On most official measures, quality of life in Cambridge is good. People live longer than the England average, more residents report good health, air pollution is within legal limits, and the city has dozens of parks, commons and nature reserves. The main drawback is cost: in July 2026 the average home in Cambridge cost £475,151, about 62% more than the England average, and in 2025 the typical home cost almost 11 times typical local full-time pay.
"Quality of life" means different things to different people, so this guide uses dated, official figures and explains what each one measures. "Cambridge" means the Cambridge City Council area, not the surrounding villages. For the city's wards, schools and history, see our Cambridge city area guide.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) asks people to score four things from 0 to 10: how satisfied they are with their life nowadays, how far the things they do feel worthwhile, and how happy and how anxious they felt yesterday. The latest local figures cover April 2022 to March 2023:
These figures need care because the Cambridge sample is small: the ONS's likely range for its life satisfaction score runs from 4.87 to 8.04, and England's figure falls inside Cambridge's range on all four measures, so the survey cannot show that Cambridge differs from England. The year before, Cambridge scored 7.46 for life satisfaction. The ONS says local estimates should not be ranked, and it has paused the local release while it improves the survey behind it, so there are no newer figures.
Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn would live if it experienced an area's current death rates throughout its life. For 2023 to 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) gives 81.3 years for men and 84.5 years for women in Cambridge, against 79.7 and 83.5 for England, and classes both Cambridge figures as statistically better. The 2025 death and population figures used are provisional.
In the 2021 Census, 87.2% of Cambridge residents described their health as good or very good, against 82.2% in England. On the ONS's age-standardised figures, which adjust for differences in each area's age profile, the gap narrows to 83.9% against 81.7%.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust runs Addenbrooke's and the Rosie, a women's and maternity hospital on the same site. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which the government describes as home to science, NHS hospitals and business facilities, has had its own railway station, Cambridge South, since 28 June 2026.
The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 and describes itself as the fourth-oldest university in the world. It is made up of 31 colleges and had 24,927 students in 2025 to 2026. It says the surrounding technology cluster is home to over 5,000 knowledge-intensive companies.
The eight University of Cambridge Museums and the Botanic Garden hold more than five million works of art, artefacts and specimens. They include the Fitzwilliam Museum, which has at its heart Viscount Fitzwilliam's gift to the University in 1816, and Kettle's Yard, the mid-20th-century home of Jim and Helen Ede. Each summer the Cambridge Folk Festival is held at Cherry Hinton Hall, and Midsummer Common hosts the Midsummer Fair, which the council calls one of the longest-established fairs in England, as well as Strawberry Fair and the city's bonfire night.
Cambridge City Council lists 32 parks and recreation grounds, from large commons to small play areas. Among the best known:
The council also manages local nature reserves, including Paradise, Byron's Pool, Stourbridge Common, and Sheep's Green and Coe Fen.
Cambridge City Council's 2026 air quality report, covering 2025, found nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) within national objectives and targets. Annual average nitrogen dioxide at its five continuous monitors ranged from 16 to 24 micrograms per cubic metre, against a legal objective of 40. After more than five years below the objective, the council revoked the city centre Air Quality Management Area, first declared in 2004, in January 2025.
That is not clean air by every standard. The council is working towards the stricter World Health Organization guidelines and says reaching them will need sustained action. In 2025 every continuous monitor recorded nitrogen dioxide above the WHO guideline of 10 micrograms per cubic metre, and roadside PM2.5 readings of 8 to 10 were above the WHO guideline of 5. Pollution levels rose slightly in 2025. The council says the rise in particles is likely to reflect pollution from outside the area, after unusually stormy weather kept 2024 levels low.
Cambridge has three railway stations: Cambridge, Cambridge North and Cambridge South, which opened on 28 June 2026 and is served by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink and CrossCountry trains. There are five Park and Ride sites, at Babraham Road, Madingley Road, Milton, Newmarket Road and Trumpington, where parking is free for up to 18 hours and you pay for the bus. The Guided Busway runs from Cambridge North to St Ives Park and Ride, and from Trumpington Park and Ride to Cambridge station with a branch to Addenbrooke's.
Traffic is a downside: the council's own air quality report refers to "ongoing congestion". If you are choosing an area with a commute in mind, our guide to which part of Cambridge is nice to live in compares the main neighbourhoods.
Pay in Cambridge is above average, but housing costs are further above it:
There are signs of easing. The affordability ratio has fallen from 12.85 in 2022, average prices were unchanged over the year to July 2026, and rents rose 1.8% over the year to August 2026, against 4.0% across England. Our comparison of whether it is cheaper to live in Oxford or Cambridge also covers council tax and energy bills, and first-time buyers can read our guide to the Cambridge property ladder.
In the year to March 2026, police recorded 91.7 crimes (excluding fraud) per 1,000 Cambridge residents, against 83.4 across England. The number of recorded crimes in Cambridge fell 6.9% on the previous year. The figures count only crimes reported to and recorded by the police.
In the 2021 Census, 38.0% of Cambridge residents were born outside the UK, against 17.4% across England. A third of residents aged 5 and over (33.2%) were schoolchildren or full-time students, against 20.4% in England.
On the measures that can be checked, yes: longer lives, better self-reported health, air quality within national limits, plenty of green space and good rail links. Well-being scores look lower, but the sample is too small to be sure. Recorded crime is above the England rate. The clear downside is the cost of housing relative to local pay. If you own a home and are weighing up a move, a free valuation of your current home will show what your budget could buy here.
On official measures of health, life expectancy, air quality and green space, Cambridge compares well with England. The main drawback is housing: in 2025 the typical home cost 10.82 times typical local full-time pay, against 7.63 in England.
The latest ONS figures, for April 2022 to March 2023, put Cambridge at 7.02 out of 10 for happiness and 6.46 for life satisfaction, a little below England. The local sample is too small to show a real difference.
For 2023 to 2025, OHID gives 81.3 years for men and 84.5 years for women, both statistically better than England's 79.7 and 83.5.
Police recorded 91.7 crimes per 1,000 Cambridge residents in the year to March 2026, above England's 83.4, though the number fell 6.9% on the year before.
Yes, mainly because of housing. The average home cost £475,151 in July 2026 and the average private rent was £1,805 a month in August 2026, against England averages of £293,479 and £1,459.
It meets national limits. The council reports nitrogen dioxide and particle levels within national objectives and targets in 2025, and it revoked its Air Quality Management Area in January 2025. Roadside nitrogen dioxide and fine particle (PM2.5) readings remain above the stricter World Health Organization guidelines.
