TrackPostcode.UK

Area report

Is Biggleswade a good place to live?

Central Bedfordshire, East of England, England

67 / 100
GoodOverall score

Report completeness: 85%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.

69Remote workers
65Families
64Retirees
71Young professionals
65Students

In short

Biggleswade scores 67 out of 100 overall, putting it in the top 49 per cent of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its biggest lead is employment, scoring 82 against the English median of 61; its biggest shortfall is affordability, 43 against 64.

  • Nearest scored area: Letchworth, about 8 miles away, scoring 59.
  • Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 67 out of 100.
  • Report completeness 85 per cent: categories without data are excluded rather than estimated.

How detailed is this report?

Open data is published at different levels of detail, and this report always uses the most granular level available rather than pretending otherwise.

  • Point-level for this exact location: Weather (from the Met Office Cambridge NIAB station, 30 km away); Healthcare (facilities within about 2 km, hospitals within about 8 km); Transport (stops within 800 m and the nearest railway station); Air quality (the 1 km grid cell containing this point).
  • Council-level, covering all of Central Bedfordshire: Cost of living, Affordability, Housing, Employment, Broadband, Education. Every postcode and town in the council shares these figures.

Research this area further with trusted open data: police.uk street-level crime map, HM Land Registry sold prices, ONS local area profiles, Ofcom broadband checker. This report is open-source intelligence: everything is built from published government and public datasets you can check yourself.

43 / 100
FairAffordability score
£356,453Average price2026-06
9.1xPrice to earningsvs UK median full-time salary
£39,039Earnings assumedONS ASHE, updated annually

With a ten per cent deposit, the average Biggleswade home needs borrowing of 8.2 times a single UK median full-time salary of £39,039, beyond the 4.5 times most lenders will go to, so it takes a second income or a larger deposit. Try your own figures below.

£
£

Guidance only, using standard lending multiples and typical outgoings. Not a mortgage offer or financial advice. TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority; always seek independent professional advice before financial decisions.

99 / 100
ExcellentHousing score
£356,453Average price2026-06
+2.9%Annual change

UK House Price Index for Central Bedfordshire, all property types. Steady growth scores best; sharp falls and overheating both score lower.

Crime and safety

Source: police.uk

Crime data could not be loaded for this location.

Weather and outdoors

Source: Met Office
78 / 100
Very goodOutdoor score
—Sunshine hours/yrnot measured here
598 mmRainfall/yr
23.3°CSummer high (avg)
2.8°CWinter low (avg)
34Air frost days/yr
Cambridge NIABNearest weather station30 km away

Outdoor suitability

82Walking
83Running
86Cycling
80Gardening

Biggleswade has relatively low rainfall for the UK, about 598 mm a year. Summer days typically reach around 23.3°C and winter nights fall to about 2.8°C.

Averages over 6 years (2020-2025) from the Met Office Cambridge NIAB station, 30 km away. This station does not record sunshine, so the outdoor score here is calculated from rainfall and temperature only. How the outdoor score works. Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright.

87 / 100
ExcellentBroadband score
97.8%Superfast availabilitypremises with 30 Mbit/s or more
83.8%Gigabit availabilitypremises with 1 Gbit/s capable

Ofcom Connected Nations coverage for Central Bedfordshire: the share of premises that can get each service, not the share that has taken it up.

33 / 100
ChallengingEducation score
44.8Attainment 8 average score202425
Council levelMeasured atshared by the whole local authority

Local authority average, key stage 4, state-funded schools. Source: Department for Education. Each nation publishes its own measure, so this compares within England only. How education is scored.

40 / 100
FairHealthcare score
2GP surgerieswithin about 2 km
4Pharmacieswithin about 2 km
2Dentistswithin about 2 km
1Hospitalswithin about 8 km

Counted from OpenStreetMap around this exact point; a nearby GP and pharmacy carry the most weight. How it is scored. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

82 / 100
Very goodEmployment score
85.4%Employment rateaged 16-64
NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026Survey period

ONS Annual Population Survey for Central Bedfordshire, via NOMIS. Most UK councils fall between about 62% and 82% employment.

87 / 100
ExcellentEnvironment score
7.15 µg/m³PM2.5 annual meanWHO guideline: 5 µg/m³
8.07 µg/m³NO2 annual meanWHO guideline: 10 µg/m³
2024Data year

Defra modelled background air for the 1 km grid cell around this point (Crown copyright), scored against the WHO 2021 guidelines.

80 / 100
Very goodTransport score
54Stops within 800 mbus, tram and metro
0.2 kmNearest railway stationBiggleswade Rail Station
Point-levelMeasured atthis exact location

DfT NaPTAN stops around this exact point. Twelve or more stops within 800 m, and a station within 1 km, each earn full marks.

