Is Merton a good place to live?

Merton has an overall liveability score of 49 out of 100 (fair) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 85% 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.

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

Merton 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, 20 km away.

Average private rent in the Merton area is about £2,134 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Merton a cost-of-living score of 4 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Merton is about £612,681 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +0.5% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

The average property in Merton costs about £612,681, which is 15.7 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 0 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 £3,553 a month at 6% over 25 years, £1,419 more than the £2,134 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 99.6% of premises in Merton can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 95% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 96 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.

75.9% of 16 to 64 year olds in Merton are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 56 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 8.2%. 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.

Merton records 54.2 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 71 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 Merton, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 8.69 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 17.54 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 68 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 1,294 mapped amenities, including 346 places to eat and drink, 590 shops, 211 parks and sports facilities and 25 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 92 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.

The nearest railway station is Haydons Road Rail Station, about 1.3 km away, and there are 43 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 75 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.

Merton is in the Merton local authority, London, England. It falls within the Colliers Wood ward and the Mitcham and Morden 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 Merton shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Merton scores 52 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 49, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently.

Merton scores 51 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 49, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-remote-workers/.

Merton sits in the bottom 3% 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, education and broadband. It is furthest below on cost of living, affordability and environment. 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 Merton, the highest are Sutton (57 out of 100, about 4 miles away), Kingston upon Thames (56 out of 100, about 5 miles away) and Croydon (54 out of 100, about 5 miles away). Merton itself scores 49. 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 Ealing (Ealing, London, England), Hackney (Hackney, London, England) and Hounslow (Hounslow, London, 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 Merton 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.