TrackPostcode.UK

Area report

Is Cheshunt a good place to live?

Broxbourne, East of England, England

56 / 100
GoodOverall score

Report completeness: 100%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.

59Remote workers
57Families
52Retirees
59Young professionals
51Students

In short

Cheshunt scores 56 out of 100 overall, which places it below the median of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its biggest lead is education, scoring 61 against the English median of 39; its biggest shortfall is cost of living, 31 against 71.

  • Nearest scored area: Enfield, about 4 miles away, scoring 49.
  • Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 67 out of 100.
  • Report completeness 100 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 Heathrow station, 38 km away); Crime (recorded within about one mile of this exact point); Lifestyle (amenities within about 2 km of this exact point); 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 Broxbourne: 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.

29 / 100
ChallengingAffordability score
£406,678Average price2026-06
10.4xPrice to earningsvs UK median full-time salary
£39,039Earnings assumedONS ASHE, updated annually

With a ten per cent deposit, the average Cheshunt home needs borrowing of 9.4 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.

77 / 100
Very goodHousing score
£406,678Average price2026-06
+0.4%Annual change

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

Crime and safety

Source: police.uk
50 / 100
FairSafety score
96Violent crime
68Anti-social behaviour
8Vehicle crime
6Burglary
58Shoplifting
318All recorded

All recorded crime by type

CategoryRecorded (2026-08)
Violent crime96
Anti social behaviour68
Shoplifting58
Other theft22
Criminal damage arson20
Public order17
Vehicle crime8
Drugs7
Burglary6
Possession of weapons4
Other crime4
Bicycle theft3
Theft from the person3
Robbery2

In 2026-08, 318 crimes were recorded within about a mile of this point in Cheshunt - a busy level of recorded crime, typical of urban centres. The most common headline category was violent crime. City and town centres naturally record more incidents than residential streets, so compare like for like.

Recorded crime within about one mile, 2026-08. Busy centres record more than quiet suburbs because more people pass through them than live there, so compare similar types of place. How safety is scored.

Weather and outdoors

Source: Met Office
72 / 100
Very goodOutdoor score
1,526Sunshine hours/yr
645 mmRainfall/yr
24.2°CSummer high (avg)
3.6°CWinter low (avg)
23Air frost days/yr
HeathrowNearest weather station38 km away

Outdoor suitability

77Walking
75Running
76Cycling
70Gardening

Cheshunt averages about 1,526 sunshine hours a year, around the middle of the UK range, with relatively low rainfall for the UK (about 645 mm a year). Summer days typically reach around 24.2°C and winter nights fall to about 3.6°C.

Averages over 6 years (2020-2025) from the Met Office Heathrow station, 38 km away. How the outdoor score works. Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright.

95 / 100
ExcellentBroadband score
99.5%Superfast availabilitypremises with 30 Mbit/s or more
92.3%Gigabit availabilitypremises with 1 Gbit/s capable

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

61 / 100
GoodEducation score
51.7Attainment 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
2Pharmacieswithin about 2 km
2Dentistswithin about 2 km
6Hospitalswithin 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.

76 / 100
Very goodEmployment score
83.3%Employment rateaged 16-64
NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026Survey period

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

80 / 100
Very goodEnvironment score
7.84 µg/m³PM2.5 annual meanWHO guideline: 5 µg/m³
12.44 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.

66 / 100
GoodTransport score
24Stops within 800 mbus, tram and metro
1.3 kmNearest railway stationTheobalds Grove 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
31 / 100
ChallengingCost of living score
£1,675Average monthly rentall property types
Jun-26Data period
51%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
49 / 100
FairLifestyle score
291Amenities nearbywithin about 2 km
39 + 106Food/drink + shops
112Parks and sport spots

What is nearby

CategoryCount
Food and drink39
Shops106
Health services7
Schools and learning24
Parks and sport112
Culture and community3

Counted from OpenStreetMap within about 2 km of this exact point; private gardens are not counted. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who Cheshunt suits

Of the 5 profiles we score, Cheshunt suits remote workers and young professionals equally well, at 59 out of 100.

