South East · England
Living in Oxford
The city of dreaming spires, historic colleges, the Thames and the Cotswolds beyond.
Population around 165,000
What Oxford is like
Oxford is beautiful and intellectual, but demand from the university, hospitals and science parks makes it one of the least affordable cities relative to earnings. Popular nearby towns spread the commute.
Education
The University of Oxford is world-renowned, alongside Oxford Brookes University.
Getting around
Direct trains to London in around an hour and a strong cycling and park-and-ride culture.
Jobs & economy
A global research and science hub: universities, publishing, biotech and the “Oxford-Cambridge Arc”.
The property market
The average home in Oxford sold for £475,481 (April 2026, UK House Price Index). That is an area average across all property types, a useful benchmark rather than a valuation of any single home.
In a nutshell
- World-famous university city
- An hour from London
- Science and research jobs
- Cotswolds on the doorstep