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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Is Cambridge good for families? Safety score 74/100, crime rate 44.8/1k. Cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo. Compared to 26 other East of England cities below.
Is Cambridge good for families? Safety score 74/100, crime rate 44.8/1k. Cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo. Compared to 26 other East of England cities below.
Cambridge: cost index 129 (+26 vs national avg 103), rent £1,450/month.
East of England region average cost index: 103. Cambridge is +26 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 61/100 — safety 74, healthcare 88, walkability 82.
Safety score: 74/100 (crime rate 44.8/1k). National average: 61/100.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 |
| 2 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
| 3 | Exeter | 106 | £1,020 | £32,600 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 |
| 5 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 |
| 6 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 7 | Norwich | 99 | £920 | £32,000 |
| 8 | Reading | 124 | £1,300 | £40,000 |
| 9 | Plymouth | 97 | £870 | £31,000 |
| 10 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 |
| 11 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 |
| 12 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 13 | Swansea | 87 | £720 | £29,500 |
| 14 | Southampton | 113 | £1,130 | £35,200 |
| 15 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 16 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 17 | London | 142 | £2,000 | £42,500 |
| 18 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 |
| 19 | Coventry | 94 | £880 | £30,500 |
| 20 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
Most comparisons stop at rent. We didn't. Cambridge has a cost index of 129 — 26 points above the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £41,000 with rent at £1,450/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 42%. This combination is rare — and valuable.
But here's the flip side: looking at East of England as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 26 points on the cost index. Manchester sits at the other end with index 103 and rent of £1,080/mo. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Cambridge scores a composite score of 61/100 — reflecting its safety (74), healthcare (88), and walkability (82) 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.
Cambridge — cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo, income £41,000, QoL 61/100.
York — cost index 107, rent £1,080/mo, income £34,700, QoL 64/100.
Exeter — cost index 106, rent £1,020/mo, income £32,600, QoL 64/100.
Edinburgh — cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000, QoL 65/100.
Oxford — cost index 132, rent £1,500/mo, income £39,000, QoL 58/100.
Cambridge scores 61/100 on the relevant index for families — with rent of £1,450/month and cost index 129 (26 points above the national average of 103).
The East of England region of average QoL score is 60/100. Cambridge 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.
Cambridge: cost index 129, rent £1,450/mo, income £41,000/yr, QoL 61/100. York: cost index 107, rent £1,080/mo, income £34,700/yr, QoL 64/100.
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.