United Kingdom · Local Authorities · Compare
Portsmouth vs Southampton
Portsmouth (South East, England · ~215k people) · Southampton (South East, England · ~253k people)
Of 7 strictly-comparable measures: Portsmouth leads on 3, Southampton on 2, 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
Portsmouth
£36,457/yr
Worse than 79% of UK LAs
Southampton
£37,669/yr
Worse than 69% of UK LAs
Southampton: 3% higher median pay.
House price
ONS HPSSA-9 median · Year ending Sep 2025
Portsmouth
£260,000
Better than 57% of UK LAs
Southampton
£260,000
Better than 57% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Monthly rent
ONS PIPR (newly-signed lets) · 2026-03
Portsmouth
£1,357/mo
Worse than 76% of UK LAs
Southampton
£1,246/mo
Worse than 68% of UK LAs
Southampton: 9% lower median rent.
Council tax (Band D)
MHCLG · 2026-27
Portsmouth
£2,292/yr
Better than 82% of UK LAs
Southampton
£2,381/yr
Better than 62% of UK LAs
Portsmouth: £89 less per year at Band D.
Recorded crime
ONS PFA Table C4 · Year ending Dec 2025
Portsmouth
112.9/1k
Worse than 93% of UK LAs
Southampton
120.3/1k
Worse than 96% of UK LAs
Portsmouth: 7% lower recorded-crime rate.
Deprivation (IMD)
MHCLG Indices of Deprivation · 2019
Portsmouth
26.9
Worse than 81% of UK LAs
Southampton
26.9
Worse than 80% of UK LAs
Effectively tied — under 2% apart.
Schools (Ofsted)
Ofsted MI · Feb 2026 snapshot
Portsmouth
91.8%
Worse than 72% of UK LAs
Southampton
88.8%
Worse than 83% of UK LAs
Portsmouth: 3.0 percentage points more pupils in Good/Outstanding schools.
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.
Portsmouth
Rent takes 45% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 7.1× median annual pay
Southampton
Rent takes 40% of median gross monthly pay
A median home costs 6.9× median annual pay
Full Portsmouth profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.
Full Southampton profile →
Every indicator, all state-funded schools with Ofsted grades, and similar areas.