570 sales a year over the past decade. The busiest recent year was 2021 (8,853 sales). A busy market means more choice coming on, but also more competition — well-priced homes go quickly. 17% of recent sales in Dorset were leasehold — mostly freehold, with some leasehold flats. New-build made up 7% of sales, a modest amount of new supply.
Living in Dorset: is it a nice area?
What the official deprivation statistics say about quality of life here — income, education, health and crime, relative to the rest of England.
On the official English Indices of Deprivation, the 212 neighbourhoods that make up Dorset average 6.2 out of 10 (1 = most deprived in England, 10 = least) — better-off than most of England. 61% of its neighbourhoods sit in the least-deprived half of the country, while 4% are in the most-deprived fifth. On the index's crime domain it averages 7.5/10, pointing to low recorded-crime pressure relative to England as a whole. Averages hide street-level variation — the map below shows how each neighbourhood differs.
Mean decile across 212 Census neighbourhoods (LSOAs): 1 = among the most deprived 10% in England, 10 = the least. Source: English Indices of Deprivation (MHCLG). A statistical baseline, not a judgement — streets vary enormously within any average.
Where Dorset is
The local authority outlined on the map — pan and zoom, then search any address inside it for a full report.
Boundary © Office for National Statistics (Open Geography Portal), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Buying in Dorset? Don't offer on the area average.
Area prices set the scene — but the home you're viewing has its own flood risk, energy costs, crime picture, school catchment and fair value. Check the exact address before you commit.
What a full report reveals about a Dorset home
Everything below is analysed for the specific address you search — locked here, unlocked in the report.
What's in a Housometer report
Every section, for any specific home in Dorset.
An evidence-based estimate with a confidence range, every sale since 1995, and the nearest comparables.
EPC rating, floor area, heating type and what the home costs to run.
The exact band for this property and what it costs you each year.
River, sea and surface-water flood risk, with the nearest watercourse.
Subsidence and ground stability, radon potential and coal-mining legacy.
Recent crime in the immediate area, by type and trend, plus road safety.
Road, rail and aircraft noise plus NO₂ and particulate air pollution.
Nearest primaries and secondaries with Ofsted ratings and performance.
Nearest stations, walk times and travel time to your workplace.
Walking distance to shops, GP, gyms, parks and everyday essentials.
Full-fibre and gigabit availability, top speeds and mobile coverage.
Applications at the property and next door, designations, tenure and ownership.
Historic OS maps, the likely build era and a dated timeline of the home’s past.
Local earnings, deprivation, household make-up and who lives nearby.
£5 once for a single property, or £15/mo unlimited to check every home on your shortlist across England & Wales.
Dorset house prices — FAQs
Over the last three years the median sold price in Dorset was £340,000, with a mean of £400,491, based on 18,574 HM Land Registry sales.
At a £340,000 median, Dorset is more expensive than the ~£290,000 England & Wales average.
On our smoothed index, Dorset prices have moved -1.8% over the past year. Local trends are noisy, so this is a guide to direction rather than a precise figure.
Of the common types, flat / maisonette have the lowest median at £185,000 (2,805 sales).
Entry-level homes (the cheapest 10% of sales) went for under £170,000, and most buyers competed in the £245,024–£470,000 band. The top 10% of sales exceeded £650,000.
Prices in Dorset are +1.3% over the last five years, and +39.5% over ten, on our smoothed index of Land Registry sales.
On the £340,000 median-priced Dorset home, a home-mover pays about £7,000 in Stamp Duty Land Tax at 2026/27 rates, and a first-time buyer about £2,000 with first-time-buyer relief. Second homes pay a surcharge on top.
A 10% deposit on the median £340,000 Dorset home is £34,000 (5% would be £17,000). Borrowing the remaining £306,000 implies a household income of roughly £68,000 at a typical 4.5× lending multiple.
Roughly 6,138 sales a year have been recorded in Dorset recently (HM Land Registry). That’s a liquid market — homes come up regularly, and pricing is well-evidenced.
17% of recent sales in Dorset were leasehold and the rest freehold. Leasehold usually means flats — always check the remaining lease length and any service charge or ground rent before offering.
Area figures set the scene, but every home differs. A Housometer report scores an individual Dorset address across value, energy, flood & ground risk, crime, schools, transport, noise, air and more — search any address to see it.
"Nice" is personal, but the official data gives a baseline: neighbourhoods in Dorset average 6.2/10 on the English Indices of Deprivation (10 = least deprived), with 61% in the least-deprived half of England. Deprivation, income, education, health and crime all vary street by street — check the specific address, not just the area.
On the crime domain of the English Indices of Deprivation, the area around Dorset averages 7.5/10 (10 = lowest recorded-crime deprivation in England). That's an area-wide average from official data — a Housometer report maps 24 months of street-level recorded crime around any specific address.
Sold-price figures derived from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (© Crown copyright), under the Open Government Licence v3.0; £/m² combines PPD with MHCLG EPC floor areas. Full Housometer reports also draw on HM Land Registry, Ordnance Survey, Environment Agency, VOA, Ofsted, Police.uk, DEFRA, ONS and more. Area figures summarise the market and are not a valuation of any individual home.