The Pros and Cons of Living In Nottingham

Nottingham is a vibrant city that sits in the heart of England. It boasts a rich history that is clear in the architecture, but it has a modern vibe to complement it. It offers the perfect blend of history and culture, with the association of the legendary Robin Hood to the Castle, but with its youthful energy from the University, numerous theatres, galleries and live music venues, it really offers that ideal mix.

If you’re thinking of moving to the area, then you might be wondering what the pros and cons of the area are, and ultimately whether it’s a good place to live. In this article, we have a deep dive into the city of Nottingham, so let’s see what it’s all about, shall we?

Table of Contents

• Is Nottingham a good place to live?

• What are the positives of living in Nottingham?

• What are the negatives of living in Nottingham?

• What are house prices like in Nottingham?

• Sell your Nottingham house quickly

Is Nottingham a good place to live?

Before we dig into the city for all its pros and cons, we wanted to provide an overview of whether Nottingham is a good place to live.

Nottingham is considered a wonderful place to live, and is popular with a variety of different people in many walks of life. It offers a fantastic balance of city life, nature, community and history, so there is something for everyone. We’ll dig deeper into these later, but the city has great public transport, is well-known for its top school and almost every town or suburb has good amenities.

Each area in Nottingham is different and, depending on your individual preferences and lifestyle, it may mean that you prefer certain areas. As with any city, it pays to do your research into each district to understand what they’re really like to live in—many Reddit users in this thread explain what they love about living in the city: 

In another thread on Quora, one user expressed their opinion of one of the downsides of the city:

Every place has its upsides and downsides, so it’s important to weigh them up alongside one another to help you choose what’s best for you. Let’s take a look in more depth here.

What are the positives of living in Nottingham?

Affordable living

Nottingham is considered an affordable option compared to some of the other major UK cities—it’s got a very good balance of quality of life and cost of living. According to figures on Numbeo, Nottingham is 27.9% less expensive than London and rent is 62% lower there than it is in the capital.

Green space

The city is surrounded by beautiful countryside, including Sherwood Forest and The Dukeries, and boasts Highfields Park, Wollaton Park, The Meadows and the Nottingham Arboretum.

Transport links

The area has a well-developed public transport network, which makes it really easy to get around the city and many of its surrounding areas. In the city centre, there is a travel centre, a network of buses that cover most of the city, and a major train station that connects it to most of the UK’s cities.

Vibrant centre 

In recent years, the city has undergone a lot of transformation and is emerging as a really exciting and dynamic place to live and visit. It’s got a fantastic cultural scene, a thriving student population, lots of modern amenities, and green space to go with its historic charm—all of which add to the vibrancy of the place.

Great nights out

The diverse nightlife scene in Nottingham caters for a range of tastes. There are loads of pubs and bars to choose from and clubs like Popworld and Rock City to keep you entertained. If dining out is more your thing, there are hundreds of options covering practically every cuisine in the world.

Music and culture

There’s a diverse range of musical experiences available in the city, with live venues like Rescue Rooms and The Bodega and music festivals like Splendour in Wollaton Park. Culturally speaking, there’s a strong industrial heritage, a more modern university atmosphere and an urban feel that really mix into a strong sense of community and passion for the arts.

Very family-friendly

It’s an extremely family-friendly city—there are lots of different activities available, including the City of Caves, and National Justice Museum, with zoos, farms and play centres, to name just a few. 

What are the negatives of living in Nottingham?

Constant development

Redevelopment and restoration are great for the area, but there are also negative impacts for those living there. It can often cause disruption and the city has had a feeling in recent years of never truly being “complete.”

Crime

It’s worth noting that the crime rate in Nottingham is actually particularly high. The city has a crime rate that’s 48% than the East Midlands and 34% higher than England, Wales and Northern Ireland. According to CrimeRate, there have been 98 crimes per 1,000 people on average in Nottingham throughout 2025. 

Traffic and congestion

The transport links are great, but the traffic can be pretty bad, especially as you approach the city centre. Now, this is often true of most cities, so maybe take this with a pinch of salt, but it can take a while to get around, so driving into the city isn’t as advisable as taking the tram.

Job market

Historically, the job market in Nottingham had been somewhat complex, and its employment rate is lower than the national average. According to ONS data, which was last updated in 2024, the employment rate was 66.1%. In Manchester, it was 71.4% and in Leeds, it was 74.7%.

What are house prices like in Nottingham?

As with most places in the UK at present, the average house price is slowly but surely on the rise, but the rate of this increase perhaps isn’t fast enough for many homeowners in the area.

ONS data recorded the average house price in Nottingham at £193,000 by the end of August 2025, which was about the same level as it was 12 months earlier. Sit that alongside the wider East Midlands region and you see that house prices in Nottingham are lagging behind a little—there was a 4.4% increase over the same period in the surrounding areas. 

The rental market is growing more quickly in Nottingham, according to ONS data, with the average private rent in the city costing £998 by the end of September 2025. This represented an increase of 7.1% on the year before and a faster rate of growth than the East Midlands region on the whole.

Home.co.uk’s report on Nottingham during the same period actually recorded average sold prices at £254,923 across 424 properties. 

The most expensive property type in the city was, of course, detached houses, with a total of 95 properties sold, but there were more semi-detached properties sold (155) than any other house type during the time period. By comparison, the number of terraced properties sold came to 124.

Read more: Learn about selling your house quickly in Nottingham’s property market

Sell your Nottingham house quickly

Are you a homeowner in two minds about staying in Nottingham? Or are you looking to capitalise on house values before they change? The Property Buying Company is a cash buyer that can make the process of selling your house totally straightforward—we’ll even cover your legal fees, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Get in touch by entering your Notts postcode today and we’ll reply with our free cash offer to get the conversation started within 24 hours.