Is Southwark a good place to live?

Southwark has an overall liveability score of 49 out of 100 (fair) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 100% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on local amenities and housing. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

About 2,595 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Southwark in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 26 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

Southwark 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, 25 km away.

Average private rent in the Southwark area is about £2,402 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Southwark a cost-of-living score of 0 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Southwark is about £582,473 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +2.2% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Southwark scores 26 out of 100 for safety - challenging - measured from recorded crime within about a mile of this point for the latest published month (police.uk). That puts it in the bottom 1% 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 Southwark costs about £582,473, which is 14.9 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 £3,378 a month at 6% over 25 years, £976 more than the £2,402 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 97.6% of premises in Southwark can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 90.6% 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.

75.5% of 16 to 64 year olds in Southwark are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 55 out of 100. Unemployment stands at 7.4%. 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.

Southwark records 53.1 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 67 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 Southwark, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 10.05 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 28.09 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 46 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 4,439 mapped amenities, including 2,194 places to eat and drink, 1,378 shops, 493 parks and sports facilities and 83 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 98 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 86 GP surgeries, 31 pharmacies and 57 dentists. 78 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 100 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 London Bridge Station, about 0.7 km away, and there are 81 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 89 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.

Southwark is in the Southwark local authority, London, England. It falls within the Borough & Bankside ward and the Bermondsey and Old Southwark 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 Southwark shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Southwark scores 53 out of 100 on our young professionals profile, which is weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. That is 4 points above its general score of 49, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently.

Southwark scores 51 out of 100 on our families profile, which is weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare. 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-families/.

Southwark 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 healthcare, lifestyle and education. 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 Southwark, the highest are Lewisham (52 out of 100, about 5 miles away), Greenwich (50 out of 100, about 4 miles away) and Wandsworth (47 out of 100, about 5 miles away). Southwark 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 Wimbledon (Merton, London, England), Ealing (Ealing, London, England) and Walthamstow (Waltham Forest, 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 Southwark 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.