GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Medway vs Portsmouth: which is the better place to live?
Is Medway or Portsmouth a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Medway and Portsmouth across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Portsmouth wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 70.4/100 versus 69.8/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Medway | Portsmouth | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 69.8/100 | 70.4/100 | Portsmouth |
| Better value | 61.4 | 64.5 | Portsmouth |
| For families | 93.3 | 92.9 | Medway |
| For commuters | 61.5 | 71 | Portsmouth |
| For healthcare access | 31.3 | 17.9 | Medway |
| Avg house price | £294,322 | £250,377 | Portsmouth (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,329 | £2,292 | Portsmouth (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 92.5% | 90.9% | Medway |
| Crime per 1,000 | 80.7 | 74 | Portsmouth (safer) |
| Gigabit broadband | 88.8% | 96.4% | Portsmouth |
| Gera GP Access score | 31.3 | 17.9 | Medway |
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Portsmouth wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 70.4/100 vs 69.8/100.
| Verdict | Medway | Portsmouth | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 69.8 | 70.4 | Portsmouth (+0.6) |
| Better value | 61.4 | 64.5 | Portsmouth (+3.1) |
| For families | 93.3 | 92.9 | Medway (+0.4) |
| For commuters | 61.5 | 71 | Portsmouth (+9.5) |
| For healthcare access | 31.3 | 17.9 | Medway (+13.4) |
| Measure | Medway | Portsmouth |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £294,322 | £250,377 |
| Band D council tax | £2,329 | £2,292 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 92.5% | 90.9% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 80.7 | 74 |
| Gigabit broadband | 88.8% | 96.4% |
| Gera GP Access score | 31.3 | 17.9 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Medway or Portsmouth a better place to live overall?
- Portsmouth scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 70.4/100 versus 69.8/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 0.6 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Medway or Portsmouth?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Portsmouth is better value. Average house prices are £294,322 in Medway and £250,377 in Portsmouth; Band D council tax is £2,329 versus £2,292 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Medway or Portsmouth better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Medway comes out ahead for families. Medway has 92.5% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 80.7 per 1,000; Portsmouth has 90.9% and 74 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Medway or Portsmouth?
- For connectivity, Medway has 88.8% gigabit-capable premises and Portsmouth has 96.4% (Ofcom, June 2026). Portsmouth leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Medway or Portsmouth?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Medway scores 31.3 (Kent and Medway ICB) and Portsmouth scores 17.9 (Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB). Medway 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).