TrackPostcode.UK

Area report

Is Sevenoaks a good place to live?

Sevenoaks, South East, England

47 / 100
FairOverall score

Report completeness: 75%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.

50Remote workers
50Families
47Retirees
49Young professionals
40Students

In short

Sevenoaks scores 47 out of 100 overall, which places it below the median of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its biggest lead is housing, scoring 98 against the English median of 83; its biggest shortfall is affordability, 0 against 64.

  • Nearest scored area: Tonbridge, about 6 miles away, scoring 56.
  • Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 67 out of 100.
  • Report completeness 75 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: 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 Sevenoaks: Cost of living, Affordability, Housing, Employment, Broadband, Education. Every postcode and town in the council shares these figures.
  • Not scored here: Weather (the nearest Met Office historic station, Heathrow, is 50 km away), too far to describe this location, so it is left out of the overall score.

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.

0 / 100
Very challengingAffordability score
£543,081Average price2026-06
13.9xPrice to earningsvs UK median full-time salary
£39,039Earnings assumedONS ASHE, updated annually

With a ten per cent deposit, the average Sevenoaks home needs borrowing of 12.5 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.

98 / 100
ExcellentHousing score
£543,081Average price2026-06
+3.2%Annual change

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

Crime and safety

Source: police.uk

Crime data could not be loaded for this location.

Weather and outdoors

Source: Met Office

No weather score for Sevenoaks. The nearest Met Office historic station, Heathrow, is 50 km away, beyond the 40 km we accept, so its climate would describe somewhere else. Weather is left out of the overall score here rather than borrowed. Why.

79 / 100
Very goodBroadband score
96.1%Superfast availabilitypremises with 30 Mbit/s or more
75.8%Gigabit availabilitypremises with 1 Gbit/s capable

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

47 / 100
FairEducation score
48.3Attainment 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.

55 / 100
GoodHealthcare score
5GP surgerieswithin about 2 km
5Pharmacieswithin about 2 km
4Dentistswithin about 2 km
4Hospitalswithin 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.

51 / 100
FairEmployment score
73.9%Employment rateaged 16-64
NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026Survey period

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

88 / 100
ExcellentEnvironment score
6.94 µg/m³PM2.5 annual meanWHO guideline: 5 µg/m³
8.1 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.

64 / 100
GoodTransport score
20Stops within 800 mbus, tram and metro
1 kmNearest railway stationSevenoaks 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
24 / 100
Very challengingCost of living score
£1,798Average monthly rentall property types
Jun-26Data period
55%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

Lifestyle data is being sourced. We only publish figures once they are loaded from OpenStreetMap, so nothing here is estimated or invented.

Who Sevenoaks suits

Sevenoaks suits most households about equally: from the bottom 3% for families to the bottom 1% for students of the 539 areas we have scored.

How Sevenoaks ranks for each type of household
HouseholdScoreStandingWhat it weights
Families50bottom 3%Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare.
Remote workers50bottom 2%Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather.
Retirees47bottom 2%Weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living.
Young professionals49bottom 1%Weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband.
Students40bottom 1%Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety.

The same twelve scores, weighted per household. Set your own weights in the relocation quiz.

Stands out on

  • Housing
  • Environment

Worth checking carefully

  • Cost of living
  • Affordability

Built only from the categories with data; 3 are still to load for this area.

How Sevenoaks compares

Sevenoaks compared with every other area we have scored
CategorySevenoaksEngland medianUK medianvs England medianUK position
Cost of living247172-47bottom 5%
Affordability06468-64bottom 3%
Employment516159-10bottom 30%
Housing988383+15top 5%
Transport647575-11bottom 16%
Broadband798888-9bottom 20%
Environment888991-1bottom 37%
Healthcare555452+1top 44%
Education473940+8top 25%

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 Sevenoaks does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are housing (98, 15 above the median) and education (47, 8 above the median).

Where it falls short. Affordability (0, 64 below), cost of living (24, 47 below) and transport (64, 11 below).

Near Sevenoaks, and places like it

Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Sevenoaks, 6 score higher: Sidcup (60), Tonbridge (56), Dartford (56) and 3 others. Sevenoaks scores 47. Sidcup is ahead mainly on affordability (+29), while Sevenoaks keeps the advantage on housing (+14).

