Living in Southend-on-Sea

In Southend-on-Sea, tenants pay an average rent of €1,526 a month (2026).

Southend-on-Sea had a population of 182,305 at the end of 2021. Regional median gross salary figures for Southend-on-Sea showed €3,573 per month at the end of 2024. Southend-on-Sea had an unemployment rate of 2.14% at the end of 2018.

Last checked 2026-09-2332 sources

Population182,305people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics

Median gross salary (region)3,573EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Average rent1,526EUR/month31 Aug 2026Official source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority

Unemployment rate2.14%country median 3.4% — 37% belowOfficial source · Eurostat

Recorded crime9,646offences per 100,000country median 9,646 — about the sameOfficial source · Office for National Statistics

PM2.5, annual mean11µg/m³31 Dec 2019Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Lower unemployment than 94% 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 Southend-on-Sea?

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 Southend-on-Sea.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Southend-on-Sea. 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 pack¹⁹Official · national market
Rent price index, mean	1,526 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics, 16 September 2026 edition¹⁸Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,526 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, Table 1: average monthly rent price by local authority¹⁴Official

Is Southend-on-Sea 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 worker26%strong on work, weak on safety · range 17–35%

Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–65%

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

Family43%strong on family, weak on cost · range 35–51%

Retirement21%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 10–32%

Work and income

For Southend-on-Sea, the employment rate was 56.8% at the end of 2021. At the end of 2021, 84,000 comprised the workforce in Southend-on-Sea.

What is the unemployment rate in Southend-on-Sea?

The unemployment rate is about 2.1 % (2018).

Unemployment rate: 2.14 % · Eurostat⁵

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Southend-on-Sea is 2.1%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Southend-on-Sea 2.1%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Employment rate	56.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Median gross salary (regional)	3,573 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Office for National Statistics (ONS)¹¹Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	2.14 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2018	Eurostat⁵Official

Unemployment rate over time7 published observations, 2004–2018

1.7%

3.8%

5.9%

8.0%

2.1%2004201120162018

Unemployment rate fell 59.1% between 2004 and 2018, from 5.2% to 2.1%.

What does a salary buy in Southend-on-Sea?

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

Left over each month€1,351of €2,913 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.	€2,913
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	− €1,526
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	€1,351

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

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Southend-on-Sea. 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 Southend-on-Sea. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	17 count	3 Aug 2026	Department for Education (GIAS)²Official
Schools	30 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; Southend-on-Sea's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	20 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS GP Practices report (epraccur)⁶Official
Pharmacies	22 count	30 Sept 2026	ODS Pharmacy/Dispensaries report (edispensary)⁷Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Southend-on-Sea 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 Southend-on-Sea?

Police recorded about 9,646 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 9,646 offences per 100,000 · Office for National Statistics¹⁰

Recorded crime across major citiesSouthend-on-Sea highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267

Bristol13,099

Liverpool12,409

Leeds11,462

Birmingham11,416

Leicester11,001

Sheffield9,693

Southend-on-Sea9,646

Cardiff9,379

Belfast9,156

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Burglaries per 100,000 residents	328.7 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	9,646 offences per 100,000country median 9,646 — about the same	31 Dec 2024	Office for National Statistics¹⁰Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	4,058 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

Southend-on-Sea's nearest airport was SEN, 4 km away and offered 14 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	14 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁵Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	4 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁶Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	SEN	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁶Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 levels for Southend-on-Sea stood at 11 µg/m³ at the end of 2019.

Is the air quality good in Southend-on-Sea?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 11 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency⁴

