Falmouth Named Best Seaside Town to Live in the UK

Published On: 11 July 2025Last Updated: 11 July 2025By CornishStuff

New research reveals Falmouth as the UK’s top seaside town to live in

Falmouth has been crowned the best seaside town to live in across the UK, according to new research released by The Co-operative Bank. The study, which looked at key lifestyle and affordability factors, also placed St Ives and Newquay in second and third place respectively — making Cornwall home to the country’s top three coastal hotspots.

Cornwall dominates top seaside rankings

The rankings were based on a combination of data including the number of beaches, crime rates, walkability scores and average sunshine hours. Falmouth stood out with 142 beaches, just 36 crimes per 1,000 people, a walkability score of 92 and an average of 4.5 hours of daily sunshine.

St Ives followed closely, also benefiting from access to 142 beaches, a lower crime rate of 19 per 1,000 people, and a walkability score of 84. Newquay, popular for surfing and watersports, placed third, boasting the same number of beaches, a walkability score of 88, and 4.5 sunshine hours — although it recorded a higher crime rate of 71 per 1,000.

Devon and Dorset followed Cornwall in the rankings, with Salcombe and Torquay in fourth and fifth place, and Bournemouth, Weymouth and Swanage taking sixth, seventh and eighth.

Top 20 Best Seaside Locations in the UK

Rank	Town	Beaches in County	Crimes per 1,000	Walkability	Daily Sunshine (hrs)
1	Falmouth	142	36	92	4.5
2	St Ives	142	19	84	4.5
3	Newquay	142	71	88	4.5
4	Salcombe	131	11	75	4.7
5	Torquay	131	82	87	4.7
6	Bournemouth	66	83	97	4.8
7	Weymouth	66	88	93	4.8
8	Swanage	66	63	87	4.7
9	Broadstairs	56	76	92	4.6
10	Brighton	32	109	100	4.6
11	Deal	56	98	93	4.6
12	Eastbourne	32	112	96	4.8
13	Ramsgate	56	143	96	4.6
14	Whitstable	56	83	87	4.4
15	Tenby	88	91	80	4.5
16	St Andrews	27	43	89	4.0
17	Margate	56	156	94	4.6
18	Filey	43	67	84	4.4
19	Swansea	5	106	96	4.4
20	Hastings	32	113	87	4.8

Property demand surges by 115%

According to the research, demand for coastal properties has surged by 115% compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, the increasing popularity of seaside towns has led to rising house prices, making affordability a growing concern for those looking to move.

To address this, The Co-operative Bank used data from Rightmove to find the most affordable seaside towns in the UK for both buyers and renters. While Cornwall led on lifestyle factors, it didn’t feature in the top affordability rankings.

Oban in Scotland was named the most affordable seaside town, with the average house price sitting at £220,458 — equivalent to 7.97 times the average yearly income. Rent in Oban was also comparatively low, averaging £800 per month, or 34.70% of monthly income.

Top 20 Most Affordable Seaside Locations in the UK

Rank	Town	Avg House Price	Avg Rent (pcm)	House Price ÷ Yearly Income	Rent % of Monthly Income
1	Oban	£220,458	£800	7.97	34.70%
2	Morecambe	£194,295	£821	7.44	37.74%
2	Blackpool	£147,449	£704	6.98	40.02%
4	Troon	£225,977	£982	7.84	40.91%
5	Filey	£213,669	£767	8.76	37.74%
6	Scarborough	£202,600	£840	8.76	43.56%
7	Whitby	£253,519	£755	10.40	37.15%
8	Southport	£239,472	£895	9.97	44.71%
9	Dunbar	£327,821	£945	12.15	42.02%
10	Swansea	£200,648	£1,362	8.39	68.33%
11	Portsmouth	£278,599	£1,477	10.07	64.07%
12	Torquay	£262,460	£1,137	11.27	58.57%
13	Eastbourne	£313,862	£1,326	11.52	58.40%
14	Weymouth	£305,854	£1,108	12.76	55.46%
15	Hastings	£309,904	£1,217	12.47	58.75%
16	Ramsgate	£273,903	£1,078	12.66	59.80%
17	Deal	£344,245	£1,344	13.08	61.30%
18	Aberystwyth	£241,927	£1,337	11.16	73.99%
19	Margate	£308,550	£1,199	14.26	66.51%
20	Newquay	£345,917	£1,176	15.65	63.86%

Expert advice for seaside buyers

Warren Cain, Head of Mortgage Products at The Co-operative Bank, offered practical tips for anyone looking to buy by the coast:

“Buying a home, especially in a sought-after seaside location, requires careful financial planning. Start by researching the average house prices in your preferred seaside town and calculate how much deposit you’ll need. Typically, you’ll need to save a minimum of 10% of the cost of the property you want to buy.”

“You’ll also need to figure out how much you can afford to spend and create a budget. You can use tools like our mortgage calculator to see what property price you can afford or what your monthly mortgage repayment could be.

“Don’t forget to consider additional costs of coastal living such as flood insurance premiums that may be higher in coastal locations, the maintenance costs for sea-facing homes such as salty air causing wear and tear, and the commuter costs.”