Scored areas within about 50 miles of Sevenoaks
AreaDistanceWhereOverallBand
Tonbridge6.4 milesTonbridge and Malling, South East, England56Good
Orpington8.3 milesBromley, London, England52Fair
Royal Tunbridge Wells10.0 milesTunbridge Wells, South East, England49Fair
Bromley12 milesBromley, London, England51Fair
Sidcup12 milesBexley, London, England60Good
Dartford13 milesDartford, South East, England56Good

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

Areas with the most similar scoring profile to Sevenoaks
AreaWhereOverallAverage gap
GodalmingWaverley, South East, England539.2
BrentwoodBrentwood, East of England, England469.3
HornchurchHavering, London, England549.4
HertfordEast Hertfordshire, East of England, England569.6
Bishop's StortfordEast Hertfordshire, East of England, England569.6

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

What a home in Sevenoaks actually costs

Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI

The average home in Sevenoaks is £543,081, 101 per cent above the median of the areas we have scored. With a ten per cent deposit of £54,308, repaying the rest costs about £3,149 a month, £1,351 more than renting at the local average of £1,798, and needs a household income of about £108,600 to borrow.

The cost of buying in Sevenoaks
MeasureFigure
Average property price£543,081 (June 2026)
Change over 12 months+3.2%, rising
Against our index median101% above the £270,569 median across every area we have scored
10% deposit£54,308
15% deposit£81,462
Price to earnings13.9 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039
Monthly repayment£3,149 on a £488,773 mortgage (10% deposit, 6% over 25 years)
Against renting£1,351 more than the £1,798 average monthly rent
Income to borrow itAbout £108,600 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 Sevenoaks, against the limits

Source: Defra modelled background maps

Fine particulates, at 6.9, 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 8.1, is well inside the UK limit of 40 and inside the WHO guideline of 10.

Modelled background air quality in Sevenoaks, micrograms per cubic metre
PollutantSevenoaksUK objectiveWHO guidelineStanding
Fine particulates (PM2.5)6.9105Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)8.14010Inside both

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 Sevenoaks

Is Sevenoaks a good place to live?

Sevenoaks has an overall liveability score of 47 out of 100 (fair) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 75% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on housing and broadband. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

What is the crime rate in Sevenoaks?

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

What is the weather like in Sevenoaks?

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

How expensive is it to live in Sevenoaks?

Average private rent in the Sevenoaks area is about £1,798 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Sevenoaks a cost-of-living score of 24 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

What are house prices like in Sevenoaks?

The average property price in Sevenoaks is about £543,081 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +3.2% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Can I afford to buy a house in Sevenoaks?

The average property in Sevenoaks costs about £543,081, which is 13.9 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 £3,149 a month at 6% over 25 years, £1,351 more than the £1,798 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

How fast is broadband in Sevenoaks?

About 96.1% of premises in Sevenoaks can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 75.8% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 79 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 Sevenoaks?

73.9% of 16 to 64 year olds in Sevenoaks are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 51 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 Sevenoaks?

Sevenoaks records 48.3 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 47 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 Sevenoaks?

For the 1 km grid square containing Sevenoaks, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 6.94 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 8.1 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 88 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.

Are there GPs and dentists near Sevenoaks?

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 5 GP surgeries, 5 pharmacies and 4 dentists. 4 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 55 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

Does Sevenoaks have good transport links?

The nearest railway station is Sevenoaks Rail Station, about 1 km away, and there are 20 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 64 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 Sevenoaks in?

Sevenoaks is in the Sevenoaks local authority, South East, England. It falls within the Sevenoaks Town and St John's ward and the Sevenoaks 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 Sevenoaks shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

How does Sevenoaks compare with the rest of England?

Sevenoaks sits in the bottom 2% 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 housing and education. It is furthest below on affordability, cost of living and transport. 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 Sevenoaks?

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Sevenoaks, the highest are Sidcup (60 out of 100, about 12 miles away), Tonbridge (56 out of 100, about 6 miles away) and Dartford (56 out of 100, about 13 miles away). Sevenoaks itself scores 47. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Which places are most similar to Sevenoaks?

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Godalming (Waverley, South East, England), Brentwood (Brentwood, East of England, England) and Hornchurch (Havering, 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.

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 Sevenoaks 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.