GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Harrow vs Merton: which is the better place to live?
Is Harrow or Merton a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Harrow and Merton across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Harrow wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 70/100 versus 69.9/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Harrow | Merton | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 70/100 | 69.9/100 | Harrow |
| Better value | 45 | 50 | Merton |
| For families | 94.2 | 96.2 | Merton |
| For commuters | 53.7 | 65.7 | Merton |
| For healthcare access | 70 | 39.4 | Harrow |
| Avg house price | £527,239 | £591,638 | Harrow (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,511 | £2,147 | Merton (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 96.6% | 100% | Merton |
| Crime per 1,000 | 101.7 | 101.7 | Level |
| Gigabit broadband | 87.6% | 93.8% | Merton |
| Gera GP Access score | 70 | 39.4 | Harrow |
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Harrow wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 70/100 vs 69.9/100.
| Verdict | Harrow | Merton | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 70 | 69.9 | Harrow (+0.1) |
| Better value | 45 | 50 | Merton (+5) |
| For families | 94.2 | 96.2 | Merton (+2) |
| For commuters | 53.7 | 65.7 | Merton (+12) |
| For healthcare access | 70 | 39.4 | Harrow (+30.6) |
| Measure | Harrow | Merton |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £527,239 | £591,638 |
| Band D council tax | £2,511 | £2,147 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 96.6% | 100% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 101.7 | 101.7 |
| Gigabit broadband | 87.6% | 93.8% |
| Gera GP Access score | 70 | 39.4 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Harrow or Merton a better place to live overall?
- Harrow scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 70/100 versus 69.9/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 0.1 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Harrow or Merton?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Merton is better value. Average house prices are £527,239 in Harrow and £591,638 in Merton; Band D council tax is £2,511 versus £2,147 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Harrow or Merton better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Merton comes out ahead for families. Harrow has 96.6% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 101.7 per 1,000; Merton has 100% and 101.7 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Harrow or Merton?
- For connectivity, Harrow has 87.6% gigabit-capable premises and Merton has 93.8% (Ofcom, June 2026). Merton leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Harrow or Merton?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Harrow scores 70 (West and North London ICB) and Merton scores 39.4 (South West London ICB). Harrow 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).