Kesgrave, #1 on this list · Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0

Suffolk · 2026

Best places to live in Suffolk

Q: What is the best place to live in Suffolk?

Kesgrave ranks first of 34 graded towns of 2,500+: jobs & income (A) and safety (A) are its strongest grades; walkability (B−) is its lowest. Capel St Mary and Worlingham follow.

Kesgrave ranks first of 34 Suffolk towns of 2,500+ residents, and #22 of 2,138 UK towns. 11 of the 34 grade A− or better; scores run from 77.2 down to 32.6.

The overall score, sorted within Suffolk; the letter compares each town with every UK town, and its rank among UK towns sits beside it. How grades work

Kesgrave

Suffolk · 14,947 people

A⁺

Score 77.2·#22 of 2,138 UK towns

Strongest: jobs & income A, safety A·lowest: walkability B⁻

Capel St Mary

Suffolk · 2,992 people

Score 69.9·#132 of 2,138 UK towns

Strongest: health A⁺, hazard risk A·lowest: walkability C⁻

Worlingham

Suffolk · 3,618 people

Score 69.0·#157 of 2,138 UK towns

Strongest: safety A, cost of living A⁻·lowest: walkability C⁺

All 34 towns, ranked

By overall score against UK towns; ranks are within Suffolk, and each UK rank links to the national list. The score (0–100) blends the seven livability grades and sets the order; the letter places that score among UK towns of 2,500+, and A+ is the top 5%, so neighbours on the list often share a letter.

Every town in Suffolk →

Find a town

35 towns, 34 ranked.

#TownScoreGrade · UK rankWhat drives it

1Kesgrave14,947 people77.2top 1.2%A⁺#22 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, safety A·lowest: walkability B⁻

2Capel St Mary2,992 people69.9top 6.4%A#132 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: health A⁺, hazard risk A·lowest: walkability C⁻

3Worlingham3,618 people69.0top 7.6%A#157 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: safety A, cost of living A⁻·lowest: walkability C⁺

4Glemsford3,693 people68.8top 7.9%A#163 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: schools A⁺, cost of living A·lowest: walkability D⁻

5Framlingham3,831 people68.6top 8.0%A#165 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: health A, walkability A⁻·lowest: hazard risk C

6Needham Market5,055 people62.4top 17.1%A⁻#357 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, schools B⁺·lowest: hazard risk D

7Trimley St Mary3,736 people62.3top 17.4%A⁻#364 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: safety A, cost of living A·lowest: schools D

8Woodbridge10,146 people61.7top 18.6%A⁻#388 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, health A⁻·lowest: hazard risk D

9Elmswell4,446 people61.0top 20.7%A⁻#433 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A⁻, health A⁻·lowest: walkability C⁻

10Claydon3,140 people60.8top 21.0%A⁻#439 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, jobs & income A⁻·lowest: schools D

11Hadleigh8,638 people59.3top 23.8%A⁻#498 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, cost of living B⁺·lowest: jobs & income C⁺

12Martlesham Heath2,730 people58.6top 25.4%B⁺#533 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, hazard risk A·lowest: safety D

13Thurston3,009 people58.4top 25.8%B⁺#541 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: health A, cost of living B⁺·lowest: walkability C⁻

14Rendlesham3,185 people55.8top 30.9%B⁺#651 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk A, safety A⁻·lowest: schools D

15Long Melford3,895 people55.5top 32.0%B⁺#673 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁻, health B⁺·lowest: hazard risk C

16Stowmarket21,537 people52.9top 36.7%B#775 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability B⁺·lowest: schools C

17Kessingland4,242 people51.3top 40.2%B#849 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, hazard risk B⁺·lowest: jobs & income D

18Beccles9,807 people49.9top 43.4%B#917 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability A·lowest: hazard risk D

19Felixstowe24,218 people47.4top 49.2%B⁻#1,043 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, cost of living A⁻·lowest: schools D

20Newmarket18,857 people46.8bottom 49.6%B⁻#1,069 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, schools B·lowest: hazard risk D

21Sudbury23,922 people45.6bottom 47.0%B⁻#1,126 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability A⁻·lowest: jobs & income C⁻

22Halesworth4,924 people45.0bottom 45.6%B⁻#1,156 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A⁻, walkability A⁻·lowest: schools D⁻

23Lakenheath4,567 people44.5bottom 44.1%C⁺#1,188 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk B⁺, safety B·lowest: walkability D⁻

24Bury St Edmunds41,279 people43.5bottom 41.6%C⁺#1,242 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, jobs & income B⁻·lowest: safety C⁻

25Saxmundham4,778 people43.4bottom 41.5%C⁺#1,245 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living B⁺, walkability B·lowest: jobs & income C⁻

26Bungay5,012 people43.3bottom 41.0%C⁺#1,254 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability B⁺·lowest: schools D⁻

27Leiston5,919 people43.3bottom 40.9%C⁺#1,257 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, hazard risk A·lowest: schools D⁻

28Lowestoft71,308 people42.4bottom 39.3%C⁺#1,292 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, walkability A⁻·lowest: jobs & income D

29Red Lodge5,771 people42.3bottom 39.0%C⁺#1,299 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: health A⁻, jobs & income B⁺·lowest: walkability D⁻

30Ipswich151,566 people39.6bottom 32.9%C#1,428 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, hazard risk B·lowest: safety C⁻

31Beck Row4,129 people39.4bottom 32.4%C#1,438 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: health B, cost of living B⁻·lowest: schools D⁻

32Haverhill26,704 people36.2bottom 24.2%C⁻#1,616 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁺, hazard risk B·lowest: schools C⁻

33Mildenhall9,684 people33.2bottom 16.5%C⁻#1,782 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk B⁺, walkability B⁺·lowest: schools D⁻

34Brandon9,218 people32.6bottom 15.4%C⁻#1,805 of 2,138 nationallyStrongest: hazard risk B, cost of living B·lowest: schools D

–Little Eriswell Garrison town4,120 people61.9top 18.1%A⁻Strongest: safety A⁺, hazard risk A·lowest: schools D

Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Suffolk?

Kesgrave ranks first of 34 graded towns of 2,500+: jobs & income (A) and safety (A) are its strongest grades; walkability (B−) is its lowest. Capel St Mary and Worlingham follow.

How are these towns ranked?

By the overall grade, which blends seven livability grades (cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs & income, walkability, hazard risk) from public data, each comparing a town with every UK town. The rank is within Suffolk. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

The list covers places of 2,500+ residents with an overall grade. Smaller places, and towns missing figures the overall grade needs, show their subject grades on their own pages; every town in Suffolk is listed on the county page.

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.