Is Plymouth a Good Place to Live? Full Area Report

South West / Devon·Last updated:

Avg Property Price

£225,000

Avg Rent

£800/month

Crime Rating

Average

Schools (Good+)

71% Good or Outstanding

Broadband Avg

68 Mbps

Transport

Average

Flood Risk

Medium

Population

265K

Is Plymouth a good place to live?

Plymouth is a waterfront city in Devon with a proud naval heritage, spectacular harbour views, and easy access to both Dartmoor National Park and the south-west coastline. HouseCheckup property data shows Plymouth offers some of the most affordable coastal living in southern England, making it attractive to families and first-time buyers. The city's regeneration of the waterfront and Royal William Yard has created vibrant new living and dining spaces.

What is the average property price in Plymouth?

The average property price in Plymouth is £225,000, with average rent of £800/month. Population is 265K. These figures aggregate HM Land Registry transactions and live rental listings across Plymouth, and are updated alongside the rest of this guide on .

What's the flood risk in Plymouth?

HouseCheckup classifies the flood-risk picture in Plymouth 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 Plymouth a safe place to live?

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

What are the schools like in Plymouth?

Around 71% Good or Outstanding in Plymouth. The HouseCheckup property report shows the catchment-area schools for any address with their full Ofsted history.

What is the transport like in Plymouth?

Plymouth has a transport rating of Average, drawn from NaPTAN public transport access nodes and rail data. Average broadband speed is 68 Mbps per Ofcom Connected Nations.

Pros of Living in Plymouth

  • Affordable coastal living with stunning harbour and sea views
  • Gateway to Dartmoor National Park and the South West Coast Path
  • Strong naval and marine sector employment
  • Vibrant waterfront regeneration at Royal William Yard and the Barbican
  • University of Plymouth contributing to a youthful population

Cons of Living in Plymouth

  • Relatively isolated with long journey times to London and the south-east
  • Employment opportunities more limited outside marine, defence, and public sectors
  • Some areas of deprivation, particularly in Devonport and Stonehouse
  • Rail journey times to Exeter and beyond are slow on the coastal line

Frequently Asked Questions About Plymouth

According to the ONS UK House Price Index, the average house price in Plymouth was £218,000 in January 2026, up 4.5% on January 2025 — among the strongest annual price growth recorded by the ONS for any English core city. The typical first-time-buyer price was £195,000, well inside HMRC's £300,000 stamp-duty relief threshold. Plymouth remains one of the most affordable English coastal cities. For an address-level price check on any Plymouth postcode, run a £24.99 HouseCheckup report.
Plymouth is the largest city on the south-west peninsula and offers a rare combination of coastal living, Dartmoor National Park access, and strong defence employment via HMNB Devonport (the largest naval base in Western Europe). The University of Plymouth is widely cited for marine and engineering research. ONS records show housing affordability among the strongest of any English coastal city. For wider comparisons, see /research/best-places-for-families-uk.
Police.UK and Devon and Cornwall Police data place Plymouth at roughly the average crime rate for an English city of its size. Residential suburbs PL9 Plymstock, PL7 Plympton, and PL6 Derriford record consistently lower crime rates and remain popular with families. Most reported city-centre crime concentrates in the Union Street and Bretonside night-time-economy zone. For a national comparison, see /blog/safest-places-to-live-uk-2026.
Ofsted's inspection database shows Plymouth with Good and Outstanding clusters spread across the city, particularly in PL3 Mannamead and PL9 Plymstock. Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls, and Plymouth High School for Girls are selective grammar schools that drive a clear catchment premium. Plymouth College is the main independent option. For the school-price relationship, see /blog/school-catchment-areas-property-prices.
Environment Agency flood maps put parts of Plymouth waterfront — including PL1 Sutton Harbour, PL1 Stonehouse, PL2 Devonport, and the Royal William Yard — in Flood Zones 2 and 3 due to tidal-surge risk along the Sound and the Tamar/Plym estuaries. Coastal-erosion risk also applies along certain Plymouth Hoe and Mount Batten cliffs. Always check the EA Flood Map for Planning at the address level before exchange. For more, see /blog/flood-risk-zones-explained and /blog/coastal-erosion-property-risk.
ONS records the average Plymouth first-time-buyer price at £195,000 in January 2026, far below HMRC's £300,000 first-time-buyer stamp-duty relief threshold under the April 2025 SDLT regime. Postcodes PL2 Devonport, PL2 Keyham, and PL3 Efford routinely contain entry-level family homes below £170,000. Plymouth is among the strongest English coastal cities for first-time entry. For a complete plan, read /blog/first-time-buyer-checklist-2026.
Plymouth supports strong rental yields driven by a 20,000-strong University of Plymouth student population and military personnel rotation through HMNB Devonport. ONS Private Rent and House Prices data for early 2026 shows the South West tracking annual rent inflation broadly in line with the UK rate of 3.4%. Postcodes PL4 city-centre and PL1 waterfront command the strongest yields. For yield analysis, see /blog/best-buy-to-let-areas-2026 and /blog/rental-yield-explained.
Plymouth station runs Great Western Railway services to London Paddington in around three hours and 20 minutes and CrossCountry services north via Bristol. The A38 Devon Expressway connects to the M5 at Exeter. Brittany Ferries operates Plymouth–Roscoff and Plymouth–Santander crossings from Millbay. Plymouth has no airport — Exeter Airport sits 50 minutes east. Run a £24.99 HouseCheckup report for connectivity at any Plymouth 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 Plymouth come from:

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