Ashley (New Forest) vs Bearwood

The average house price in Bearwood is £292,602, which is 91% less than Ashley (new Forest) at £559,657. The most affordable entry point in Ashley (new Forest) is a semi-detached at £377,723, while in Bearwood it is a flat at £160,500.

With 54.6 offences per 1,000 people, Ashley (new Forest) is the safer of the two – 4% lower than Bearwood's 56.6 per 1,000. The most common crime category in Ashley (new Forest) is violent-crime, while in Bearwood it is violent-crime.

Crime Rate by Category (per 1,000 residents)

→Both towns share the same top crime category: violent crime.

Ashley (new Forest) has 100% of schools in the top two inspection bands, compared to 100% in Bearwood. Ashley (new Forest) has 2 schools in total, while Bearwood has 1.

Broadband & Connectivity

Bearwood offers faster average downloads at 479.7 Mbps, compared to 332.8 Mbps in Ashley (new Forest). Superfast coverage (30 Mbps+) reaches 97% of premises in Ashley (new Forest) and 99.4% in Bearwood. Gigabit availability stands at 60.6% in Ashley (new Forest) and 94.9% in Bearwood.

→Bearwood is the faster of the two by 44% on average download speed (480 vs 333 Mbps).

Energy Efficiency & Running Costs

Homes in Bearwood are more energy-efficient on average, with an EPC score of 69.8 (band C) versus 68.5 (band C) in Ashley (new Forest). Estimated annual energy costs average £1,278 in Ashley (new Forest) and £1,117 in Bearwood. 58.3% of homes in Ashley (new Forest) have an EPC rating of C or above, compared to 63% in Bearwood.

→Bearwood has more energy-efficient housing — 63% reach band C or above, vs 58.3% in the other.

Demographics & Economy

Median household income is £30,213 in Bearwood and £29,236 in Ashley (new Forest). The median age is 51.4 in Ashley (new Forest) and 45.5 in Bearwood. Employment rates stand at 52.9% in Ashley (new Forest) and 55.5% in Bearwood. Owner-occupancy is 74.2% in Ashley (new Forest) versus 62.8% in Bearwood.

Location