United Kingdom · South West · Local Authority
Exeter
Non-metropolitan district · South West, England · population ~133k · 41 state-funded schools
High housing costs and high crime rates are the main trade-offs for Exeter. While median house prices are £300,000, below the South West median, monthly rent is significantly higher at £1,312, taking 44.7% of gross median earnings. This is the highest rent-to-pay ratio in the South West. Recorded crime is also high, at 95.9 per 1,000 people, higher than all but one other authority in the region. Median weekly earnings are below the regional average, and the proportion of pupils in Good or Outstanding schools is also lower than the South West median. This location suits those prioritising proximity to amenities over affordability and safety.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-08 data.
The signature
How Exeter ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£35,235/yr
Very low
Worse than 90% of UK LAs
House price
£300,000
Mid-range
Worse than 55% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,312/mo
Expensive
Worse than 72% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,495/yr
Expensive
Worse than 68% of UK LAs
Crime
95.9/1k
Highest
Worse than 81% of UK LAs
Deprivation
16.2
Low
Better than 60% of UK LAs
Schools
75.6%
Concerning
Worse than 100% of UK LAs
Colour shows quintile position against 361 UK Local Authorities. Green is the best position for someone moving here; red is the worst. Direction is set per indicator — higher pay, lower rent, less crime, less deprivation are all green.
Schools
41 state-funded schools · Ofsted Feb 2026
31 of 41 (75.6%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. How we count →
The map
41 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 41 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Exeter →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
What we don't know yet
Commute times · GP appointment availability · broadband speeds · air quality at LA level · green-space proximity · public transport coverage. These matter for a relocation decision. We'll add them when the source data is reliable nationally and consistent across LA boundaries.