Area report
Is Test Valley a good place to live?
Test Valley, South East, England
Report completeness: 70%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.
In short
Test Valley scores 57 out of 100 overall, which places it below the median of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its biggest lead is environment, scoring 97 against the English median of 89; its biggest shortfall is transport, 25 against 75.
- Nearest scored area: Andover, about 5 miles away, scoring 59.
- Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 67 out of 100.
- Report completeness 70 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: 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 Test Valley: 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, Hurn, is 46 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.
Affordability
Source: HM Land RegistryWith a ten per cent deposit, the average Test Valley home needs borrowing of 8.6 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.
Housing
Source: HM Land RegistryUK House Price Index for Test Valley, all property types. Steady growth scores best; sharp falls and overheating both score lower.
Crime and safety
Source: police.ukCrime data could not be loaded for this location.
Weather and outdoors
Source: Met OfficeNo weather score for Test Valley. The nearest Met Office historic station, Hurn, is 46 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.
Broadband and mobile
Source: Ofcom Connected NationsOfcom Connected Nations coverage for Test Valley: the share of premises that can get each service, not the share that has taken it up.
Schools and education
Source: DfE and devolved governmentsLocal 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.
Healthcare
Source: OpenStreetMapHealthcare data is being sourced. We only publish figures once they are loaded from OpenStreetMap, so nothing here is estimated or invented.
Employment
Source: ONS / NOMISONS Annual Population Survey for Test Valley, via NOMIS. Most UK councils fall between about 62% and 82% employment.
Environment
Source: Defra UK-AIRDefra modelled background air for the 1 km grid cell around this point (Crown copyright), scored against the WHO 2021 guidelines.
Transport
Source: DfT NaPTANDfT 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: ONSAverage 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: OpenStreetMapLifestyle data is being sourced. We only publish figures once they are loaded from OpenStreetMap, so nothing here is estimated or invented.
Who Test Valley suits
Test Valley suits most households about equally: from the bottom 18% for retirees to the bottom 10% for young professionals of the 539 areas we have scored.
| Household | Score | Standing | What it weights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retirees | 59 | bottom 18% | Weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living. |
| Remote workers | 62 | bottom 17% | Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather. |
| Students | 55 | bottom 13% | Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. |
| Families | 56 | bottom 10% | Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare. |
| Young professionals | 57 | bottom 10% | Weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband. |
The same twelve scores, weighted per household. Set your own weights in the relocation quiz.
Stands out on
- Broadband
- Environment
Worth checking carefully
- Affordability
- Transport
- Education
Built only from the categories with data; 4 are still to load for this area.
How Test Valley compares
| Category | Test Valley | England median | UK median | vs England median | UK position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 57 | 71 | 72 | -14 | bottom 25% |
| Affordability | 39 | 64 | 68 | -25 | bottom 16% |
| Employment | 59 | 61 | 59 | -2 | top 50% |
| Housing | 71 | 83 | 83 | -12 | bottom 29% |
| Transport | 25 | 75 | 75 | -50 | bottom 1% |
| Broadband | 81 | 88 | 88 | -7 | bottom 26% |
| Environment | 97 | 89 | 91 | +8 | top 27% |
| Education | 40 | 39 | 40 | +1 | top 50% |
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 Test Valley does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are environment (97, 8 above the median).
Where it falls short. Transport (25, 50 below), affordability (39, 25 below) and cost of living (57, 14 below).
