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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Southampton vs Brighton in 2026: cost index 110 vs 118, rent £1,050 vs £1,250, income £33,500 vs £35,000, QoL 57 vs 58.
Southampton vs Brighton in 2026: cost index 110 vs 118, rent £1,050 vs £1,250, income £33,500 vs £35,000, QoL 57 vs 58.
Southampton ranks #1 with a cost index of 110 and rent of £1,050/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 114 (+15 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 58/100. Top: Southampton at 57/100.
Safest city: Brighton (62/100 safety score).
Strip away assumptions, and something unexpected emerges. Southampton stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 110 and median income of £33,500, it offers competitive value despite costs slightly above the national median. This is where the math gets real for actual people.
On quality of life, Brighton leads with a composite score of 58/100 — reflecting its safety (62), healthcare (76), and walkability (78) metrics. But here's the flip side: 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. Southampton leads with 57/100, 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.
Southampton (ranked #1) has a cost index of 110 and rent of £1,050/mo. Brighton (#2) has index 118 and rent £1,250/mo — a 8-point gap.