GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Doncaster vs Sunderland: which is the better place to live?
Is Doncaster or Sunderland a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Doncaster and Sunderland across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Doncaster wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 81/100 versus 78.8/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Doncaster | Sunderland | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 81/100 | 78.8/100 | Doncaster |
| Better value | 71.4 | 72.2 | Sunderland |
| For families | 93.5 | 94.5 | Sunderland |
| For commuters | 71.8 | 59.7 | Doncaster |
| For healthcare access | 77 | 75 | Doncaster |
| Avg house price | £173,624 | £145,293 | Sunderland (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,168 | £2,197 | Doncaster (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 95.5% | 95.7% | Sunderland |
| Crime per 1,000 | 101.1 | 90.6 | Sunderland (safer) |
| Gigabit broadband | 89.7% | 91.9% | Sunderland |
| Gera GP Access score | 77 | 75 | Doncaster |
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Doncaster wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 81/100 vs 78.8/100.
| Verdict | Doncaster | Sunderland | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 81 | 78.8 | Doncaster (+2.2) |
| Better value | 71.4 | 72.2 | Sunderland (+0.8) |
| For families | 93.5 | 94.5 | Sunderland (+1) |
| For commuters | 71.8 | 59.7 | Doncaster (+12.1) |
| For healthcare access | 77 | 75 | Doncaster (+2) |
| Measure | Doncaster | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £173,624 | £145,293 |
| Band D council tax | £2,168 | £2,197 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 95.5% | 95.7% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 101.1 | 90.6 |
| Gigabit broadband | 89.7% | 91.9% |
| Gera GP Access score | 77 | 75 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Doncaster or Sunderland a better place to live overall?
- Doncaster scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 81/100 versus 78.8/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 2.2 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Doncaster or Sunderland?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Sunderland is better value. Average house prices are £173,624 in Doncaster and £145,293 in Sunderland; Band D council tax is £2,168 versus £2,197 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Doncaster or Sunderland better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Sunderland comes out ahead for families. Doncaster has 95.5% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 101.1 per 1,000; Sunderland has 95.7% and 90.6 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Doncaster or Sunderland?
- For connectivity, Doncaster has 89.7% gigabit-capable premises and Sunderland has 91.9% (Ofcom, June 2026). Doncaster leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Doncaster or Sunderland?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Doncaster scores 77 (South Yorkshire ICB) and Sunderland scores 75 (North East and North Cumbria ICB). Doncaster 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).