# Relocation Bristol V Exeter



## Graciemg (Jul 3, 2013)

My boyfriend and I are thinking of relocating to either of these areas once our current lease expires

At present, we live about half hour from London just outside Croydon. I work in London and earn an average London wage, bf is self employed as a graphic designer and musician so every penny counts and with the high rents in our area and general cost of living we're living hand to mouth

I'm keen on Exeter as I love Devon and the countryside but someone mentioned that Bristol might be a better option as there are likely to be better job opportunities for me. My bf can take his work anywhere however he has lived in Exeter before, has a few friends there and knows the city quite well. When it comes to Bristol we have no connections there, don't know the city at all so it's a completely unknown quantity

I'd love to hear from people who have maybe lived in both, which they prefer and why. How do the rents, cost of living, wages, transport etc compare?

I have a driving license but as I've lived in and around London for the last 8 years I've never replaced my old car so if a recommended area is better with my own transport that's obviously something I have to consider 

We don't have kids so things like schools etc aren't important to us. We would like good access to the city centres, parks, walks, all the usual leisure and entertainment things like cinemas, pubs etc. We're both from different areas of the UK as well, his family are in the midlands and mine are in the south, another factor in looking at Bristol/Exeter for connections back to parents etc


----------



## lizzieloo (Jul 3, 2013)

There are loads of Bristol fans here so you probably won't get a balanced response.

Bristol is more lively, loads going on and fun and that.

Exeter is posher, if you're a snob you'd prefer Exeter 

What are you like? That's what'll swing it.


----------



## Thora (Jul 3, 2013)

What job do you do?  Is Exeter going to have any job opportunities for you?

Depends what kind of place you are looking for - Exeter isn't a big town (smaller than Swindon for instance) and might not be that exciting, and it quite far away from anything.  Maybe good if you are looking for a change of pace or quieter lifestyle though?  Bristol is a much bigger city and so obviously there's more of a range of stuff going on, and much easier to get to other big cities from there.


----------



## Graciemg (Jul 3, 2013)

I work as sales support for an IT company, the days of wild living are behind me having just turned 40 but one of the reasons I love London is because it's cosmopolitan and there's always something different to do. Saying that though, I prefer an evening in the pub as opposed to clubbing it until 4 in the morning. My boyfriend is slightly younger than me but he actually prefers a quieter lifestyle so I would think living in a quieter area would suit us both but if I don't have access to a busy city centre then I do go a bit stir crazy. I'm a typical girl in that respect, love my shopping, coffee shops but also love a bit of culture, museums, cinema, theatre etc.


----------



## lizzieloo (Jul 3, 2013)

You thinking of starting a family?

I'd say Exeter but then I'm probably biased being from near there but it is certainly quieter.

Getting a job won't be as easy though


----------



## Graciemg (Jul 3, 2013)

No, won't be starting a family

Having been to Exeter and seen bits of it I think it looks like a lovely place to live but if employment is a problem then that's a sticking point. I'd be happy to temp for a while until something came up as I've done that before but it will be hard as well because of the drop in salary


----------



## Vintage Paw (Jul 3, 2013)

Don't have experience of either place, I'm afraid, but perhaps it would be a good idea to spend some time looking at what types of jobs are on offer in both for a couple of weeks or so, see what comes and goes, if there are any big well-known employers in the area, etc. It looks like your ability to get a job is probably the most important consideration, so that's where your research should focus.

Good luck.


----------



## Geri (Jul 3, 2013)

What does sales support involve? What kind of salary would you be looking for in Bristol?

I don't really know Exeter but it is closer to Devon (being actually in it) and Cornwall than Bristol. Having said that we do have a lot of nice countryside around here as well.


----------



## Hocus Eye. (Jul 3, 2013)

Bristol has got to be a better bet for jobs, just from the size of it. Property prices are quite high there though. I quite like Exeter but I would get bored with it after not very long if I lived there. Property prices there jumped a lot when the Met Office moved there from Bracknell.


----------



## Graciemg (Jul 4, 2013)

Lots of interesting info from everyone so far, thanks 

Sales Support in a nutshell is a customer service based job, I look after the customer base for our account managers so I'm their point of contact if they want to place orders, need quotes, general enquiries etc. London salaries for sales support range from 25k to about 32k depending on how much experience you have, I've been doing it for 8 years and I'm senior so I'm in the higher bracket. I realise I'd have to take a drop in salary to relocate.

