Dover West
Dover 013 · 5 sub-areas · 9,182 residents
Dover 013 is a neighbourhood within the Dover district in the South East, home to around 9,200 people. A typical two-bedroom rent runs about £896 a month — noticeably below the UK national median for a 2-bed — making it one of the more affordable parts of the region. The trade-off is a relatively high crime rate and a school picture that falls well short of the national benchmark.
Dover West is a settled residential pocket of Dover. The bigger gravitational centre is London, around 71 minutes away by direct train, but most days don't require leaving — local life is what people are here for. The rental market is active and turnover is high — people move through rather than stay.
Overview
What's it like to live in Dover West?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £962 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Dover West in Dover
Living in Dover West
Dover 013 sits within the Dover district on the Kent coast, and the first thing renters notice is how much further your money goes here compared to much of the South East. Two-bed rents averaging around £896 a month are a sharp contrast to the region's pricier commuter towns, and even with rents rising roughly 5% over the past year, the area remains accessible in a way that much of South East England isn't.
The cost picture is genuinely attractive on paper, but it comes with context. Rent-to-take-home sits at around 46% — meaning nearly half a typical resident's pay after tax goes on housing — which is a stretch even at these relatively modest rent levels. That reflects the local salary base: median resident earnings are around £33,700 a year, modestly above what jobs physically located in the area pay (around £31,500), suggesting many residents commute out for better-paid work.
The population skews younger than you might expect for a coastal Kent town. Around 24% of residents are aged 18 to 34, and just over 23% are under 18 — so this is an area with a meaningful mix of young adults and families. About 45% of homes are owner-occupied and 38% are privately rented, with social housing accounting for a further 17% — a tenure mix that reflects a community with long-term residents alongside a significant renting population.
Practically, the nearest rail station is under a kilometre away — roughly a nine or ten-minute walk — and the public transport connection to London takes around 75 minutes. That rail link is the neighbourhood's biggest practical asset for anyone weighing up a longer-distance commute. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on how different parts of Dover 013 compare.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Dover 013 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. Rents are genuinely low by South East standards — a two-bed runs around £896 a month — and the rail link to London in roughly 75 minutes is useful. The trade-offs are a high crime rate and a below-average school picture. It suits renters who want affordability and can live with those compromises.
- What is the rent in Dover 013?
- A typical one-bed runs around £686 a month, a two-bed around £896, and a three-bed around £1,098. Rents rose roughly 5% over the past year. These are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices, so treat them as a guide rather than a precise figure.
- Is Dover 013 safe?
- The crime rate here is around 209 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — significantly above the UK average of roughly 80. That puts it in the higher-crime tier for the region. Street-level variation can be significant, so checking specific roads before committing to a tenancy is worthwhile.
- What's the commute from Dover 013 to London?
- By public transport it's around 75 minutes to London — and the nearest mainline rail station is under a kilometre away, roughly a 10-minute walk. It's a long commute for daily travel, but manageable for a few days a week, especially with working-from-home making up around 17% of the local mode share.
- Who lives in Dover 013?
- A mixed community: around 24% are aged 18 to 34, and nearly a quarter are under 18, so there are plenty of young adults and families. About 45% own their home and 38% rent privately. The degree-qualification rate is 21%, and around 85% of residents were born in the UK.
- What schools are near Dover 013?
- There are 69 schools within 2km of typical residents, but only around 18% of those are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is around 9km away. Families should research individual schools carefully before choosing where to live.
- How affordable is Dover 013 compared to the rest of the South East?
- It's one of the more affordable neighbourhoods in the region. A two-bed at around £896 a month is notably below the UK national median of around £1,200. Reaching a deposit takes an estimated 2.9 years — competitive by South East standards. The affordability is real, though rent still takes up about 46% of typical take-home pay.