Cheshunt suits most households about equally: from the bottom 13% for families to the bottom 6% for retirees of the 539 areas we have scored.

How Cheshunt ranks for each type of household
HouseholdScoreStandingWhat it weights
Families57bottom 13%Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare.
Young professionals59bottom 13%Weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband.
Remote workers59bottom 12%Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather.
Students51bottom 9%Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety.
Retirees52bottom 6%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

  • Broadband
  • Environment

Worth checking carefully

  • Cost of living
  • Affordability
  • Healthcare

How Cheshunt compares

Cheshunt compared with every other area we have scored
CategoryCheshuntEngland medianUK medianvs England medianUK position
Cost of living317172-40bottom 6%
Affordability296468-35bottom 13%
Safety505252-2bottom 40%
Weather7272720top 47%
Employment766159+15top 9%
Housing778383-6bottom 39%
Transport667575-9bottom 20%
Broadband958888+7top 21%
Environment808991-9bottom 13%
Healthcare405452-14bottom 26%
Education613940+22top 12%
Lifestyle495654-7bottom 37%

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 Cheshunt does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are education (61, 22 above the median) and employment (76, 15 above the median).

Where it falls short. Cost of living (31, 40 below), affordability (29, 35 below) and healthcare (40, 14 below).

Near Cheshunt, and places like it

Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Cheshunt, 1 scores higher: Harlow (61). Cheshunt scores 56. Harlow is ahead mainly on affordability (+27), while Cheshunt keeps the advantage on education (+24).

Scored areas within about 50 miles of Cheshunt
AreaDistanceWhereOverallBand
Enfield3.9 milesEnfield, London, England49Fair
Barnet6.6 milesBarnet, London, England46Fair
Hertford6.7 milesEast Hertfordshire, East of England, England56Good
Harlow7.5 milesHarlow, East of England, England61Good
Walthamstow7.8 milesWaltham Forest, London, England55Good
Hatfield8.7 milesWelwyn Hatfield, East of England, England55Good

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

Areas with the most similar scoring profile to Cheshunt
AreaWhereOverallAverage gap
Welwyn Garden CityWelwyn Hatfield, East of England, England555.6
RedhillReigate and Banstead, South East, England546.4
Hemel HempsteadDacorum, East of England, England576.5
CamberleySurrey Heath, South East, England586.8
LeatherheadMole Valley, South East, England556.9

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

Crime in Cheshunt: what kind, not just how much

Source: police.uk

What is distinctive about the mix here: shoplifting makes up 18 per cent of recorded crime here against 11 per cent typically. Shares are the useful comparison because they are unaffected by how busy an area is, which is the thing that otherwise dominates a raw crime count.

Recorded crime in Cheshunt by type, August 2026
Offence typeCountShareTypical shareDifference
Violence and sexual offences9630.2%34.0%-3.8
Anti-social behaviour6821.4%17.9%+3.5
Shoplifting5818.2%10.5%+7.7
Other theft226.9%5.6%+1.3
Criminal damage and arson206.3%7.0%-0.7
Public order175.3%7.4%-2.1
Vehicle crime82.5%2.9%-0.4
Drugs72.2%2.5%-0.3

318 offences recorded within about a mile of this point in August 2026, from police.uk. Counts are of offences reported to the police, so they reflect both crime and the willingness to report it. "Typical share" is the median across the areas in our index that have a breakdown, which is England and Wales only: Police Scotland does not publish to police.uk.

What a home in Cheshunt actually costs

Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI

The average home in Cheshunt is £406,678, 50 per cent above the median of the areas we have scored. With a ten per cent deposit of £40,668, repaying the rest costs about £2,358 a month, £683 more than renting at the local average of £1,675, and needs a household income of about £81,300 to borrow.

