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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nottingham vs Southampton in 2026: cost index 90 vs 110, rent £800 vs £1,050, income £29,500 vs £33,500, QoL 60 vs 57.
Nottingham vs Southampton in 2026: cost index 90 vs 110, rent £800 vs £1,050, income £29,500 vs £33,500, QoL 60 vs 57.
Nottingham ranks #1 with a cost index of 90 and rent of £800/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 100 (+1 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 59/100. Top: Nottingham at 60/100.
Safest city: Southampton (60/100 safety score).
Here's the finding that keeps coming up in different analyses: Nottingham stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 90 and median income of £29,500, it offers below-average costs relative to the rest of United Kingdom. Financially, that's significant.
On quality of life, Nottingham leads with a composite score of 60/100 — reflecting its safety (54), healthcare (72), and walkability (72) metrics. And here's the trade-off: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
The country average QoL score is 61/100. Nottingham leads with 60/100, reflecting its safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ONS, Land Registry, HMRC.
Nottingham (ranked #1) has a cost index of 90 and rent of £800/mo. Southampton (#2) has index 110 and rent £1,050/mo — a 20-point gap.