Living in Portsmouth

In Portsmouth, the median gross salary is €3,775 a month (2025) and tenants pay an average rent of €1,598 a month (2026).

At the end of 2021, Portsmouth had a population of 223,305. The regional median gross salary reached €3,638 per month at the end of 2024. The unemployment rate was 4.95% at the end of 2018.

Last checked 2026-09-2332 sources

Population223,305people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics

Median gross salary3,775EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS)

Average rent1,598EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority

Unemployment rate4.95%country median 3.4% — 46% aboveOfficial source · Eurostat

Recorded crime11,426incidents per 100,000country median 9,646 — 18% aboveOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

PM2.5, annual mean10µg/m³31 Dec 2019Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Higher unemployment than 83% of United Kingdom cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 77% 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 Portsmouth?

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 Portsmouth.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Portsmouth. 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 150²Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	12.87 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Three 100GB one-month data pack¹⁹Official · national market
Rent price index, mean	1,598 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition¹⁸Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,598 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority¹⁴Official

Is Portsmouth 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 worker23%strong on work, weak on safety · range 14–32%

Skilled employee54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 46–62%

Student33%strong on education, weak on work · range 26–40%

Family44%strong on family, weak on cost · range 36–52%

Retirement22%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 11–33%

Work and income

For Portsmouth, the employment rate was 57.2% at the end of 2021. The workforce in Portsmouth was 105,155 at the end of 2021.

What is the typical salary in Portsmouth?

The median gross salary is about 3,775 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table.

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

Median gross salary: 3,775 EUR/month · Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS)¹
Median gross salary (regional): 3,638 EUR/month · 2026-08-06 · Office for National Statistics (ONS)¹¹

What is the unemployment rate in Portsmouth?

The unemployment rate is about 5 % (2018).

Unemployment rate: 4.95 % · Eurostat⁶

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Portsmouth is 5.0%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Portsmouth 5.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	57.2 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official
Median gross salary	3,775 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS)¹Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,638 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Office for National Statistics (ONS)¹¹Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	4.95 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2018	Eurostat⁶Official

Unemployment rate over time11 published observations, 1991–2018

2.8%

5.7%

8.5%

11.3%

5.0%199120012008201120162018

Unemployment rate fell 52.0% between 1991 and 2018, from 10.3% to 5.0%.

What does a salary buy in Portsmouth?

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

Left over each month€1,429of €3,064 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.	€3,064
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	− €1,598
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	€1,429

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

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	35 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)⁴Official
Schools	54 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)⁴Official

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; Portsmouth's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	22 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS GP Practices report (epraccur)⁷Official
Pharmacies	25 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary)⁸Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth?

Police recorded about 11,426 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 citiesPortsmouth highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267

Bristol13,099

Liverpool12,409

Leeds11,462

Portsmouth11,426

Birmingham11,416

Leicester11,001

Sheffield9,693

Cardiff9,379

Belfast9,156

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Burglaries per 100,000 residents	290.7 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)¹⁷Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	11,426 incidents per 100,000country median 9,646	27 Aug 2026	www.ons.gov.uk²⁴Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	4,477 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2026	PFA tables, year ending March 2026 (Table C2 counts; Table C4 rates and mid-2024 population)¹⁷Official

Mobility and administration

Portsmouth's nearest airport was SOU, 25 km away and offered 23 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	23 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁵Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	25 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁶Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	SOU	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁶Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 levels for Portsmouth stood at 10 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Portsmouth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency⁵

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°3°

9°3°

11°4°

14°6°

17°9°

20°12°

22°14°

19°11°

16°9°

12°6°

9°3°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

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

PM2.510WHO 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 KingdomOf 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

