Bristol has been listed consistently The Times Best Places to Live in the UK and is increasingly becoming a place where more and more people want to live. Whether you’re buying a property for yourself, or a buy-to-let, Bristol is a great place to invest in.
So what does the city have to offer?
A strong job market
Bristol has a thriving creative sector and tech sector, with a range of start-ups who attract top young talent. There are two universities which provide loads of job opportunities in the city, and a steady stream of graduates.
Bristol is home to global companies like Airbus, Hargreaves Lansdown, Computershare, Babcock, and a number of international law firms. It benefits from its proximity to London, and many people live in Bristol and commute to London a few times a week for work.
Live music
Bristol is popular with students and young professionals because it has such a vibrant music scene. From small venues like The Fleece and The Louisana, to huge DJ nights at The Prospect Building or Motion, there’s exciting music for all tastes.
Plans for the Arena are still going ahead, which should bring even more big acts to the city.
Festivals
Bristol loves a festival. You can probably go to a festival every weekend in the summer. We have Bristol Sounds down on the Harbourside which has hosted acts like Busted, Placebo, Sean Paul, and Bloc Party in recent years.
There’s also the popular Harbour Fest for family-friendly entertainment. The Harbourside comes alive with boat shows, circus acts, sea shanties, and food stalls.
Other festivals throughout the year include:
- The Balloon Fiesta
- Comedy fest
- Forwards festival
- DogFest
- VanFest
- WingFest
- Pride
- St Paul’s Carnival
There really is something for everyone!
Restaurants
Bristol is home to no less than 39 Michelin Star restaurants, including: Adelina Yard, Bulrush, the restaurant at the Lido.
Little French is also a popular favourite, with quite a famous chef. It’s owned by Freddy Bird, who appeared with Michelle Roux Jr on Hidden Restaurants, and you might have seen him on things like Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch, and Remarkable Places to Eat.
There are clusters of popular restaurants dotted around the city, in places like Clifton Village, Wapping Wharf, Whiteladies Road, and Gloucester Road.
Sport
If you’re into live Sport, Bristol has a supportive and friendly scene for rugby and football.
Home to the Bristol Bears, the rugby draws large crowds to Ashton Gate. The women’s team has recently been bolstered by superstar signing Ilona Maher, who is drawing in larger crowds than ever before to the women’s game.
Bristol City and Bristol Rovers also have loyal fan bases, without the aggro on match day.
Open spaces
We all need a picturesque place to take a walk and clear our heads from time to time. Bristol’s no concrete jungle, and you can have a pleasant stroll around the Harbourside, or The Downs, or in any one of our numerous parks.
There’s a lot of culture and history here too, so you might stumble across the SS Great Britain, the old Docks, and a few Banksys as you’re looking around.
Inclusivity and sustainability
Bristol is famously left-leaning and people in the city tend to be open-minded and liberal. There’s a vibrant LBGTQI+ scene, and a diverse range of people live here.
It was named as the European Green City in 2015 and sustainability is a theme for the city. It’s a ‘cycling city’ with lots of bike paths weaving through the city. And we now have a clean air zone to help the overall air quality.
What are house prices and rental yields like?
As Bristol becomes ever more popular as a place to live, the house prices continue to increase. As of November 2024, the average house price in Bristol was £361,000.00 which is above the national average.
That said, houses in Bristol are a good investment. They continue to go up in price and the national average in 2024 was up by 3.3% from the previous year.
If you’re buying a buy-to-let, then rental yields are high. There’s a steady stream of tenants from the universities and young professionals, so you’re rarely in charge of a vacant property.
As you can see, Bristol is one of the most vibrant and interesting cities to live in the UK, and it’s an excellent place to buy property. I love it here!