diff --git a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index 5eb9ed3a..b62ee656 100644
--- a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -84,6 +84,19 @@ set(SYSCONFDIR_FROM_PKGDATADIR ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_SYSCONFDIR})
 set(DATADIR_FROM_PKGSYSCONFDIR ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_DATADIR})
 endif()
 
+option (DBUS_RELOCATABLE "Attempt to make metadata relocatable" ON)
+
+# For simplicity, we're not relocatable if CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR
+# is something more complicated (e.g. Debian multiarch);
+# we don't want to have to compute how many ../ to add
+if(CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR STREQUAL "lib" OR CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR STREQUAL "lib64")
+    # We know we can use ../ to get to the prefix. Do nothing.
+elseif(DBUS_RELOCATABLE)
+    # Sorry, it's too hard to make this particular build relocatable
+    message("Unusual CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR: the generated package will not be relocatable.")
+    set(DBUS_RELOCATABLE OFF)
+endif()
+
 # used in the C code
 set(DBUS_LIBEXECDIR          ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBEXECDIR})
 set(DBUS_DATADIR             ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_DATADIR})
@@ -638,13 +651,20 @@ if(UNIX)
         foreach(LIB ${CMAKE_C_IMPLICIT_LINK_LIBRARIES} ${PLATFORM_LIBS})
             set(LIBDBUS_LIBS "${LIBDBUS_LIBS} -l${LIB}")
         endforeach()
-        set(bindir ${EXPANDED_BINDIR})
-        set(libdir ${EXPANDED_LIBDIR})
-        set(includedir ${EXPANDED_INCLUDEDIR})
-        set(sysconfdir ${EXPANDED_SYSCONFDIR})
-        set(datadir ${EXPANDED_DATADIR})
-        set(datarootdir ${EXPANDED_DATADIR})
-        set(dbus_daemondir ${DBUS_DAEMONDIR})
+        set(original_prefix "${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}")
+        if(DBUS_RELOCATABLE)
+            set(pkgconfig_prefix "\${pcfiledir}/../../")
+        else()
+            set(pkgconfig_prefix "\${original_prefix}")
+        endif()
+        set(exec_prefix "\${prefix}")
+        set(bindir "\${prefix}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR}")
+        set(libdir "\${prefix}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}")
+        set(includedir "\${prefix}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}")
+        set(sysconfdir "\${prefix}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_SYSCONFDIR}")
+        set(datadir "\${prefix}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}")
+        set(datarootdir "\${prefix}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}")
+        set(dbus_daemondir "\${prefix}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR}")
         configure_file(../dbus-1.pc.in ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/dbus-1.pc @ONLY)
         install(FILES ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/dbus-1.pc DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/pkgconfig)
     endif()
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 00c271cb..b0afc947 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1530,6 +1530,9 @@ AS_AC_EXPAND(EXPANDED_LIBDIR, "$libdir")
 AS_AC_EXPAND(EXPANDED_LIBEXECDIR, "$libexecdir")
 AS_AC_EXPAND(EXPANDED_DATADIR, "$datadir")
 
+# For the moment we don't support relocation when building with Autotools
+AC_SUBST([pkgconfig_prefix], ['${original_prefix}'])
+
 #### Check our operating system
 operating_system=unknown
 if test -f /etc/redhat-release || test -f $EXPANDED_SYSCONFDIR/redhat-release ; then
diff --git a/dbus-1.pc.in b/dbus-1.pc.in
index f93d1563..3581be6e 100644
--- a/dbus-1.pc.in
+++ b/dbus-1.pc.in
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-prefix=@prefix@
+original_prefix=@prefix@
+prefix=@pkgconfig_prefix@
 exec_prefix=@exec_prefix@
 bindir=@bindir@
 libdir=@libdir@