Comparison

Brighton and Hove vs Southampton

Renting in Brighton and Hove costs £580/month more than Southampton.

South East, England  vs  South East, England

Average rent
Brighton and Hove
£1,826/mo
Southampton
£1,246/mo
Lower
£580 difference
Average earnings
Brighton and Hove
£33,506/yr
Higher
Southampton
£32,907/yr
£599 difference
Average house price
Brighton and Hove
£415,000
Southampton
£260,000
£155,000 (60%)

Rent comparison

Bedrooms
Brighton and Hove
Overall
£1,826/mo
£1,246/mo
1 Bed
£1,198/mo
£873/mo
2 Bed
£1,529/mo
£1,104/mo
3 Bed
£1,808/mo
£1,343/mo
4+ Bed
£2,514/mo
£1,881/mo

Overall, renting in Southampton is £580/month cheaper than Brighton and Hove - that's £6,960/year.

Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR)

Earnings comparison

Brighton and Hove - average
£33,506/yr
Southampton - average
£32,907/yr

Residents of Brighton and Hove earn £599/year more than those in Southampton.

Affordability insight
Brighton and Hove
65%
of gross earnings on rent
Southampton
45%
of gross earnings on rent

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

House prices comparison

Property type
Brighton and Hove
Average
£415,000
£260,000
Detached
£675,000
£380,000
Semi-detached
£492,000
£310,000
Terraced
£510,000
£261,000
Flat
£313,750
£160,000

House prices in Brighton and Hove are £155,000 (60%) higher than in Southampton.

Over the last 10 years, house prices in Brighton and Hove have risen by 40.7%, compared to 46.1% in Southampton.

Source: ONS / HM Land Registry

Council tax comparison

Brighton and Hove - Band D
£2,581/yr
Southampton - Band D
£2,381/yr

You would pay £200/year more in council tax (Band D) living in Brighton and Hove than in Southampton.

Band
Brighton and Hove
Band A
£1,720
£1,588
Band B
£2,007
£1,852
Band C
£2,294
£2,117
Band D
Benchmark
£2,581
£2,381
Band E
£3,154
£2,911
Band F
£3,727
£3,440
Band G
£4,301
£3,969
Band H
£5,161
£4,763

Source: MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government

Band D is used as the standard benchmark for comparing council tax across areas. Other bands are set as fixed proportions of the Band D amount.

Energy comparison

Brighton and Hove
Annual
£1,641
£1,641
Monthly
£137
£137
Energy region
South East
South East

Energy estimates are based on the Ofgem price cap, which is set nationally. Regional variation is small; we show the same headline figure across regions for transparency.

Source: Ofgem Energy Price Cap, Q2 2026

Water comparison

Brighton and Hove
Annual
£720
£720
Monthly
£60
£60
Water company
Southern Water
Southern Water

Source: Water UK / Discover Water, 2026-27

Water company boundaries don't always align cleanly with local authority boundaries; the company shown here is the most common provider in each area.

Climate comparison

Metric
Brighton and Hove
Average temperature
11.0°C
11.8°C
Annual rainfall
857mm
842mm
Rain days per year
121 days
120 days
Annual sunshine
1,746h
1,677h

Brighton and Hove and Southampton have similar climate conditions.

Source: Met Office HadUK-Grid, 1991-2020 averages. Crown copyright. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Crime comparison

Brighton and Hove
1,018/10k
#257 of 303
Southampton
1,203/10k
#290 of 303
Crime type
Brighton and Hove
Overall crime rate
1,018 /10k
1,203 /10k
Violence & sexual
373 /10k
510 /10k
Burglary
32 /10k
52 /10k
Theft
340 /10k
338 /10k
Criminal damage
76 /10k
95 /10k
Drug offences
51 /10k
58 /10k
Public order
106 /10k
111 /10k

Brighton and Hove has a lower crime rate than Southampton, with 1,018 vs 1,203 recorded crimes per 10,000 people.

Source: Home Office / Scottish Government recorded crime

Recording practices vary between police forces. Crime rates reflect reported and recorded crime only.

Compare different areas

Learn more about each area

Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, Ofgem Energy Price Cap, and Water UK / Discover Water. All official data is published under the Open Government Licence.