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UK COMPARISON INDEX
AverageChelmsford offers a city-centre base in Essex, with shops and services around the rivers and residential areas extending beyond them. For a move, the position of a home relative to the station and your everyday destinations is likely to shape the experience more than the city label alone. Rail connections are a practical strength. This is a more built-up setting than many UK locations.
The UK index averages 18 supported comparisons. Weather, walking style and your important places need a personal preference and are excluded. Affordability compares supported area prices, with lower prices ranked higher. Crime is compared within each recording nation. Your suitability uses the priorities you choose.
Housing costs are less favourable against other UK locations.
£421,988 supported area price
local sold sample
HM Land Registry completed sales, transaction-weighted local sample; not an asking price or property valuation
Lower area prices. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Area flood screening compares less favourably against other UK locations. Individual property flood risk still needs checking.
25/100 exposure index (lower means less screened exposure)
Official settlement-centre screen; check surface water and the property
Official national centre-screening · official centre-screen, incomplete hazard coverage · relative screening index, NOT annual flood probability
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Local council tax or domestic rates sits around the middle of the available comparison against other UK locations.
Chelmsford
£2,298 per year (reference band)
Official 2026/27 authority council tax or NI domestic-rate context
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Listed buildings around the centre contribute to Chelmsford's historic character. Historic character stands out in the listed-building comparison against other UK locations.
107 listed buildings within 1 km
Statutory listing-density context; not period homes for sale
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
The amount of space between buildings is relatively limited against other UK locations.
18.5% mapped building footprint within 1 km
OSM building-footprint share within 1 km; mapped built-upness, not a population census or guaranteed privacy
Lower building density. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Everyday shops are mapped close to the centre of Chelmsford. Access to shops is particularly convenient against other UK locations.
0.1 km straight-line
OSM nearest grocery / everyday food shop, straight-line proximity, no count bonus
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
There are plenty of mapped paths around Chelmsford, but some may be urban rather than countryside walks.
178.8 km of mapped paths within 3 km
18.5% building footprint; rural character affects countryside-walk fit
Mapped path length within 3 km. Select parks, countryside, hills or mountains to assess your preferred type of walking.
Mapped paths are not necessarily countryside paths. Building density and hill or mountain access are used only when those walking preferences are selected.
Air-quality evidence compares less favourably against other UK locations.
7 μg/m³ PM2.5
Defra/Ricardo Pollution Climate Mapping 2024 modelled PM2.5 + NO2 at 1-km background grid; not roadside/property measurement
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
The night-light comparison suggests brighter surroundings against other UK locations.
24 night-light radiance
2024 VIIRS night-time light 500m satellite radiance; relative artificial-light exposure, not visual sky clarity
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Add the places you want to stay close to.
Add the places you regularly need to reach and compare the journeys from here.
Distances use your selected destinations.
Chelmsford is the nearby mapped rail option. Rail access compares well against other UK locations.
Chelmsford
1 min modelled road/ferry access
0.2 km on the road model
Static road/ferry model; excludes traffic and ferry waits.
London Liverpool Street: 29 min published direct train journey
Stratford (London): 24 min published direct train journey
Directed OSM static road/ferry model to up to three distinct mapped stations; inverse-distance-weighted network minutes, no traffic, waits or service-frequency guarantee; supplementary 20% verified service: 2026 Oct GB national-rail or Northern Ireland published timetables; station frequency/direct destinations and published train journey times, combined with V13 static road/ferry model to station; no live journey guarantee
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Airport access is relatively convenient against other UK locations.
London Southend Airport
31 min modelled road/ferry access
30.9 km on the road model
Static road/ferry model; excludes traffic and ferry waits.
Directed OSM static road/ferry model to up to three distinct OurAirports scheduled-service airports; inverse-distance-weighted network minutes, no traffic, waits or service-frequency guarantee; supplementary 20% verified service: CAA UK airport passenger reporting, 2025 total passenger traffic and scheduled international routes; not a live airline timetable
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
A major route is relatively close on the mapped road network. Major-road access compares favourably against other UK locations.
Motorway junction / primary A-road
1 min estimated drive
0.0 km on the road model
Recorded road-network distance; time estimated at 40 km/h, excluding traffic.
V17 road reference loading
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
School access sits around the middle of the available comparison against other UK locations. Admissions and individual catchments still need checking.
0.5 km straight-line
Previous Ofsted overall outcomes used where linked
Nearby school proximity known but comparable Ofsted overall outcomes unavailable (or newer report cards use separate judgements). Quality unverified; suitability capped at 50.
School access and comparable published inspections. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Healthcare proximity compares well against other UK locations.
RIVERMEAD GATE MED.CTR.
0.6 km straight-line
0.5 km to mapped hospital
50% registered NHS GP proximity, 35% mapped hospital proximity, 15% mapped pharmacy proximity; public postcode centroids / OSM, not capacity or clinical quality
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Recorded crime levels compare less favourably within its recording nation (England). This is a comparison of recorded crime, not a street-level safety assessment.
120.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
2025-09 to 2026-08
Police.uk 2.6 km population-adjusted observed screening, with a 5 km surrounding estimate from overlapping nearby observations (not a separate recorded five-kilometre count)
Compared within the same recording nation. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Mapped eating and drinking options are close to the centre. Places to eat and drink are comparatively accessible against other UK locations.
0 km straight-line
OSM nearest pub, café or restaurant; proximity, not ratings or opening hours
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Coastal access sits around the middle of the available comparison against other UK locations.
13.5 km to coastline
Mapped coastline distance; straight-line distance, not a route
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
The recorded weather describes local conditions. Whether these suit you depends on the climate you prefer.
12.4°C mean temperature
455 mm rainfall
1,990 sunshine hours
Met Office observations for the recorded 12-month period, not long-term normals. This range combines observed temperature, rainfall and sunshine; it is not a good/bad rating.
Gigabit-capable service is widely recorded across the published area. Broadband provision compares favourably against other UK locations.
86.8% area gigabit availability
97.9% area superfast availability
Ofcom residential coverage: 75% gigabit + 25% superfast; authority context, not property speed
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
Outdoor mobile coverage compares favourably against other UK locations. Indoor reception may differ from the area estimate.
Outdoor coverage across the local authority
Ofcom Jan 2026 outdoor geographic coverage (at least one network), published by ONS Explore Local Statistics; local-authority area, NOT a village or indoor signal reading
Compared with supported UK locations. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
The employment picture sits around the middle of the available comparison against other UK locations.
74% working-age employment
0.9 jobs per working-age resident
ONS/NISRA labour conditions: 65% workplace job-density fit + 35% working-age employment fit when both exist; otherwise published component only. Survey uncertainty; not vacancies or an individual job match
Area employment and job availability. The comparison bar shows relative position, not a guarantee for an individual property.
