Best places in South West for young professionals
Persona weighting: Affordability (rent) 25%, Connectivity (broadband) 25%, Living cost (council tax) 20%, Safety (low crime) 15%, Health (life expectancy) 10%, Schools (Ofsted Good+) 5%.
Updated quarterly · from the latest government data releases.
What is the best place to live in South West for young professionals?
As of 2026-06-19, the best South West local authority for young professionals is Swindon, scoring 67.7/100 on the Gera Persona Fit index — a persona-weighted composite of rent, crime, Ofsted schools, broadband, life expectancy and council tax across 25 South West local authorities. GeraRent recomputes it quarterly.
| # | Area | Persona Fit | GLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swindon | 67.7 | 64.6 |
| 2 | Torbay | 65.7 | 64.8 |
| 3 | Cheltenham | 64.8 | 63.3 |
| 4 | Tewkesbury | 64.1 | 64.0 |
| 5 | Plymouth | 63.5 | 63.5 |
| 6 | North Somerset | 63.4 | 65.8 |
| 7 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 63.1 | 65.1 |
| 8 | Exeter | 62.6 | 60.6 |
| 9 | East Devon | 62.4 | 62.5 |
| 10 | Forest of Dean | 61.9 | 61.4 |
| 11 | Gloucester | 59.9 | 58.4 |
| 12 | Teignbridge | 59.1 | 59.5 |
| 13 | North Devon | 57.7 | 57.9 |
| 14 | Cotswold | 57.3 | 60.2 |
| 15 | South Gloucestershire | 57.2 | 60.9 |
| 16 | Dorset | 56.2 | 56.6 |
| 17 | Wiltshire | 56.2 | 57.9 |
| 18 | Bristol, City of | 54.6 | 53.2 |
| 19 | Bath and North East Somerset | 54.1 | 61.0 |
| 20 | Torridge | 54.0 | 54.7 |
| 21 | Stroud | 53.7 | 55.8 |
| 22 | West Devon | 53.3 | 55.1 |
| 23 | South Hams | 53.0 | 56.5 |
| 24 | Mid Devon | 52.3 | 55.2 |
| 25 | Cornwall | 51.3 | 52.1 |
Young professionals in other regions
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Browse verified rental listings in South West on GeraRent and set an alert for new homes that match your budget.
Search rentals on GeraRentSources (all Open Government Licence v3.0):
- ONS — Price Index of Private Rents — as of May 2026.
- HM Land Registry — UK House Price Index — as of April 2026.
- MHCLG — Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England — as of 2026-27.
- Ofcom — Connected Nations (Gera Broadband Index) — as of July 2024.
- ONS — Life expectancy by local authority — as of 2017-19.
- Ofsted — State-funded school inspection outcomes — as of 31 May 2026.
- Home Office — Police recorded crime (PFA) + ONS population — as of Year ending December 2025.
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 © Crown copyright. Recorded-crime figures are neutral official statistics shown as context only and must not be used to characterise an area or its residents.