Know before you move — schools, safety, prices, transport and more, from official UK data.
Plain-English guides to UK areas, built from the same official data as our reports.
An area guide for every UK local authority. Wondering what an area is like, or whether it is a good place to live? Open a district and search a postcode there for schools, crime, transport, prices and more.
SL1, B23, M1 — the first half of a postcode. Those are listed separately, grouped by area.
361 districts across the UK ·
“Is it a good place to live?” has no single answer — it depends on what you need. A family moving to a new city in the UK will look at schools and GP surgeries first; a commuter at stations and broadband; a retiree at hospitals, shops and quiet streets. This neighbourhood guide lets you check each of those for any postcode in the district.
We do not publish a list of the best areas to live in the UK, because any ranking bakes in somebody else’s priorities. Instead, every district here opens a real report built from official data, and the compare tool puts two areas side by side.
Schools and inspection results, recorded crime, health services, transport, sold prices, broadband, food hygiene and the local MP.
Search more than one postcode — city centres, suburbs and outer districts can differ a great deal inside one council.
Know the SL1 or M1 part of the postcode instead? The postcode districts page lists every one.
Decide what matters most to you, then check those measures for a postcode there: schools, crime, commute, health services, prices and broadband. Visit at different times of day as well — data cannot tell you how a street feels.
It depends on your priorities, which is why we do not rank places. Use the compare tool to put your shortlist side by side on the same measures.
School places and GP registration, commute times, council tax, broadband, flood warnings and recent sold prices. Our moving checklist lists the admin in order.
Yes — every local authority district in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is listed, and any postcode can be searched whether or not someone has looked at that district before.
The first half of a postcode, such as SL1 or B23. It covers a few thousand addresses, and the postcode districts page lists them all by area.