GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Barnet vs Waltham Forest: which is the better place to live?
Is Barnet or Waltham Forest a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Barnet and Waltham Forest across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Waltham Forest wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 68.1/100 versus 65.9/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Barnet | Waltham Forest | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 65.9/100 | 68.1/100 | Waltham Forest |
| Better value | 50.5 | 48 | Barnet |
| For families | 94.2 | 91.4 | Barnet |
| For commuters | 28.2 | 68.9 | Waltham Forest |
| For healthcare access | 70 | 37 | Barnet |
| Avg house price | £587,297 | £524,099 | Waltham Forest (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,133 | £2,387 | Barnet (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 96.6% | 92% | Barnet |
| Crime per 1,000 | 101.7 | 101.7 | Level |
| Gigabit broadband | 69.9% | 93.9% | Waltham Forest |
| Gera GP Access score | 70 | 37 | Barnet |
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Waltham Forest wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 68.1/100 vs 65.9/100.
| Verdict | Barnet | Waltham Forest | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 65.9 | 68.1 | Waltham Forest (+2.2) |
| Better value | 50.5 | 48 | Barnet (+2.5) |
| For families | 94.2 | 91.4 | Barnet (+2.8) |
| For commuters | 28.2 | 68.9 | Waltham Forest (+40.7) |
| For healthcare access | 70 | 37 | Barnet (+33) |
| Measure | Barnet | Waltham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £587,297 | £524,099 |
| Band D council tax | £2,133 | £2,387 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 96.6% | 92% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 101.7 | 101.7 |
| Gigabit broadband | 69.9% | 93.9% |
| Gera GP Access score | 70 | 37 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Barnet or Waltham Forest a better place to live overall?
- Waltham Forest scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 68.1/100 versus 65.9/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 2.2 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Barnet or Waltham Forest?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Barnet is better value. Average house prices are £587,297 in Barnet and £524,099 in Waltham Forest; Band D council tax is £2,133 versus £2,387 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Barnet or Waltham Forest better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Barnet comes out ahead for families. Barnet has 96.6% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 101.7 per 1,000; Waltham Forest has 92% and 101.7 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Barnet or Waltham Forest?
- For connectivity, Barnet has 69.9% gigabit-capable premises and Waltham Forest has 93.9% (Ofcom, June 2026). Waltham Forest leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Barnet or Waltham Forest?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Barnet scores 70 (West and North London ICB) and Waltham Forest scores 37 (North East London ICB). Barnet has the better GP access (NHS England, June 2026).
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Contains public sector information published by GeraRent and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Gera Liveability Index — joined UK government open data (June 2026, published 2026-06-19).