GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Kingston upon Hull vs Reading: which is the better place to live?
Is Kingston upon Hull or Reading a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Kingston upon Hull and Reading across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Kingston upon Hull wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 81.4/100 versus 78/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Kingston upon Hull | Reading | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 81.4/100 | 78/100 | Kingston upon Hull |
| Better value | 70.5 | 52.2 | Kingston upon Hull |
| For families | 90.6 | 94.5 | Reading |
| For commuters | 91.2 | 80.1 | Kingston upon Hull |
| For healthcare access | 59.3 | 70 | Reading |
| Avg house price | £135,051 | £345,112 | Kingston upon Hull (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,295 | £2,613 | Kingston upon Hull (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 90% | 92.3% | Reading |
| Crime per 1,000 | 96.1 | 64.1 | Reading (safer) |
| Gigabit broadband | 99.4% | 96.2% | Kingston upon Hull |
| Gera GP Access score | 59.3 | 70 | Reading |
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Kingston upon Hull wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 81.4/100 vs 78/100.
| Verdict | Kingston upon Hull | Reading | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 81.4 | 78 | Kingston upon Hull (+3.4) |
| Better value | 70.5 | 52.2 | Kingston upon Hull (+18.3) |
| For families | 90.6 | 94.5 | Reading (+3.9) |
| For commuters | 91.2 | 80.1 | Kingston upon Hull (+11.1) |
| For healthcare access | 59.3 | 70 | Reading (+10.7) |
| Measure | Kingston upon Hull | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £135,051 | £345,112 |
| Band D council tax | £2,295 | £2,613 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 90% | 92.3% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 96.1 | 64.1 |
| Gigabit broadband | 99.4% | 96.2% |
| Gera GP Access score | 59.3 | 70 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Kingston upon Hull or Reading a better place to live overall?
- Kingston upon Hull scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 81.4/100 versus 78/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 3.4 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Kingston upon Hull or Reading?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Kingston upon Hull is better value. Average house prices are £135,051 in Kingston upon Hull and £345,112 in Reading; Band D council tax is £2,295 versus £2,613 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Kingston upon Hull or Reading better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Reading comes out ahead for families. Kingston upon Hull has 90% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 96.1 per 1,000; Reading has 92.3% and 64.1 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Kingston upon Hull or Reading?
- For connectivity, Kingston upon Hull has 99.4% gigabit-capable premises and Reading has 96.2% (Ofcom, June 2026). Kingston upon Hull leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Kingston upon Hull or Reading?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Kingston upon Hull scores 59.3 (Humber and North Yorkshire ICB) and Reading scores 70 (West and North London ICB). Reading 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).