Cost of living

Source: ONS
56 / 100
GoodCost of living score
£1,250Average monthly rentall property types
Jun-26Data period
38%Rent as share of payof UK median full-time gross pay

Average private rent, from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents. Rent stands in for cost of living because it is the largest living cost and the one that varies most between places.

Lifestyle and amenities

Source: OpenStreetMap

Lifestyle data is being sourced. We only publish figures once they are loaded from OpenStreetMap, so nothing here is estimated or invented.

Who Biggleswade suits

Of the 1 profiles we score, Biggleswade suits remote workers best, at 69 out of 100.

Biggleswade is a markedly better fit for some households than others. It ranks in the top 15% of the 539 areas we have scored for young professionals, and the bottom 34% for retirees. That gap comes from the same twelve categories weighted differently, which is why one overall score can never answer the question on its own.

How Biggleswade ranks for each type of household
HouseholdScoreStandingWhat it weights
Young professionals71top 15%Weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband.
Families65top 41%Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare.
Remote workers69bottom 49%Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather.
Students65bottom 37%Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety.
Retirees64bottom 34%Weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living.

The same twelve scores, weighted per household. Set your own weights in the relocation quiz.

Stands out on

  • Employment
  • Housing
  • Transport
  • Broadband
  • Environment

Worth checking carefully

  • Affordability
  • Healthcare
  • Education

Built only from the categories with data; 2 are still to load for this area.

How Biggleswade compares

Biggleswade compared with every other area we have scored
CategoryBiggleswadeEngland medianUK medianvs England medianUK position
Cost of living567172-15bottom 23%
Affordability436468-21bottom 19%
Weather787272+6top 22%
Employment826159+21top 3%
Housing998383+16top 3%
Transport807575+5top 27%
Broadband878888-1bottom 46%
Environment878991-2bottom 32%
Healthcare405452-14bottom 26%
Education333940-6bottom 23%

Medians and positions are across the 539 areas in our index. Safety and education are measured differently in each nation, so read those two rows against the England median only.

What Biggleswade does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are employment (82, 21 above the median) and housing (99, 16 above the median).

Where it falls short. Affordability (43, 21 below), cost of living (56, 15 below) and healthcare (40, 14 below).

Near Biggleswade, and places like it

Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Biggleswade, 1 scores higher: St Neots (69). Biggleswade scores 67. St Neots is ahead mainly on education (+18), while Biggleswade keeps the advantage on employment (+20).

Scored areas within about 50 miles of Biggleswade
AreaDistanceWhereOverallBand
Letchworth7.7 milesNorth Hertfordshire, East of England, England59Good
Bedford9.4 milesBedford, East of England, England66Good
Hitchin9.5 milesNorth Hertfordshire, East of England, England56Good
St Neots9.7 milesHuntingdonshire, East of England, England69Good
Stevenage13 milesStevenage, East of England, England61Good
Luton16 milesLuton, East of England, England64Good

Straight-line distances, so roads are longer. Any place not listed can be searched directly.

Areas with the most similar scoring profile to Biggleswade
AreaWhereOverallAverage gap
Leighton BuzzardCentral Bedfordshire, East of England, England652.8
DunstableCentral Bedfordshire, East of England, England654.6
BanburyCherwell, South East, England675.7
LewesLewes, South East, England645.7
TrowbridgeWiltshire, South West, England665.9

Average score gap across every category both areas have, so smaller is closer. Neighbouring areas are left out.

What a home in Biggleswade actually costs

Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI

The average home in Biggleswade is £356,453, 32 per cent above the median of the areas we have scored. With a ten per cent deposit of £35,645, repaying the rest costs about £2,067 a month, £817 more than renting at the local average of £1,250, and needs a household income of about £71,300 to borrow.

The cost of buying in Biggleswade
MeasureFigure
Average property price£356,453 (June 2026)
Change over 12 months+2.9%, rising
Against our index median32% above the £270,569 median across every area we have scored
10% deposit£35,645
15% deposit£53,468
Price to earnings9.1 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039
Monthly repayment£2,067 on a £320,808 mortgage (10% deposit, 6% over 25 years)
Against renting£817 more than the £1,250 average monthly rent
Income to borrow itAbout £71,300 a year at 4.5 times income

Council-wide average across all property types; the multiple uses UK median full-time earnings (April 2025 (ONS ASHE)). Illustrative arithmetic, not a mortgage assessment or financial advice; TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Air quality in Biggleswade, against the limits

Source: Defra modelled background maps

Fine particulates, at 7.2, sit inside the UK 2040 target of 10 but above the World Health Organization guideline of 5, as in most of Britain. Nitrogen dioxide, at 8.1, is well inside the UK limit of 40 and inside the WHO guideline of 10.

