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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Bristol for students: rent £1,200/mo, cost index 112 vs UK median 103, 2 universities. Compared to 2 other South West cities below.
Bristol for students: rent £1,200/mo, cost index 112 vs UK median 103, 2 universities. Compared to 2 other South West cities below.
Bristol: cost index 112 (+9 vs national avg 103), rent £1,200/month.
South West region average cost index: 105. Bristol is +7 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 61/100 — safety 63, healthcare 78, walkability 72.
Safety score: 63/100 (crime rate 70.5/1k). National average: 61/100.
The conventional wisdom says one thing. The data says another: Bristol has a cost index of 112 — 9 points above the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £35,800 with rent at £1,200/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 40%. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Bristol scores a composite score of 61/100 — reflecting its safety (63), healthcare (78), 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.
Bristol — cost index 112, rent £1,200/mo, income £35,800, QoL 61/100.
Plymouth — cost index 97, rent £870/mo, income £31,000, QoL 63/100.
Exeter — cost index 106, rent £1,020/mo, income £32,600, QoL 64/100.
Bristol scores 61/100 on the relevant index for students — with rent of £1,200/month and cost index 112 (9 points above the national average of 103).
The South West region of average QoL score is 63/100. Bristol leads with 61/100, reflecting 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.
Bristol: cost index 112, rent £1,200/mo, income £35,800/yr, QoL 61/100. Plymouth: cost index 97, rent £870/mo, income £31,000/yr, QoL 63/100.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.