Living in Southwold: Liveability Score 42/100
Last updated 7 August 2026
Southwold scores 42/100 overall, across 7 scored categories. Measured against other towns, lifestyle stands out most: 52/100 where the typical UK town scores 21/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is schools: 8/100 versus a median of 23/100.
That places it last of the 3 scored places in the IP18 postcode district. Its lifestyle score runs 16 points above the IP18 district's 36/100. That is 8 points below the national benchmark of 50, the middle half of all UK towns and villages. For the surrounding area, see IP18 postcode district.
Settlement area
The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.
Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.
Southwold scores 42 but individual postcodes tell the full story
See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Southwold.
Score breakdown
Safety & Environment
Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.
Services
Economy & Bills
No official data available for this category.
Transport
Lifestyle
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House Prices
Current median sale prices · last 12 months · England & Wales only
| Type | Median price | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| All dwellings | £525,000 | 10 |
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (OGL v3.0)
Nearby places
Frequently asked questions
Is Southwold a nice place to live?
Southwold has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Southwold is 42/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.
What are the best schools in Southwold?
Among the top-rated schools in Southwold is Reydon Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Southwold in total.
What are house prices like in Southwold?
The current median house price in Southwold is £525,000, around 84% above the England and Wales average. Over the past five years, prices have fallen by around 23%.
Southwold in context
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