Southend-on-Sea
Here's what it actually costs to live in Southend-on-Sea each month: the ongoing bills, not the one-off moving faff. Every figure shows where it came from.
National rank
213th cheapest of 318
At £1,767/mo (renter view), Southend-on-Sea is cheaper than 33%of all areas in England & Wales.
£98/mo more than the sample average
What's in that number
The detail
Rent
ONS — Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statisticsas of 2026-04
Council tax
See all bands (A–H)Hide bands
| Band A | £119.70/mo |
| Band B | £139.65/mo |
| Band C | £159.60/mo |
| Band D (headline) | £179.55/mo |
| Band E | £219.46/mo |
| Band F | £259.36/mo |
| Band G | £299.26/mo |
| Band H | £359.11/mo |
MHCLG — Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England (Table 10)as of 2025-26
Energy
Octopus Energy 'Flexible' tariff (tracks the Ofgem price cap) + Ofgem TDCV (medium)as of 2026-06
Water
Water UK / CCW: average household billas of 2025-26
Broadband
Ofcom — Connected Nations 2024 (coverage) + representative UK package priceas of 2024-07
Insurance
IndicativeConfused.com/WTW (car) & ABI (home): regional averagesas of 2026-Q1
How Southend-on-Sea compares
Where the money goes versus the average area. This is what makes Southend-on-Sea cheaper or dearer than the typical place.
Each bar is Southend-on-Sea’s bill versus the average area (the centre line). Green sits below average, coral above. Renter view, per month.
Council tax in Southend-on-Sea
We headline Band D, but here’s every band so you can find yours.
Council tax by band
Southend-on-Sea City Council
| Band | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | £120 | £1,436 |
| Band B | £140 | £1,676 |
| Band C | £160 | £1,915 |
| Band DHeadline | £180 | £2,155 |
| Band E | £219 | £2,634 |
| Band F | £259 | £3,112 |
| Band G | £299 | £3,591 |
| Band H | £359 | £4,309 |
Live on your own? You get a 25% single-person discount off these figures. Bills are normalised to a true monthly (annual ÷ 12); many councils actually spread them over 10 instalments.
Over time
How the big two have moved in Southend-on-Sea. Drag across a chart to read any month; switch the range with the buttons.
Average rent: +48% over Jan 2016–Apr 2026
Jan 2016: £865.00/mo; Feb 2016: £870.00/mo; Mar 2016: £876.00/mo; Apr 2016: £878.00/mo; May 2016: £882.00/mo; Jun 2016: £887.00/mo; Jul 2016: £891.00/mo; Aug 2016: £896.00/mo; Sep 2016: £902.00/mo; Oct 2016: £908.00/mo; Nov 2016: £913.00/mo; Dec 2016: £915.00/mo; Jan 2017: £917.00/mo; Feb 2017: £918.00/mo; Mar 2017: £918.00/mo; Apr 2017: £917.00/mo; May 2017: £917.00/mo; Jun 2017: £919.00/mo; Jul 2017: £924.00/mo; Aug 2017: £929.00/mo; Sep 2017: £934.00/mo; Oct 2017: £936.00/mo; Nov 2017: £940.00/mo; Dec 2017: £945.00/mo; Jan 2018: £949.00/mo; Feb 2018: £951.00/mo; Mar 2018: £952.00/mo; Apr 2018: £954.00/mo; May 2018: £956.00/mo; Jun 2018: £958.00/mo; Jul 2018: £958.00/mo; Aug 2018: £960.00/mo; Sep 2018: £964.00/mo; Oct 2018: £969.00/mo; Nov 2018: £972.00/mo; Dec 2018: £974.00/mo; Jan 2019: £974.00/mo; Feb 2019: £976.00/mo; Mar 2019: £975.00/mo; Apr 2019: £973.00/mo; May 2019: £972.00/mo; Jun 2019: £974.00/mo; Jul 2019: £977.00/mo; Aug 2019: £978.00/mo; Sep 2019: £980.00/mo; Oct 2019: £981.00/mo; Nov 2019: £982.00/mo; Dec 2019: £982.00/mo; Jan 2020: £983.00/mo; Feb 2020: £985.00/mo; Mar 2020: £987.00/mo; Apr 2020: £988.00/mo; May 2020: £988.00/mo; Jun 2020: £990.00/mo; Jul 2020: £991.00/mo; Aug 2020: £992.00/mo; Sep 2020: £993.00/mo; Oct 2020: £995.00/mo; Nov 2020: £996.00/mo; Dec 2020: £998.00/mo; Jan 2021: £1,001.00/mo; Feb 2021: £1,004.00/mo; Mar 2021: £1,007.00/mo; Apr 2021: £1,010.00/mo; May 2021: £1,012.00/mo; Jun 2021: £1,013.00/mo; Jul 2021: £1,014.00/mo; Aug 2021: £1,016.00/mo; Sep 2021: £1,020.00/mo; Oct 2021: £1,023.00/mo; Nov 2021: £1,026.00/mo; Dec 2021: £1,029.00/mo; Jan 2022: £1,031.00/mo; Feb 2022: £1,032.00/mo; Mar 2022: £1,034.00/mo; Apr 2022: £1,036.00/mo; May 2022: £1,040.00/mo; Jun 2022: £1,045.00/mo; Jul 2022: £1,052.00/mo; Aug 2022: £1,059.00/mo; Sep 2022: £1,065.00/mo; Oct 2022: £1,063.00/mo; Nov 2022: £1,060.00/mo; Dec 2022: £1,061.00/mo; Jan 2023: £1,067.00/mo; Feb 2023: £1,074.00/mo; Mar 2023: £1,079.00/mo; Apr 2023: £1,083.00/mo; May 2023: £1,087.00/mo; Jun 2023: £1,090.00/mo; Jul 2023: £1,094.00/mo; Aug 2023: £1,099.00/mo; Sep 2023: £1,104.00/mo; Oct 2023: £1,110.00/mo; Nov 2023: £1,115.00/mo; Dec 2023: £1,120.00/mo; Jan 2024: £1,126.00/mo; Feb 2024: £1,134.00/mo; Mar 2024: £1,139.00/mo; Apr 2024: £1,143.00/mo; May 2024: £1,146.00/mo; Jun 2024: £1,149.00/mo; Jul 2024: £1,151.00/mo; Aug 2024: £1,159.00/mo; Sep 2024: £1,168.00/mo; Oct 2024: £1,178.00/mo; Nov 2024: £1,185.00/mo; Dec 2024: £1,191.00/mo; Jan 2025: £1,196.00/mo; Feb 2025: £1,202.00/mo; Mar 2025: £1,210.00/mo; Apr 2025: £1,218.00/mo; May 2025: £1,223.00/mo; Jun 2025: £1,230.00/mo; Jul 2025: £1,238.00/mo; Aug 2025: £1,245.00/mo; Sep 2025: £1,252.00/mo; Oct 2025: £1,261.00/mo; Nov 2025: £1,270.00/mo; Dec 2025: £1,274.00/mo; Jan 2026: £1,275.00/mo; Feb 2026: £1,275.00/mo; Mar 2026: £1,278.00/mo; Apr 2026: £1,282.00/mo
ONS Price Index of Private Rents · monthly
Median house price: +86% over Mar 2013–Mar 2023
Mar 2013: £183,000; Jun 2013: £182,000; Sep 2013: £185,000; Dec 2013: £185,000; Mar 2014: £187,000; Jun 2014: £190,000; Sep 2014: £197,000; Dec 2014: £203,000; Mar 2015: £209,500; Jun 2015: £213,000; Sep 2015: £218,250; Dec 2015: £221,000; Mar 2016: £230,000; Jun 2016: £230,000; Sep 2016: £235,000; Dec 2016: £242,000; Mar 2017: £249,000; Jun 2017: £252,000; Sep 2017: £260,000; Dec 2017: £267,000; Mar 2018: £268,000; Jun 2018: £272,250; Sep 2018: £275,000; Dec 2018: £280,000; Mar 2019: £282,000; Jun 2019: £285,000; Sep 2019: £290,000; Dec 2019: £285,000; Mar 2020: £288,000; Jun 2020: £292,500; Sep 2020: £290,000; Dec 2020: £300,000; Mar 2021: £315,000; Jun 2021: £322,500; Sep 2021: £322,750; Dec 2021: £325,000; Mar 2022: £320,000; Jun 2022: £320,000; Sep 2022: £327,000; Dec 2022: £335,000; Mar 2023: £340,000
ONS HPSSA · median price paid · year-ending quarterly
Towns & areas in Southend-on-Sea
The 17 wards that make up Southend-on-Sea. Shade the map by real gigabit-broadband availability or by the estimated cost of buying here (each ward's median house price → a mortgage estimate). Council tax, energy and water are set across the whole of Southend-on-Sea; it's broadband, rent and house prices that shift street to street. Hover any ward for the detail, or click through to its own page.
Your council
Southend-on-Sea City Council
The people you'll actually be dealing with. Straight to the bits that matter:
Nearby areas
Difference is vs Southend-on-Sea's £1,767/mo (renter view).
Southend-on-Sea: common questions
How much does it cost to live in Southend-on-Sea?
The estimated ongoing cost of living in Southend-on-Sea is around £1,767 a month for a renter, or about £1,800 a month if you're buying. That covers rent or a typical mortgage, council tax, energy, water, broadband and indicative insurance.
How much is council tax in Southend-on-Sea?
Band D council tax in Southend-on-Sea works out at roughly £180 a month (£2,155 a year), set by Southend-on-Sea City Council. If you're the only adult in the property you get a 25% single-person discount.
What is the average rent in Southend-on-Sea?
The average private rent in Southend-on-Sea is about £1,282 a month across all property sizes, based on the latest ONS Price Index of Private Rents.
Is Southend-on-Sea an expensive place to live?
Southend-on-Sea is the 213th cheapest of 318 local authorities in England & Wales by total monthly cost, which makes it cheaper than 33% of them.
No surprises, promise.
These are estimates, not quotes. Real figures vary by property and provider. We show our sources so you can check our working.