The cost of buying in Cheshunt
MeasureFigure
Average property price£406,678 (June 2026)
Change over 12 months+0.4%, rising
Against our index median50% above the £270,569 median across every area we have scored
10% deposit£40,668
15% deposit£61,002
Price to earnings10.4 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039
Monthly repayment£2,358 on a £366,010 mortgage (10% deposit, 6% over 25 years)
Against renting£683 more than the £1,675 average monthly rent
Income to borrow itAbout £81,300 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 Cheshunt, against the limits

Source: Defra modelled background maps

Fine particulates, at 7.8, 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 12.4, is well inside the UK limit of 40 but above the WHO guideline of 10.

Modelled background air quality in Cheshunt, micrograms per cubic metre
PollutantCheshuntUK objectiveWHO guidelineStanding
Fine particulates (PM2.5)7.8105Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)12.44010Inside the UK limit, above the WHO guideline

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 Cheshunt

Is Cheshunt a good place to live?

Cheshunt has an overall liveability score of 56 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 100% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and housing. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

What is the crime rate in Cheshunt?

About 318 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Cheshunt in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 50 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

What is the weather like in Cheshunt?

Cheshunt averages 1,526 sunshine hours and about 645 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 72 out of 100. Summer highs average 24.2°C and winter lows 3.6°C. Based on the Met Office Heathrow station, 38 km away.

How expensive is it to live in Cheshunt?

Average private rent in the Broxbourne area is about £1,675 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Cheshunt a cost-of-living score of 31 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

What are house prices like in Cheshunt?

The average property price in Broxbourne is about £406,678 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +0.4% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Is Cheshunt safe?

Cheshunt scores 50 out of 100 for safety - fair - measured from recorded crime within about a mile of this point for the latest published month (police.uk). That puts it in the bottom 40% of every area in our index. A safety score is a comparison with other areas rather than a guarantee about a street. Town and city centres record more crime than residential suburbs largely because more people pass through them, so compare places of a similar type before drawing a conclusion.

Can I afford to buy a house in Cheshunt?

The average property in Broxbourne costs about £406,678, which is 10.4 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 29 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 £2,358 a month at 6% over 25 years, £683 more than the £1,675 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

How fast is broadband in Cheshunt?

About 99.5% of premises in Broxbourne can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 92.3% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 95 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 Cheshunt?

83.3% of 16 to 64 year olds in Broxbourne are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 76 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 Cheshunt?

Broxbourne records 51.7 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 61 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 Cheshunt?

For the 1 km grid square containing Cheshunt, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.84 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 12.44 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 80 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.

What is there to do in Cheshunt?

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 291 mapped amenities, including 39 places to eat and drink, 106 shops, 112 parks and sports facilities and 3 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 49 out of 100. Counts come from OpenStreetMap and are measured at this exact location rather than averaged across the council, so they reflect how well served this particular spot is. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Are there GPs and dentists near Cheshunt?

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 2 GP surgeries, 2 pharmacies and 2 dentists. 6 hospitals are 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 Cheshunt have good transport links?

The nearest railway station is Theobalds Grove Rail Station, about 1.3 km away, and there are 24 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 66 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 Cheshunt in?

Cheshunt is in the Broxbourne local authority, East of England, England. It falls within the Cheshunt South and Theobalds ward and the Broxbourne 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 Broxbourne shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Is Cheshunt a good place for remote workers?

Cheshunt scores 59 out of 100 on our remote workers profile, which is weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. That is 3 points above its general score of 56, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-remote-workers/.

Is Cheshunt a good place for young professionals?

Cheshunt scores 59 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is 3 points above its general score of 56, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently.

How does Cheshunt compare with the rest of England?

Cheshunt sits in the bottom 11% 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 education and employment. It is furthest below on cost of living, affordability 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 Cheshunt?

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Cheshunt, the highest are Harlow (61 out of 100, about 7 miles away), Hertford (56 out of 100, about 7 miles away) and Walthamstow (55 out of 100, about 8 miles away). Cheshunt itself scores 56. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Which places are most similar to Cheshunt?

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Welwyn Garden City (Welwyn Hatfield, East of England, England), Redhill (Reigate and Banstead, South East, England) and Hemel Hempstead (Dacorum, East of England, 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 Broxbourne 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.