Is Colchester a good place to live?

Colchester has an overall liveability score of 63 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 90% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and local amenities. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

About 585 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Colchester in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 43 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

The weather section shows annual sunshine, rainfall and typical temperatures for Colchester from Met Office climate data for the location.

Average private rent in the Colchester area is about £1,203 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Colchester a cost-of-living score of 59 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Colchester is about £298,003 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed -0.3% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Colchester scores 43 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 17% 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.

The average property in Colchester costs about £298,003, which is 7.6 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 60 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 £1,728 a month at 6% over 25 years, £525 more than the £1,203 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 97.7% of premises in Colchester can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 83.3% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 86 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.

74.3% of 16 to 64 year olds in Colchester are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 52 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.

Colchester records 46 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 37 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.

For the 1 km grid square containing Colchester, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.34 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 11.17 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 84 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.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 975 mapped amenities, including 245 places to eat and drink, 540 shops, 119 parks and sports facilities and 9 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 81 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.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 8 GP surgeries, 8 pharmacies and 12 dentists. 5 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 75 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

The nearest railway station is Colchester City Rail Station, about 0.5 km away, and there are 52 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 79 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.

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

Colchester scores 64 out of 100 on our retirees profile, which is weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living. That is close to its general score of 63, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-for-retirement/.

Colchester scores 64 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is close to its general score of 63, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area.

Colchester sits in the bottom 25% 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 lifestyle and healthcare. It is furthest below on housing, cost of living and employment. 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.

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Colchester, the highest are Felixstowe (71 out of 100, about 20 miles away), Ipswich (70 out of 100, about 16 miles away) and Clacton-on-Sea (66 out of 100, about 13 miles away). Colchester itself scores 63. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Bury St Edmunds (West Suffolk, East of England, England), Chelmsford (Chelmsford, East of England, England) and Rochester (Medway, 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.

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 Colchester 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.