Dorset: the market in figures
Dorset sits above its own region. Its £328,589 average runs 8% above the South West (£304,139) and 20.3% above the UK (£273,037), which gives it 4th place among the 13 covered South West areas and 36th of the 135 nationally. The latest twelve-month change is a fall of 0.4%, while the South West overall was flat at 0%. Its 4th place within the South West means only the areas ranked above it cost more. The peak was reached in 2022. The series starts at £256,086 in 2016, and gains of 6.3% in 2017, 9.1% in 2021, with 14.3% following in 2022 took it to £344,688. Since then the line has been soft: down 3.3% in 2023, down 1.2% in 2024, up 0.2% in 2025 and down 0.4% in 2026. Even so the full period shows a rise of 28.3%, worth £72,503, and 2016 remains the lowest year.
The type table starts at £169,474 for flats and climbs through £267,978 (terraced) and £333,127 (semi-detached) to £519,998 for detached homes. The first-time buyer average is £257,241, 21.7% below the figure for everyone. SDLT is £6,429 for a home mover here (2%), £1,429 on a first purchase, and £22,859 on an additional property, with £150 payable to HM Land Registry.
Among the neighbours, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, at 40 km, stands at £310,176, 5.6% below Dorset, and its price fell 1.9% in the latest year. Wiltshire (68 km) is almost level at £328,102, just 0.1% below. Somerset, at 69 km, stands at £282,498, which is 14% below, and North Somerset, at 71 km, stands at £314,307, 4.3% below. The New Forest, which belongs to the South East rather than the South West, is at £384,564, 17% above Dorset. Dorset's sales total for the twelve months ending in May 2026 is 5,978. Among the listed neighbours, Dorset's average falls between Somerset's lower figure and the New Forest's higher one.
Payotte, from the UK HPI and the calculator.
Property professionals in Dorset
One firm per trade, selected by Payotte on public data (2 of 5 trades filled in Dorset). Companies, never individuals, with a regulator or register you can check with the official body.
| Trade | Firm | Google rating | Reviews | Score /100 | Status | Listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estate agent | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mortgage adviser | Prosper Financial Solutions Ltd | 5 | 16 | 69 | Partial | View |
| Conveyancer | Harold G Walker Solicitors | 4.7 | 126 | 82 | Selected | View |
| Surveyor | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
| Valuer | Vacant | — | — | — | — | — |
One firm per trade and per area, chosen on public data and scored out of 100 points — Google reviews (35), age of the company (30), checkable regulator or register (15), local anchoring (15), bonus (5). The ranking is never paid for. No firm can buy its place or its recommendation. How Payotte ranks firms
Calculate for Dorset
Frequently asked questions
What is the average house price in Dorset?
The average price of a home in Dorset was £328,589 in August 2026, -0.4% over twelve months (UK House Price Index).
Have house prices gone up in Dorset?
The average price in Dorset went from £256,086 in August 2016 to £328,589 in August 2026, a change of +28.3%; -0.4% over the last twelve months (UK House Price Index).
How much Stamp Duty Land Tax on an average-priced home in Dorset?
On £328,589, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) comes to £6,429 for a home mover, £1,429 for a first-time buyer and £22,859 for an additional property, at the rates in force in England.
How much tax when you sell a home in Dorset?
None on your main home if it was your only home, lived in for all the time you owned it, not let out and not used exclusively for business (Private Residence Relief). A second home or a buy-to-let pays Capital Gains Tax above the £3,000 allowance (2026 to 2027; rates in the calculator above). Bought at the average price in Dorset in August 2016 (£256,086) and sold at the August 2026 average (£328,589), the gain of £72,503 costs a higher rate taxpayer £16,681, before deducting the costs of buying, selling and improving. The tax is reported and paid within 60 days of completion (HMRC).
Is Dorset expensive?
Dorset ranks 36th of the 135 areas Payotte covers for the average price in August 2026, from £1,204,072 in Kensington and Chelsea to £133,782 in City of Aberdeen.
Prices by property type, August 2026
| Type | Average price | South West |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £519,998 | £497,091 |
| Semi-detached | £333,127 | £325,573 |
| Terraced | £267,978 | £266,094 |
| Flat or maisonette | £169,474 | £173,470 |
| All types | £328,589 | £304,139 |
| First-time buyers | £257,241 | £250,662 |
The UK HPI is a mix-adjusted average (a hedonic model), not the price of the homes sold in the month. Northern Ireland figures are quarterly.
The trend, August of each year
| Year | Average price | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | £256,086 | — |
| 2017 | £272,156 | +6.3% |
| 2018 | £279,895 | +2.8% |
| 2019 | £272,697 | -2.6% |
| 2020 | £276,239 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | £301,509 | +9.1% |
| 2022 | £344,688 | +14.3% |
| 2023 | £333,213 | -3.3% |
| 2024 | £329,181 | -1.2% |
| 2025 | £329,989 | +0.2% |
| 2026 | £328,589 | -0.4% |
Sources
- Prices and sales: UK House Price Index, file UK-HPI-full-file-2026-08.csv. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2020. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Purchase tax: rates and sources of the calculator (HMRC).
- Tax when you sell: Capital Gains Tax rates, Tax when you sell your home and Report and pay your Capital Gains Tax (GOV.UK, HMRC).