Living in Oxford

In Oxford, tenants pay an average rent of €2,293 a month (2026).

Residents of Oxford numbered 170,805 at the end of 2021. For Oxford, the regional median gross salary was €3,707 per month at the end of 2024. The city faced an unemployment rate of 4.4% at the end of 2017.

Last checked 2026-09-2332 sources

Population170,805people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics

Median gross salary (region)3,707EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Average rent2,293EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority

Unemployment rate4.4%country median 3.4% — 29% aboveOfficial source · Eurostat

Recorded crime9,634incidents per 100,000country median 9,646 — about the sameOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

PM2.5, annual mean9µg/m³31 Dec 2019Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Higher unemployment than 75% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and dirtier air than any other United Kingdom city that publishes it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Oxford?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Oxford.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Oxford. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€24

Mobile plan, 10 GB€13

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	24.02 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	BT Full Fibre 150¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	12.87 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Three 100GB one-month data pack¹⁷Official · national market
Rent price index, mean	2,293 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition¹⁶Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	2,293 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority¹²Official

Is Oxford a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker17%strong on work, weak on safety · range 8–26%

Skilled employee34%strong on work, weak on safety · range 26–42%

Student30%strong on education, weak on work · range 23–37%

Family27%strong on family, weak on cost · range 19–35%

Retirement19%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 8–30%

Work and income

Employment rates for Oxford measured 54.1% at the end of 2021. The workforce in Oxford was 77,955 at the end of 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Oxford?

The unemployment rate is 4.4 % (2017). Source: Eurostat⁴

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Oxford is 4.4%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Oxford 4.4%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	54.1 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,707 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Office for National Statistics (ONS)⁹Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	4.4 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2017	Eurostat⁴Official

Unemployment rate over time6 published observations, 2004–2017

3.3%

4.3%

5.2%

6.1%

4.4%2004201120162017

Unemployment rate fell 10.8% between 2004 and 2017, from 4.9% to 4.4%.

What does a salary buy in Oxford?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€684of €3,014 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€3,014
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority · 2026-08-31	− €2,293
Internet€24 · official · BT Full Fibre 150 · 2026-09-30	− €24
Mobile plan€13 · official · Three 100GB one-month data pack · 2026-09-30	− €13
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€684

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Oxford Salary needed to live in Oxford

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Oxford. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim

Open official service

Open the United Kingdom service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Oxford. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	48 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)²Official
Schools	95 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)²Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16, and public school is free.

A country-wide rule for United Kingdom; Oxford's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · 1996–2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	31 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS GP Practices report (epraccur)⁵Official
Pharmacies	31 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary)⁶Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Oxford under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Oxford?

Police recorded about 9,634 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk²⁴

Recorded crime across major citiesOxford highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267

Bristol13,099

Liverpool12,409

Leeds11,462

Birmingham11,416

Leicester11,001

Sheffield9,693

Oxford9,634

Cardiff9,379

Belfast9,156

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Burglaries per 100,000 residents	278.3 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)¹⁵Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	9,634 incidents per 100,000country median 9,646 — about the same	27 Aug 2026	www.ons.gov.uk²⁴Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	3,072 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)¹⁵Official

Mobility and administration

Oxford's nearest airport was LTN, 63 km away and offered 85 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	85 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹³Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	63 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁴Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	LTN	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁴Official

Climate and air quality

Oxford recorded annual PM2.5 of 9 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Oxford?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency³

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

8°1°

11°2°

14°4°

17°7°

20°10°

23°12°

22°12°

19°9°

15°7°

11°4°

8°1°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

123

172

206

209

215

193

152

112

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.59WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Oxford is 9.0 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

