Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Plymouth vs Southampton in 2026: cost index 94 vs 110, rent £800 vs £1,050, income £29,500 vs £33,500, QoL 64 vs 57.
Plymouth vs Southampton in 2026: cost index 94 vs 110, rent £800 vs £1,050, income £29,500 vs £33,500, QoL 64 vs 57.
Plymouth ranks #1 with a cost index of 94 and rent of £800/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 102 (+3 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 61/100. Top: Plymouth at 64/100.
Safest city: Plymouth (65/100 safety score).
Let's cut to what actually matters here. Plymouth stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 94 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, Plymouth leads with a composite score of 64/100 — reflecting its safety (65), healthcare (68), and walkability (62) metrics. And there's one more thing: 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. Plymouth leads with 64/100, 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.
Plymouth (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of £800/mo. Southampton (#2) has index 110 and rent £1,050/mo — a 16-point gap.