GeraRent · Area head-to-head
Swindon vs Torbay: which is the better place to live?
Is Swindon or Torbay a better place to live?
As of June 2026, comparing Swindon and Torbay across house prices, crime, schools, broadband and GP access, Swindon wins overall with a Gera Liveability Score of 73.8/100 versus 70.2/100. Gera computes this head-to-head from six UK government open datasets and re-runs it quarterly.
| Measure | Swindon | Torbay | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gera Liveability Score | 73.8/100 | 70.2/100 | Swindon |
| Better value | 60.6 | 61.8 | Torbay |
| For families | 89.3 | 93.5 | Torbay |
| For commuters | 77.1 | 66.4 | Swindon |
| For healthcare access | 43.7 | 24.9 | Swindon |
| Avg house price | £260,570 | £224,372 | Torbay (cheaper) |
| Band D council tax | £2,438 | £2,470 | Swindon (lower) |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 82.6% | 90.9% | Torbay |
| Crime per 1,000 | 55.6 | 66.1 | Swindon (safer) |
| Gigabit broadband | 93.9% | 86.9% | Swindon |
| Gera GP Access score | 43.7 | 24.9 | Swindon |
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Swindon wins overall: Gera Liveability Score 73.8/100 vs 70.2/100.
| Verdict | Swindon | Torbay | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 73.8 | 70.2 | Swindon (+3.6) |
| Better value | 60.6 | 61.8 | Torbay (+1.2) |
| For families | 89.3 | 93.5 | Torbay (+4.2) |
| For commuters | 77.1 | 66.4 | Swindon (+10.7) |
| For healthcare access | 43.7 | 24.9 | Swindon (+18.8) |
| Measure | Swindon | Torbay |
|---|---|---|
| Avg house price | £260,570 | £224,372 |
| Band D council tax | £2,438 | £2,470 |
| Schools Good/Outstanding | 82.6% | 90.9% |
| Crime per 1,000 | 55.6 | 66.1 |
| Gigabit broadband | 93.9% | 86.9% |
| Gera GP Access score | 43.7 | 24.9 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Swindon or Torbay a better place to live overall?
- Swindon scores higher overall: a Gera Liveability Score of 73.8/100 versus 70.2/100 (Gera, June 2026), a gap of 3.6 points.
- Which is cheaper to rent and buy, Swindon or Torbay?
- On affordability — average house price plus Band D council tax — Torbay is better value. Average house prices are £260,570 in Swindon and £224,372 in Torbay; Band D council tax is £2,438 versus £2,470 (HM Land Registry + MHCLG, June 2026).
- Is Swindon or Torbay better for families?
- Weighting schools (60%) and safety (40%), Torbay comes out ahead for families. Swindon has 82.6% of schools rated Good or Outstanding and a crime rate of 55.6 per 1,000; Torbay has 90.9% and 66.1 per 1,000 (Ofsted + Home Office, June 2026).
- Which has better broadband, Swindon or Torbay?
- For connectivity, Swindon has 93.9% gigabit-capable premises and Torbay has 86.9% (Ofcom, June 2026). Swindon leads on the commuter blend of broadband (70%) and affordability (30%).
- Is GP access better in Swindon or Torbay?
- On the Gera GP Access score, Swindon scores 43.7 (Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB) and Torbay scores 24.9 (Devon ICB). Swindon 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).