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	10 µg/m³	31 Dec 2019	European Environment Agency⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 8.3 · Feb 8.6 · Mar 11 · Apr 13.7 · May 16.9 · Jun 19.7 · Jul 21.8 · Aug 21.8 · Sep 19.4 · Oct 15.6 · Nov 11.7 · Dec 9 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 2.8 · Feb 2.6 · Mar 4 · Apr 5.7 · May 8.7 · Jun 11.6 · Jul 13.6 · Aug 13.7 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 8.9 · Nov 5.6 · Dec 3.3 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 84.5 · Feb 57.7 · Mar 49.8 · Apr 49.6 · May 43.3 · Jun 48.2 · Jul 46.9 · Aug 57.2 · Sep 61.4 · Oct 86 · Nov 90.6 · Dec 92.6 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²³Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United Kingdom: Basingstoke ±0.8 °C. Elsewhere: Saanich (Canada) ±0.9 °C, Cork (Ireland) ±1.4 °C, Bremerhaven (Germany) ±1.5 °C, Werl (Germany) ±1.6 °C, Le Havre (France) ±1.1 °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

Portsmouth recorded a median age of 36 years at the end of 2021.

How many people live in Portsmouth?

The published population was 223,305 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics¹⁰

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	223,305 people	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics¹⁰Official

International community in Portsmouth

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	187,270	83.9%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)	20,920	9.4%
Europe: EU countries	15,115	6.8%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹³

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents with a bachelor's degree or higher	29.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official
Workers aged 16 and over	105,155 workers	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official
Median age	36 years	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official
Universities	1 count	3 Aug 2026	Office for Students¹²Official

Alternatives for people set on Portsmouth

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.

Bournemouth as a Portsmouth alternative in the same region

57 km away, better on 2 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,455 Bournemouth vs 11,426 Portsmouth−61%
Unemployment: 3.0% Bournemouth vs 5.0% Portsmouth−40%
Median gross pay, region: €2,970 Bournemouth vs €3,638 Portsmouth−18%
Annual PM2.5: 11.0 µg/m³ Bournemouth vs 10.0 µg/m³ Portsmouth+10%
Residents: 196,455 Bournemouth vs 223,305 Portsmouth−12%

Full comparison More about Bournemouth

Reading as a Portsmouth alternative in the same country

73 km away, better on 3 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, city: €4,772 Reading vs €3,775 Portsmouth+26%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,795 (2024) Reading vs 11,426 (2026) Portsmouthno percentage
Unemployment: 4.3% Reading vs 5.0% Portsmouth−13%
Median gross pay, region: €3,748 Reading vs €3,638 Portsmouth+3%
Residents: 203,795 Reading vs 223,305 Portsmouth−9%

Full comparison More about Reading

Cities near Portsmouth

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

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

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

All United Kingdom cities

Islington222,724 residents Aberdeen231,780 residents Sutton213,972 residents Luton233,525 residents Wolverhampton234,025 residents Westminster209,365 residents

How does Portsmouth compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Portsmouth in rankings

#10 of 30 in Highest salary cities in United Kingdom #27 of 30 in Largest cities in United Kingdom

Put Portsmouth'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 Portsmouth?

The published population was 223,305 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Portsmouth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 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 Portsmouth?

Police recorded about 11,426 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 typical salary in Portsmouth?

The median gross salary is about 3,775 EUR/month (2025). The regional series (home-region basis, 2024) is a separate labelled row in the table. Source: Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS).

What is the unemployment rate in Portsmouth?

The unemployment rate is about 5 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Portsmouth?

The median gross salary is 3,638 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Portsmouth a good place to live?

Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth?

Cosham, Lee-on-the-Solent, South Hayling, Fareham, Hayling Island are near Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth?

The official country of birth distribution records 187,270 people (83.9%) 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). Portsmouth, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version cbfa1c55c68adc8a45cd6513b644c012]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/portsmouth/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_portsmouth-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-jobs_df402faa68d2,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Portsmouth, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {cbfa1c55c68adc8a45cd6513b644c012},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/portsmouth/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Portsmouth, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/portsmouth/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version cbfa1c55c68adc8a45cd6513b644c012; 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

Annual survey of hours and earnings - workplace analysis, NOMIS table NM_99_1 (ONS) nomisweb.co.uk · checked 2026-09-18
BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
Coordinate identity evidence services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-06
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

Show 22 more sources

Office for National Statistics (ONS) ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-06
Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
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
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
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q937631 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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