GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Bristol vs Wiltshire: which is the better place to live?
Is Bristol or Wiltshire a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Bristol and Wiltshire across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Bristol wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 63.4/100 versus 62.7/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Bristol | Wiltshire | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 63.4/100 | 62.7/100 | Bristol |
| Better value | 49.4 | 54.2 | Wiltshire |
| For families | 84.7 | 89.4 | Wiltshire |
| For commuters | 67.3 | 32.4 | Bristol |
| For healthcare access | 19.8 | 43.7 | Wiltshire |
| Avg house price | £353,662 | £325,267 | Wiltshire (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,714 | £2,572 | Wiltshire (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 80% | 82.8% | Wiltshire |
| Crime per 1,000 | 95.8 | 55.6 | Wiltshire (safer) |
| Gigabit broadband | 94.7% | 69.4% | Bristol |
| Gera GP Access score | 19.8 | 43.7 | Wiltshire |
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Bristol wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 63.4/100 vs 62.7/100.
| Verdict | Bristol | Wiltshire | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 63.4 | 62.7 | Bristol (+0.7) |
| Better value | 49.4 | 54.2 | Wiltshire (+4.8) |
| For families | 84.7 | 89.4 | Wiltshire (+4.7) |
| For commuters | 67.3 | 32.4 | Bristol (+34.9) |
| For healthcare access | 19.8 | 43.7 | Wiltshire (+23.9) |
| Measure | Bristol | Wiltshire |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £353,662 | £325,267 |
| Band D council tax | £2,714 | £2,572 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 80% | 82.8% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 95.8 | 55.6 |
| Gigabit broadband | 94.7% | 69.4% |
| Gera GP Access score | 19.8 | 43.7 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Bristol or Wiltshire a better place to live overall?
- Bristol scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 63.4/100 versus 62.7/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 0.7 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Bristol or Wiltshire?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Wiltshire is better value. Average house prices are £353,662 in Bristol and £325,267 in Wiltshire; Band D council tax is £2,714 versus £2,572 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Bristol or Wiltshire better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Wiltshire comes out ahead for families. Bristol has 80% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 95.8 per 1,000; Wiltshire has 82.8% and 55.6 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Bristol or Wiltshire?
- For connectivity, Bristol has 94.7% gigabit-capable premises and Wiltshire has 69.4% (Ofcom, June 2026). Bristol leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Bristol or Wiltshire?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Bristol scores 19.8 (Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB) and Wiltshire scores 43.7 (Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB). Wiltshire 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).