Is Watford a good place to live?

Watford has an overall liveability score of 57 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 100% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on housing and broadband. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

About 714 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Watford in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 41 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

Watford 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, 20 km away.

Average private rent in the Watford area is about £1,817 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Watford a cost-of-living score of 23 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Watford is about £396,385 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +2.8% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Watford scores 41 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 12% 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 Watford costs about £396,385, which is 10.2 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 31 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 £2,299 a month at 6% over 25 years, £482 more than the £1,817 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 99.7% of premises in Watford can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 94.4% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 96 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.

72.6% of 16 to 64 year olds in Watford are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 48 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.

Watford records 51.7 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 61 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 Watford, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 7.98 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 13.66 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 77 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 566 mapped amenities, including 133 places to eat and drink, 212 shops, 153 parks and sports facilities and 8 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 71 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 12 GP surgeries, 9 pharmacies and 3 dentists. 8 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 72 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 Watford High Street Rail Station, about 0.4 km away, and there are 39 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 74 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.

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

Watford scores 59 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 57, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-remote-workers/.

Watford scores 58 out of 100 on our families profile, which is weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare. That is close to its general score of 57, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-families/.

Watford 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 education, healthcare and housing. It is furthest below on cost of living, affordability and employment. 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 Watford, the highest are Hemel Hempstead (57 out of 100, about 7 miles away), Amersham (57 out of 100, about 9 miles away) and St Albans (51 out of 100, about 7 miles away). Watford itself scores 57. 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 Slough (Slough, South East, England), Sidcup (Bexley, London, England) and Bexleyheath (Bexley, 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 Watford 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.