Is Nottingham a Good Place to Live? Full Area Report

Name: HouseCheckup UK Property Database
Creator: HouseCheckup
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

East Midlands / Nottinghamshire·Last updated: 2026-05-06

Avg Property Price

£215,000

Avg Rent

£775/month

Crime Rating

Above Average

Schools (Good+)

69% Good or Outstanding

Broadband Avg

72 Mbps

Transport

Good

Flood Risk

Medium

Population

330K

Is Nottingham a good place to live?

Nottingham is a lively East Midlands city famed for Robin Hood, its two rival football clubs, and an excellent tram network. HouseCheckup property data shows Nottingham offers some of the best value in England for buyers, with strong rental yields attracting investors to the city centre. The city has a youthful energy driven by its two universities and a growing creative and digital economy.

What is the average property price in Nottingham?

The average property price in Nottingham is £215,000, with average rent of £775/month. Population is 330K. These figures aggregate HM Land Registry transactions and live rental listings across Nottingham, and are updated alongside the rest of this guide on 2026-05-06.

What's the flood risk in Nottingham?

HouseCheckup classifies the flood-risk picture in Nottingham as Medium, drawing on Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning data and surface-water flooding layers. A full HouseCheckup property report adds the postcode-specific zone, historical flood incidents, and 2050/2080 climate projections.

Is Nottingham a safe place to live?

Police.UK street-level data places Nottingham's overall crime rate at Above Average. Like every UK town and city, Nottingham has safer and less safe streets — see the HouseCheckup property report for the postcode-specific picture.

What are the schools like in Nottingham?

Around 69% Good or Outstanding in Nottingham. The HouseCheckup property report shows the catchment-area schools for any address with their full Ofsted history.

What is the transport like in Nottingham?

Nottingham has a transport rating of Good, drawn from NaPTAN public transport access nodes and rail data. Average broadband speed is 72 Mbps per Ofcom Connected Nations.

Pros of Living in Nottingham

Very affordable property prices with strong rental yields for investors
Excellent tram network (NET) connecting key residential areas to the city centre
Vibrant nightlife and cultural scene driven by a large student population
Central location with good rail and motorway connections
Rich history and green spaces including Wollaton Park and Sherwood Forest nearby

Cons of Living in Nottingham

Higher-than-average crime rates, particularly in the city centre
Flood risk along the River Trent corridor
Some areas have high deprivation levels and limited investment
Graduate retention could be stronger, with some talent moving to London or Manchester

Frequently Asked Questions About Nottingham

According to the ONS UK House Price Index, the average house price in Nottingham was £194,000 in February 2026, broadly flat against February 2025. ONS records the typical first-time-buyer price in Nottingham at £178,000 and home-mover average at £231,000. Nottingham remains one of the more affordable East Midlands cities, well below the UK-wide average of £268,000. For an address-level price check on any Nottingham postcode, run a £24.99 HouseCheckup report.

Nottingham hosts two large universities (Nottingham, Nottingham Trent) supporting a large student and graduate population, plus growing employment in life sciences, financial services (Capital One, Experian), and digital. ONS data shows Nottingham housing comfortably more affordable than the East Midlands average. Ofsted records the strongest school clusters in NG2 West Bridgford and NG7 The Park. For wider liveability comparisons, see /research/best-places-for-families-uk.

Police.UK and Nottinghamshire Police data show Nottingham's overall crime rate above the England and Wales average — typical for an English core city with a large night-time economy. Residential suburbs NG2 West Bridgford, NG9 Beeston, and NG3 Mapperley Park record consistently lower crime rates. Most reported city-centre crime concentrates in the Hockley and Lace Market night-time economy. For a national safety comparison, see /blog/safest-places-to-live-uk-2026.

Ofsted's inspection database shows Nottingham's strongest Good and Outstanding clusters in NG2 West Bridgford and the southern suburbs. Independent options include Nottingham High School and Nottingham Girls' High School, both highly attaining. The University of Nottingham is a Russell Group institution. Catchment areas around West Bridgford comprehensives drive measurable price premiums — see /blog/school-catchment-areas-property-prices.

Environment Agency flood maps put much of the River Trent corridor through Nottingham — including parts of NG2 West Bridgford, NG7 Lenton, and the Meadows in NG2 — in Flood Zones 2 and 3. The Trent has a long flood history and flood defences along the riverside have been substantially upgraded. Always check the EA Flood Map for Planning at the address level before exchange. For more, see /blog/flood-risk-zones-explained.

ONS records the average Nottingham first-time-buyer price at £178,000 in February 2026, far below HMRC's £300,000 first-time-buyer stamp-duty relief threshold under the April 2025 SDLT regime. Postcodes NG6 Bulwell, NG2 Sneinton, and NG3 St Ann's regularly contain entry-level terraces below £140,000. Nottingham is one of the stronger English core cities for first-time entry on price. For a complete plan, read /blog/first-time-buyer-checklist-2026.

Nottingham is regularly cited by HomeLet and ONS as offering some of the strongest rental yields in England, supported by a 60,000-strong combined student population across two universities. ONS Private Rent and House Prices data shows the East Midlands tracking UK rent inflation of 3.4% in early 2026. Postcodes NG7 Lenton and NG1 city-centre command premium student-driven yields. For yield-led investment, see /blog/best-buy-to-let-areas-2026 and /blog/rental-yield-explained.

Nottingham Express Transit (NET) operates one of the UK's most-cited tram networks, with two lines and 51 stops connecting Hucknall and Clifton South to the city centre via the QMC and Beeston. East Midlands Railway runs services to London St Pancras in around 90 minutes. The M1 sits just west of the city and East Midlands Airport at Castle Donington serves European routes. Run a £24.99 HouseCheckup report for connectivity scores at any Nottingham postcode.

Related research and reports

Cheapest UK postcodes for first-time buyers (2026)HouseCheckup-original ranking of the most affordable UK postcodes, with avg price, rent, transport and schools.Safest UK postcodes (2026)Police.UK-derived ranking of the safest postcodes by crime rate, plus the local-area context behind each entry.Best UK property reports (2026 comparison)Side-by-side review of every major UK property report — HouseCheckup, Groundsure, Hometrack, Rightmove and Zoopla.

Data sources for this guide

HouseCheckup area guides aggregate official UK government datasets. The figures shown above for Nottingham come from:

Pillar guide

Cheapest places to live in the UK (2026)

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