GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Plymouth vs Torbay: which is the better place to live?
Is Plymouth or Torbay a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Plymouth and Torbay across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Torbay wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 70.2/100 versus 69.3/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Plymouth | Torbay | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 69.3/100 | 70.2/100 | Torbay |
| Better value | 62.9 | 61.8 | Plymouth |
| For families | 94.3 | 93.5 | Plymouth |
| For commuters | 60 | 66.4 | Torbay |
| For healthcare access | 24.9 | 24.9 | Level |
| Avg house price | £216,463 | £224,372 | Plymouth (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,442 | £2,470 | Plymouth (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 92.2% | 90.9% | Plymouth |
| Crime per 1,000 | 66.1 | 66.1 | Level |
| Gigabit broadband | 93.4% | 86.9% | Plymouth |
| Gera GP Access score | 24.9 | 24.9 | Level |
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Torbay wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 70.2/100 vs 69.3/100.
| Verdict | Plymouth | Torbay | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 69.3 | 70.2 | Torbay (+0.9) |
| Better value | 62.9 | 61.8 | Plymouth (+1.1) |
| For families | 94.3 | 93.5 | Plymouth (+0.8) |
| For commuters | 60 | 66.4 | Torbay (+6.4) |
| For healthcare access | 24.9 | 24.9 | Level |
| Measure | Plymouth | Torbay |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £216,463 | £224,372 |
| Band D council tax | £2,442 | £2,470 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 92.2% | 90.9% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 66.1 | 66.1 |
| Gigabit broadband | 93.4% | 86.9% |
| Gera GP Access score | 24.9 | 24.9 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Plymouth or Torbay a better place to live overall?
- Torbay scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 70.2/100 versus 69.3/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 0.9 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Plymouth or Torbay?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Plymouth is better value. Average house prices are £216,463 in Plymouth and £224,372 in Torbay; Band D council tax is £2,442 versus £2,470 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Plymouth or Torbay better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Plymouth comes out ahead for families. Plymouth has 92.2% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 66.1 per 1,000; Torbay has 90.9% and 66.1 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Plymouth or Torbay?
- For connectivity, Plymouth has 93.4% gigabit-capable premises and Torbay has 86.9% (Ofcom, June 2026). Torbay leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Plymouth or Torbay?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Plymouth scores 24.9 (Devon ICB) and Torbay scores 24.9 (Devon ICB). The two are level for 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).