Modelled background air quality in Biggleswade, micrograms per cubic metre
PollutantBiggleswadeUK objectiveWHO guidelineStanding
Fine particulates (PM2.5)7.2105Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)8.14010Inside both

Neighbourhood background levels from the Defra 1 km model; readings beside a busy road are higher. UK figures are the legal limit (NO₂) and 2040 target (PM2.5); WHO figures are health guidelines, not law.

Questions about Biggleswade

Is Biggleswade a good place to live?

Biggleswade has an overall liveability score of 67 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 85% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on housing and broadband. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

What is the crime rate in Biggleswade?

Recorded crime for Biggleswade is shown in the crime and safety section, from police.uk for England and Wales or Scottish Government statistics for Scotland.

What is the weather like in Biggleswade?

Biggleswade averages about 598 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 78 out of 100. Summer highs average 23.3°C and winter lows 2.8°C. The station records no sunshine series, so that score is built from rainfall and temperature alone. Based on the Met Office Cambridge NIAB station, 30 km away.

How expensive is it to live in Biggleswade?

Average private rent in the Central Bedfordshire area is about £1,250 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Biggleswade a cost-of-living score of 56 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

What are house prices like in Biggleswade?

The average property price in Central Bedfordshire is about £356,453 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +2.9% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Can I afford to buy a house in Biggleswade?

The average property in Central Bedfordshire costs about £356,453, which is 9.1 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 43 out of 100. Mainstream lenders usually cap borrowing at around four to four and a half times income, so a ratio above that generally means a larger deposit, a second income or a cheaper property than the local average. With a ten per cent deposit, repaying the rest costs about £2,067 a month at 6% over 25 years, £817 more than the £1,250 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

How fast is broadband in Biggleswade?

About 97.8% of premises in Central Bedfordshire can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 83.8% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 87 out of 100 (Ofcom Connected Nations). These are council-area availability figures - the share of premises able to order each service, not the speed any single line achieves - so check the exact address with the Ofcom broadband checker before committing to it.

What is the job market like in Biggleswade?

85.4% of 16 to 64 year olds in Central Bedfordshire are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 82 out of 100. UK local authorities typically range from about 62% to 82%. This is a whole-authority figure, so it describes the local labour market rather than any one town within it.

Are the schools good in Biggleswade?

Central Bedfordshire records 44.8 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 33 out of 100. Each nation publishes its own attainment measure and they are not interchangeable, so education scores compare within England, Scotland or Wales and not across them. Attainment is published for the whole council or county rather than for a school catchment, so check individual schools with the inspectorate before deciding.

What is the air quality like in Biggleswade?

For the 1 km grid square containing Biggleswade, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.15 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 8.07 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 87 out of 100; an area meeting both guideline levels scores 100. These are modelled background concentrations for the square, not a reading taken at the roadside.

Are there GPs and dentists near Biggleswade?

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 2 GP surgeries, 4 pharmacies and 2 dentists. 1 hospital is within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 40 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

Does Biggleswade have good transport links?

The nearest railway station is Biggleswade Rail Station, about 0.2 km away, and there are 54 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 80 out of 100. Stops come from the DfT NaPTAN dataset and are counted for this exact point, so the figure measures access rather than how frequently anything runs.

Which council area is Biggleswade in?

Biggleswade is in the Central Bedfordshire local authority, East of England, England. It falls within the Biggleswade West ward and the North Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency. Cost of living, housing, affordability, employment, broadband and education figures in this report are published at local-authority level, so every postcode and town inside Central Bedfordshire shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Is Biggleswade a good place for remote workers?

Biggleswade scores 69 out of 100 on our remote workers profile, which is weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. That is close to its general score of 67, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-remote-workers/.

How does Biggleswade compare with the rest of England?

Biggleswade sits in the top 49% of the 539 UK areas we have scored. The median area in the index scores 67 out of 100. It is furthest above the benchmark for its nation on employment and housing. It is furthest below on affordability, cost of living and healthcare. Categories are compared against the area's own nation where the samples allow it, because crime and school attainment are measured differently either side of the border.

What are the best places to live near Biggleswade?

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Biggleswade, the highest are St Neots (69 out of 100, about 10 miles away), Bedford (66 out of 100, about 9 miles away) and Luton (64 out of 100, about 16 miles away). Biggleswade itself scores 67. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Which places are most similar to Biggleswade?

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Leighton Buzzard (Central Bedfordshire, East of England, England), Dunstable (Central Bedfordshire, East of England, England) and Banbury (Cherwell, South East, England). Similarity is the average gap across every category both areas have data for, with immediate neighbours excluded, so these are places that score alike rather than places that look alike or sit nearby.

What area does this report cover?

Weather, crime, local amenities, healthcare access, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment and broadband come from official statistics for the Central Bedfordshire council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. Education comes from the local authority, or from the county where attainment is only published at county level. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.