Best Areas to Buy in Liverpool (2025 Guide)

Liverpool has a wide mix of areas that suit different types of buyers. Some neighbourhoods feel village-like with quiet streets and strong schools. Others are closer to the centre, trading space for nightlife and quick walks into town. This guide focuses on owner-occupiers and the best areas to buy in Liverpool if you plan to live in the home yourself.

We use ward-level data on schools, crime, greenspace, broadband, family households and prices to support what local buyers already know. The numbers help you compare areas fairly, but the aim is to explain in plain language how each place feels.

Quick facts: the best areas to buy in Liverpool in 2025

Here is a quick snapshot of how the data shakes out before we dive into the detail.

• Best overall balance for owner-occupiers: Garston, with a strong all-round score across schools, safety and price.
• Highest school scores: Woolton Village, where Ofsted scores are well above the city average.
• Lowest crime per 1,000 residents: Calderstones, one of the calmest parts of the city.
• Most affordable among the top performers: Arundel, with very low typical prices but still reasonable access to the rest of the city.

These are not the only good options, but they give a useful starting point if you are shortlisting the best areas to buy in Liverpool this year.

Top neighbourhoods and who they suit

The best areas to buy in Liverpool sit in a band from the leafy south to improving inner-city wards that are becoming more popular with young buyers. Our composite score looks for balance: places that offer decent schools, a sense of safety, local amenities and realistic prices.

The chart shows the ten Liverpool wards that score highest on our all-round Buyer Value measure. Garston comes out on top, followed by Sandfield Park, Penny Lane and Woolton Village. These areas combine practical strengths that matter when you actually live there, not just when you glance at an asking price.

Garston sits close to the river in the south of the city. Streets are a mix of traditional terraces and modest semis, with handy links towards the airport and the city centre. Schools test well above average and crime is lower than many inner-city wards, which helps Garston feel steady rather than edgy. For buyers who want the best areas to buy in Liverpool on a realistic budget, Garston is a strong contender.

Sandfield Park feels more tucked away. It has a quiet, residential character with larger homes, tree-lined roads and a calmer pace of life. Strong school performance and plenty of green corners make it attractive to established families who want to stay in the city but enjoy more space.

Penny Lane is famous for its Beatles links, but for buyers the appeal is more everyday. There are cafes, small shops and regular buses, so you can live locally without relying on a car. It scores well for school access and overall liveability, which makes it a popular choice for young families and first-time buyers who still want a social life.

Woolton Village is one of the classic “if we can afford it” areas when people talk about the best areas to buy in Liverpool. The centre feels like a village, with independent shops and places to eat, while nearby parks and strong schools add to the appeal. Prices are not the lowest in the city, but many buyers feel the mix of stability and comfort justifies the stretch.

Old Swan East offers a different type of value. It has good links into the city centre and towards the motorway, with plenty of everyday shops and services. Homes are mainly terraces and smaller semis, which keeps prices more accessible. For buyers who prioritise being plugged into the rest of Liverpool rather than a postcard-perfect high street, Old Swan East can work well.

Beyond these five, Aigburth, Everton North, Everton West, Princes Park and Smithdown all feature in the top ten. They offer a mix of improving high streets, better-than-expected school access and, in some cases, very competitive prices for the score you get.

Families: calm streets and good schools

If you are moving with children, you will probably care most about school options, parks and whether the area feels settled day to day.

The stand-out performer is Woolton Village, which sits at the top of the table for school quality. Families are drawn to the cluster of well-rated primaries and secondaries, and the presence of long-term owner-occupiers gives streets a settled feel. It is one of the best areas to buy in Liverpool if school catchments are your main filter.

Garston also scores strongly on school quality, which helps explain why it tops our overall list as well. You get a more mixed housing stock than in Woolton, so it can be easier to find a home that fits your budget.

Aigburth and Sandfield Park round out the upper group. Both mix solid Ofsted results with access to green space. In Aigburth that means riverside paths and nearby parks, while Sandfield Park offers quiet, leafy streets.

For families who want a balance of space, school choice and a community feel without leaving the city boundary, these four areas are strong contenders.

Our school metric converts Ofsted ratings into simple points (Outstanding 4, Good 3, Requires Improvement 2, Inadequate 1), averages nearby state schools serving each ward, then normalises that within Liverpool.

First-time buyers: stretching your budget sensibly

First-time buyers in Liverpool often have to juggle deposit size, monthly costs and the desire to stay close to friends, work and nightlife.

In our affordability view, Arundel comes out with the lowest typical prices in the dataset. Homes here are among the most attainable in the city, which can make it a starting point for buyers with smaller deposits. The trade-off is that the area feels more urban and less polished than the leafier south, so it suits buyers who care more about getting on the ladder than about picture-perfect streets.

Everton East and Princes Park also show very low average prices compared with much of Liverpool. Both are close to the city centre and are seeing gradual change as new homes and small businesses arrive. They will not be the right fit for everyone, but for some first-time buyers the mix of central access and lower entry price makes sense.

Areas like Garston and Smithdown sit in the middle ground. They are not the absolute cheapest, but they offer better overall scores and a more balanced feel while still being within reach for many first-time buyers.

Professionals and commuters: access without stress

For professionals and commuters, the best areas to buy in Liverpool tend to be those that balance a straightforward journey to the centre with quiet evenings and decent local amenities.

The safety data highlights Calderstones as the ward with the lowest recorded crime per 1,000 residents in our dataset. Streets feel calm and residential, and the large park is a major draw for anyone who wants greenery on the doorstep.

Allerton and Childwall follow closely, combining low crime with good schools and strong rail and bus links. They are classic south Liverpool choices for buyers who commute but want a quieter base in the evenings.

Mossley Hill and Croxteth Country Park also show comparatively low crime levels. In Mossley Hill, that comes with lively local bars, restaurants and rail links. Croxteth Country Park offers more edge-of-city calm and easy access to large green spaces.

For professionals who split their time between home working and office days, these areas offer a good balance between peace, connectivity and local life.

Shortlists by priority

Different buyers will prioritise different things. Use these simple shortlists as a starting point, then sense-check them against your own budget and routines.

FAQs about buying in Liverpool

What are the best areas to buy in Liverpool in 2025?

Our data points to Garston, Sandfield Park, Penny Lane, Woolton Village and Old Swan East as some of the best areas to buy in Liverpool for owner-occupiers. They combine decent schools, a sense of safety and realistic prices, rather than excelling in only one dimension.

What does the family or buyer score actually mean?

The buyer value score runs from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate wards that balance good schools, lower crime, reasonable prices, access to greenspace and solid broadband. It is not a prediction of future price growth, just a way to compare today’s conditions across neighbourhoods.

How often is the data updated?

We refresh the underlying datasets regularly as new releases become available from sources such as Ofsted, Police-UK, Ofcom and HM Land Registry. That means rankings can shift slightly over time as new school inspections take place or crime patterns change.

Methodology and sources

To identify the best areas to buy in Liverpool in 2025 we build a composite score using six indicators for every ward in the city:

• Average Ofsted score for nearby state schools.
• Crime rate per 1,000 residents.
• Greenspace access.
• Broadband quality.
• Share of family households.
• Typical property prices.

Each indicator is normalised within Liverpool so we can compare wards on a fair basis. Where data is missing for a particular metric in a ward, we use the city median for that metric rather than leaving the area out.

This approach does not tell you where prices will rise fastest. Instead, it helps you focus your search on areas that combine comfort, stability and practicality, so you can choose the best place to buy in Liverpool for your own situation.