Is Newbury a good place to live?

Newbury has an overall liveability score of 61 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 75% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and housing. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

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

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

Average private rent in the West Berkshire area is about £1,303 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Newbury a cost-of-living score of 53 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in West Berkshire is about £402,790 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +0.2% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

The average property in West Berkshire costs about £402,790, which is 10.3 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 30 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 £2,336 a month at 6% over 25 years, £1,033 more than the £1,303 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 98.8% of premises in West Berkshire can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 87.5% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 91 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.

81.5% of 16 to 64 year olds in West Berkshire are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 72 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 4.1%. 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.

West Berkshire records 48.9 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 50 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 Newbury, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 6.41 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 8.54 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 92 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 460 mapped amenities, including 110 places to eat and drink, 215 shops, 90 parks and sports facilities and 9 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 62 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 Newbury Rail Station, about 0.3 km away, and there are 49 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 78 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.

Newbury is in the West Berkshire local authority, South East, England. It falls within the Newbury Central ward and the Newbury 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 West Berkshire shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Newbury scores 64 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 61, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently.

Newbury scores 59 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is close to its general score of 61, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Newbury sits in the bottom 19% 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 education. It is furthest below on affordability, cost of living and housing. 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 Newbury, the highest are Marlborough (65 out of 100, about 18 miles away), Reading (60 out of 100, about 16 miles away) and Andover (59 out of 100, about 15 miles away). Newbury itself scores 61. 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 Warwick (Warwick, West Midlands, England), Stratford-upon-Avon (Stratford-on-Avon, West Midlands, England) and Royal Leamington Spa (Warwick, West Midlands, 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 West Berkshire 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.