Near Test Valley, and places like it
Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Test Valley, 5 score higher: Salisbury (69), Eastleigh (66), Southampton (65) and 2 others. Test Valley scores 57. Salisbury is ahead mainly on transport (+59).
| Area | Distance | Where | Overall | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | 5.2 miles | Test Valley, South East, England | 59 | Good |
| Winchester | 9.2 miles | Winchester, South East, England | 53 | Fair |
| Romsey | 9.9 miles | Test Valley, South East, England | 61 | Good |
| Eastleigh | 13 miles | Eastleigh, South East, England | 66 | Good |
| Salisbury | 14 miles | Wiltshire, South West, England | 69 | Good |
| Southampton | 16 miles | Southampton, South East, England | 65 | Good |
Straight-line distances, so roads are longer. Any place not listed can be searched directly.
| Area | Where | Overall | Average gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blandford Forum | Dorset, South West, England | 64 | 8.5 |
| Bridport | Dorset, South West, England | 63 | 8.9 |
| Romford | Dorset, South West, England | 62 | 9.3 |
| Coalville | North West Leicestershire, East Midlands, England | 65 | 9.8 |
| Wells | Somerset, South West, England | 64 | 9.8 |
Average score gap across every category both areas have, so smaller is closer. Neighbouring areas are left out.
What a home in Test Valley actually costs
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPIThe average home in Test Valley is £372,348, 38 per cent above the median of the areas we have scored. With a ten per cent deposit of £37,235, repaying the rest costs about £2,159 a month, £933 more than renting at the local average of £1,226, and needs a household income of about £74,500 to borrow.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average property price | £372,348 (June 2026) |
| Change over 12 months | -0.2%, falling |
| Against our index median | 38% above the £270,569 median across every area we have scored |
| 10% deposit | £37,235 |
| 15% deposit | £55,852 |
| Price to earnings | 9.5 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039 |
| Monthly repayment | £2,159 on a £335,113 mortgage (10% deposit, 6% over 25 years) |
| Against renting | £933 more than the £1,226 average monthly rent |
| Income to borrow it | About £74,500 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 Test Valley, against the limits
Source: Defra modelled background mapsFine particulates, at 5.5, 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 4.5, is well inside the UK limit of 40 and inside the WHO guideline of 10.
| Pollutant | Test Valley | UK objective | WHO guideline | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particulates (PM2.5) | 5.5 | 10 | 5 | Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) | 4.5 | 40 | 10 | Inside 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 Test Valley
Is Test Valley a good place to live?
Test Valley has an overall liveability score of 57 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 70% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on broadband and housing. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.
What is the crime rate in Test Valley?
Recorded crime for Test Valley 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 Test Valley?
The weather section shows annual sunshine, rainfall and typical temperatures for Test Valley from Met Office climate data for the location.
How expensive is it to live in Test Valley?
Average private rent in the Test Valley area is about £1,226 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Test Valley a cost-of-living score of 57 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.
What are house prices like in Test Valley?
The average property price in Test Valley is about £372,348 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed -0.2% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.
Can I afford to buy a house in Test Valley?
The average property in Test Valley costs about £372,348, which is 9.5 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 39 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 £2,159 a month at 6% over 25 years, £933 more than the £1,226 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.
How fast is broadband in Test Valley?
About 96.4% of premises in Test Valley can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 77.4% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 81 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 Test Valley?
76.9% of 16 to 64 year olds in Test Valley are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 59 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 Test Valley?
Test Valley records 46.5 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 40 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 Test Valley?
For the 1 km grid square containing Test Valley, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 5.52 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 4.47 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 97 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.
Does Test Valley have good transport links?
The nearest railway station is Andover Rail Station, about 8.8 km away, and there are 2 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 25 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 Test Valley in?
Test Valley is in the Test Valley local authority, South East, England. It falls within the Mid Test ward and the Romsey and Southampton North 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 Test Valley shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.
How does Test Valley compare with the rest of England?
Test Valley sits in the bottom 13% 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 environment. It is furthest below on transport, affordability and cost of living. 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 Test Valley?
Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Test Valley, the highest are Salisbury (69 out of 100, about 14 miles away), Eastleigh (66 out of 100, about 13 miles away) and Southampton (65 out of 100, about 16 miles away). Test Valley itself scores 57. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.
Which places are most similar to Test Valley?
Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Blandford Forum (Dorset, South West, England), Bridport (Dorset, South West, England) and Romford (Dorset, South West, 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 Test Valley 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.