United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Plymouth vs Swindon
Plymouth (South West, England · ~263k people) · Swindon (South West, England · ~223k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Plymouth leads on 2, Swindon on 3, 2 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
Plymouth
£35,396/yr
Worse than 89% of UK LAs
Swindon
£39,421/yr
Around UK average
Swindon: 11% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Plymouth
£225,000
Better than 70% of UK LAs
Swindon
£280,000
Around UK average
Plymouth: 24% lower median price.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Plymouth
£985/mo
Around UK average
Swindon
£1,082/mo
Worse than 57% of UK LAs
Plymouth: 10% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Plymouth
£2,442/yr
Around UK average
Swindon
£2,438/yr
Around UK average
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Plymouth
91.9/1k
Worse than 77% of UK LAs
Swindon
68.8/1k
Better than 56% of UK LAs
Swindon: 34% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Plymouth
26.6
Worse than 79% of UK LAs
Swindon
18.6
Around UK average
Swindon: lower average deprivation score (18.6 vs 26.6).
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Plymouth
92.0%
Worse than 69% of UK LAs
Swindon
93.0%
Around UK average
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.
Plymouth
Rent takes 33% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.4× median annual pay
Swindon
Rent takes 33% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.1× median annual pay
Full Plymouth profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Swindon profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.