Is Oxford a good place to live?

Oxford has an overall liveability score of 54 out of 100 (fair) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 100% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on local amenities and broadband. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

About 556 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Oxford in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 43 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

Oxford averages 1,702 sunshine hours and about 750 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 80 out of 100. Summer highs average 23°C and winter lows 3.2°C. Based on the Met Office Oxford station, 1 km away.

Average private rent in the Oxford area is about £1,961 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Oxford a cost-of-living score of 14 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Oxford is about £466,815 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed -0.9% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Oxford 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 Oxford costs about £466,815, which is 12 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 11 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 £2,707 a month at 6% over 25 years, £746 more than the £1,961 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 96.6% of premises in Oxford can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 79.9% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 83 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.

81.7% of 16 to 64 year olds in Oxford are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 72 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.

Oxford records 47.4 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 43 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 Oxford, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.14 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 13.74 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 82 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 1,542 mapped amenities, including 444 places to eat and drink, 519 shops, 337 parks and sports facilities and 37 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 94 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 21 GP surgeries, 10 pharmacies and 9 dentists. 6 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 89 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 Oxford Rail Station, about 0.9 km away, and there are 98 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 94 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.

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

Oxford scores 59 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is 5 points above its general score of 54, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently.

Oxford scores 55 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 54, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-remote-workers/.

Oxford sits in the bottom 8% 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, healthcare and transport. It is furthest below on cost of living, affordability 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 Oxford, the highest are Bicester (67 out of 100, about 11 miles away), Banbury (67 out of 100, about 22 miles away) and Witney (61 out of 100, about 10 miles away). Oxford itself scores 54. 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 Cambridge (Cambridge, East of England, England), Bath (Bath and North East Somerset, South West, England) and Greenwich (Greenwich, 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 Oxford 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.