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°

8°2°

11°4°

14°5°

17°8°

20°11°

22°14°

19°12°

15°9°

11°6°

8°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

PM2.511WHO 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	11 µg/m³	31 Dec 2019	European Environment Agency⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 7.8 · Feb 8.3 · Mar 10.6 · Apr 13.5 · May 16.6 · Jun 19.8 · Jul 22.3 · Aug 22.4 · Sep 19.4 · Oct 15.3 · Nov 11.1 · Dec 8.4 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 2.7 · Feb 2.4 · Mar 3.7 · Apr 5.4 · May 8.3 · Jun 11.2 · Jul 13.6 · Aug 13.8 · Sep 11.5 · Oct 8.9 · Nov 5.5 · Dec 3.2 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 5.2 · Feb 5.4 · Mar 7.1 · Apr 9.4 · May 12.5 · Jun 15.5 · Jul 18 · Aug 18.1 · Sep 15.5 · Oct 12.1 · Nov 8.3 · Dec 5.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 43 · Feb 36 · Mar 32.7 · Apr 36.1 · May 41.6 · Jun 44.1 · Jul 41.1 · Aug 48.6 · Sep 43 · Oct 57.8 · Nov 54 · Dec 48.8 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI²³Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United Kingdom: Slough ±0.7 °C. Elsewhere: Saanich (Canada) ±0.8 °C, Cork (Ireland) ±1.3 °C, Bremerhaven (Germany) ±1.4 °C, Werl (Germany) ±1.4 °C, Reims (France) ±1.5 °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

At the end of 2021, the median age reached 41 years.

How many people live in Southend-on-Sea?

The published population was 182,305 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics⁹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	182,305 people	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁹Official

International community in Southend-on-Sea

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	159,645	87.6%
Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)	13,935	7.6%
Europe: EU countries	8,720	4.8%

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	27.2 %	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Workers aged 16 and over	84,000 workers	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Median age	41 years	31 Dec 2021	Office for National Statistics⁸Official
Universities	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Office for Students¹²Official

Alternatives for people set on Southend-on-Sea

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.

Brentwood as a Southend-on-Sea alternative in the same region

30 km away, better on 1 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Residents: 55,340 Brentwood vs 182,305 Southend-on-Sea−70%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 6,403 (2025) Brentwood vs 9,646 (2024) Southend-on-Seano percentage
Median gross pay, region: €3,949 Brentwood vs €3,573 Southend-on-Sea+11%
Annual PM2.5: 12.0 µg/m³ Brentwood vs 11.0 µg/m³ Southend-on-Sea+9%

Full comparison More about Brentwood

Oxford as a Southend-on-Sea alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 138 km, better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 9,634 (2026) Oxford vs 9,646 (2024) Southend-on-Seano percentage
Annual PM2.5: 9.0 µg/m³ Oxford vs 11.0 µg/m³ Southend-on-Sea−18%
Median gross pay, region: €3,707 Oxford vs €3,573 Southend-on-Sea+4%
Residents: 170,805 Oxford vs 182,305 Southend-on-Sea−6%

Full comparison More about Oxford

Cities near Southend-on-Sea

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

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom to compare with Southend-on-Sea, nearest in population first.

All United Kingdom cities

Swindon183,680 residents Bolton184,090 residents Warrington174,970 residents Peterborough190,605 residents Oxford170,805 residents Swansea170,085 residents

How does Southend-on-Sea compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Southend-on-Sea in rankings

#11 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in United Kingdom

Is Southend-on-Sea part of London?

Southend-on-Sea is near London, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 58.3 km away by straight-line distance. London city profile

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source³

Put Southend-on-Sea'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 Southend-on-Sea?

The published population was 182,305 people in 2021. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is the air quality good in Southend-on-Sea?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 11 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 Southend-on-Sea?

Police recorded about 9,646 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Office for National Statistics.

What is the unemployment rate in Southend-on-Sea?

The unemployment rate is about 2.1 % (2018). Source: Eurostat.

What is the typical salary around Southend-on-Sea?

The median gross salary is 3,573 EUR/month. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Is Southend-on-Sea a good place to live?

Southend-on-Sea 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.

Is Southend-on-Sea part of London?

Southend-on-Sea is near London, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 58.3 km away by straight-line distance.

Which cities are near Southend-on-Sea?

Rayleigh, Canvey Island, South Benfleet, Pitsea, Wickford are near Southend-on-Sea. 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 Southend-on-Sea?

The official country of birth distribution records 159,645 people (87.6%) 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). Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 1374f96a4f01f91a82cf8e873ba5c33c]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/southend-on-sea/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_southend-on-sea-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary_77c48a677e00,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {1374f96a4f01f91a82cf8e873ba5c33c},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/southend-on-sea/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/southend-on-sea/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 1374f96a4f01f91a82cf8e873ba5c33c; 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
download.geonames.org recorded crime data download.geonames.org · checked 2026-08-28
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.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
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
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
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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