United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Cornwall vs Plymouth
Cornwall (South West, England · ~573k people) · Plymouth (South West, England · ~263k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Cornwall leads on 2, Plymouth on 2, 3 effectively tied. Which trade-offs matter is yours to weigh — the rows below show where each one wins.
Head to head
Median pay
ONS ASHE (residence) · 2025
Cornwall
£35,298/yr
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
Plymouth
£35,396/yr
Worse than 89% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Cornwall
£290,000
Around UK average
Plymouth
£225,000
Better than 70% of UK LAs
Plymouth: 29% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Cornwall
£1,004/mo
Around UK average
Plymouth
£985/mo
Around UK average
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Cornwall
£2,591/yr
Worse than 86% of UK LAs
Plymouth
£2,442/yr
Around UK average
Plymouth: £149 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Cornwall
62.2/1k
Better than 66% of UK LAs
Plymouth
91.9/1k
Worse than 77% of UK LAs
Cornwall: 48% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Cornwall
23.1
Worse than 67% of UK LAs
Plymouth
26.6
Worse than 79% of UK LAs
Cornwall: lower average deprivation score (23.1 vs 26.6).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Cornwall
92.9%
Around UK average
Plymouth
92.0%
Worse than 69% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
What local pay actually covers
Same-place ratios — each area's own median rent and house price against its own median gross pay. A cheap-looking area stops looking cheap when local pay is lower still.
Cornwall
Rent takes 34% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 8.2× median annual pay
Plymouth
Rent takes 33% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.4× median annual pay
Full Cornwall profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Plymouth profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.