211

487

200

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Oxford 9.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	9 µg/m³	31 Dec 2019	European Environment Agency³Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 7.7 · Feb 8.3 · Mar 11 · Apr 14 · May 17.2 · Jun 20.3 · Jul 22.8 · Aug 22.3 · Sep 19.3 · Oct 14.9 · Nov 10.7 · Dec 8.1 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.1 · Feb 1 · Mar 2.2 · Apr 3.8 · May 6.8 · Jun 9.7 · Jul 11.7 · Aug 11.6 · Sep 9.3 · Oct 6.8 · Nov 3.6 · Dec 1.2 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 4.4 · Feb 4.7 · Mar 6.6 · Apr 8.9 · May 12 · Jun 15 · Jul 17.2 · Aug 17 · Sep 14.3 · Oct 10.9 · Nov 7.1 · Dec 4.6 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 58.9 · Feb 42.1 · Mar 39.8 · Apr 49 · May 52.3 · Jun 46.2 · Jul 45.2 · Aug 53.3 · Sep 49.9 · Oct 68.9 · Nov 70 · Dec 58.1 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 62.6 · Feb 81.3 · Mar 123.2 · Apr 171.9 · May 206.1 · Jun 209.4 · Jul 214.7 · Aug 193.4 · Sep 151.5 · Oct 111.6 · Nov 70.8 · Dec 55.5 hours	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²³Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United Kingdom: Coventry ±0.5 °C. Elsewhere: Saanich (Canada) ±0.8 °C, Werl (Germany) ±1.1 °C, Reims (France) ±1.1 °C, Eutin (Germany) ±1.1 °C, Heide (Germany) ±1.3 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

Oxford had a median age of 31 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Oxford?

The published population was 170,805 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics⁸

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	170,805 people	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official

International community in Oxford

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Usual residents living in the individual ONS Built-up Area on Census Day 21 March 2021 · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Europe: United Kingdom	111,760	65.4%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)	38,880	22.8%
Europe: EU countries	20,160	11.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	48.4 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Workers aged 16 and over	77,955 workers	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Median age	31 years	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁷Official
Universities	2 count	3 Aug 2026	Office for Students¹⁰Official

Alternatives for people set on Oxford

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Luton as an Oxford alternative in the same region

60 km away, better on 1 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 8,315 Luton vs 9,634 Oxford−14%
Residents: 233,525 Luton vs 170,805 Oxford+37%
Median gross pay, region: €3,681 Luton vs €3,707 Oxfordsame level

Full comparison More about Luton

Bournemouth as an Oxford alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 123 km, better on 1 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,455 Bournemouth vs 9,634 Oxford−54%
Median gross pay, region: €2,970 Bournemouth vs €3,707 Oxford−20%
Annual PM2.5: 11.0 µg/m³ Bournemouth vs 9.0 µg/m³ Oxford+22%
Residents: 196,455 Bournemouth vs 170,805 Oxford+15%

Full comparison More about Bournemouth

Cities near Oxford

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom to compare with Oxford, nearest in population first.

All United Kingdom cities

Swansea170,085 residents Sunderland168,315 residents Slough166,855 residents Warrington174,970 residents Southend-on-Sea182,305 residents Swindon183,680 residents

How does Oxford compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Oxford's.

Open the full comparison

Oxford in rankings

#27 of 30 in Safest cities in United Kingdom by recorded crime

Put Oxford's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Oxford?

The published population was 170,805 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Oxford?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency.

How safe is Oxford?

Police recorded about 9,634 incidents per 100,000 (2026). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the unemployment rate in Oxford?

The unemployment rate is 4.4 % (2017). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Oxford?

The median gross salary is 3,707 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Oxford a good place to live?

Oxford may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Oxford?

Cowley, Wheatley, Abingdon, Didcot, Witney are near Oxford. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Europe: United Kingdom live in Oxford?

The official country of birth distribution records 111,760 people (65.4%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Oxford, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version b52578731ee7d4c0c06dcb641a2af4fb]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/oxford/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_oxford-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-jobs_090386e92b66,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Oxford, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {b52578731ee7d4c0c06dcb641a2af4fb},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/oxford/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Oxford, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/oxford/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version b52578731ee7d4c0c06dcb641a2af4fb; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
ODS GP Practices report (epraccur) odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk · checked 2026-09-15
ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary) odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk · checked 2026-09-15
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-07
Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
Office for National Statistics (ONS) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06
Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03

Show 22 more sources

ONS Census 2021 BUA row and ONS/OS BUA 2022 geometry for Abbots Langley and Kings Langley ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-07-06
ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-23
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-18
Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-18
Three 100GB one-month data pack three.co.uk · checked 2026-09-15
Travel to Work Areas (December 2011) full extent boundaries in the United Kingdom services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-19
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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