Interesting point re the Met Office affecting house prices. We'd be renting and need a 2 bedroom property so my boyfriend can use the spare room as a workspace, at the moment it takes up half our living room! Where I am now the rent is £825 pcm, council tax is about £150, Gas & Elec £60, Water £40 per month (metered), the food bill and I pay £165 per month in travel costs


----------



## King Biscuit Time (Jul 4, 2013)

Exeter is posher, and knows it.
I prefer that to Bristol where there are a lot of very posh people pretending not to be. At least you know where you are in Exeter and everything isn't covered in fucking graffiti*.

* NB - I have some long-standing beef with Bristol that isn't really Bristol's fault.


----------



## Graciemg (Jul 5, 2013)

ok, thanks King Biscuit, whilst not the most constructive answer it was certainly amusing 

So generally speaking, Exeter is the nicer place to live out of the two but Bristol is better for jobs?

What are people paying for rent in either place? Would appreciate some guidance on this point because it is a major factor

I guess like most people we want to live in a nice area, having lived in not so nice areas before


----------



## Roadkill (Jul 5, 2013)

I don't know Bristol well, but have visited quite a few times and always liked the look of it.  Plus, as others have said, it's several times the size of Exeter and likely to be better for jobs.

Exeter I know pretty well, having family and friends there.  It isn't a big place but for its size it's reasonably lively, with quite a bit going on in terms of music, theatre and so on.  Lots of nice pubs as well.  I always think that parts of it - the High Street especially - are a bit disappointing, mainly because they used to be absolutely beautiful before the Luftwaffe paid a visit, and then town planners after the war took the opportunity to demolish even more of the old city and replace it with boring 1950s brick blocks. The contrast between pretty old Exeter and dull new Exeter is especially visible on South Street IMO.  But it does have its lovely areas, especially around Cathedral Green, Southernhay, St Leonards, and so on. IME it's very friendly, most of it feels very safe - a few slightly sketchy areas out of town excepted - and in general it's just a pleasant place to be. Prices-wise, I'm told that two-bed places in decent areas go for £750-800 and up, though that might be a bit out of date.


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

Graciemg said:


> So generally speaking, Exeter is the nicer place to live out of the two but Bristol is better for jobs?


depends on your definition of 'nice'. Bristol has a pretty wide range of areas/suburbs


----------



## Graciemg (Jul 5, 2013)

JTG said:


> depends on your definition of 'nice'. Bristol has a pretty wide range of areas/suburbs


 
At the least, somewhere people feel safe when coming home late at night and you don't need bars on the windows. I used to live on the Isle of Dogs and always felt very safe when coming home at night if I was on my own. I've also lived in New Cross in which you have to be very streetwise to live. My other half lived in a bad area of Derby for a few years where his house was constantly attacked by vandals and asbo types so whilst were not looking for something posh and exclusive we don't want to feel like we're in a warzone or that we have to be constantly on our guard.


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

Fair dos - plenty of places like that in Bristol then, you don't have to look very hard!


----------



## Thora (Jul 5, 2013)

There's very few places in Bristol I'd expect to see bars on windows.


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

Thora said:


> There's very few places in Bristol I'd expect to see bars on windows.


Conservative club on Glos Rd is the only place I can think of


----------



## Geri (Jul 5, 2013)

A few basement flats in St Pauls have bars on the windows, or used to anyway.

Many moons ago I went in an off licence in Knowle West and was amazed to see all the drink locked away behind bars!


----------



## RedDragon (Jul 5, 2013)

Exeter gets my vote


----------



## butchersapron (Jul 5, 2013)

Geri said:


> A few basement flats in St Pauls have bars on the windows, or used to anyway.
> 
> Many moons ago I went in an off licence in Knowle West and was amazed to see all the drink locked away behind bars!


A lot of the basements in clifton in the huge houses up by the uni do as well.

(And speaking of the tory offices up glos road...)


----------



## xenon (Jul 5, 2013)

Bars over basement windows / doors obviously don't give you a good impression of an area but they're not unusual in cities. It's obviously easier to burgle a basement, hidden from street view.

Actually I've got half bars on my windows. (Were here when I moved in.) 'elf n safety innit. Stop walleys / kids falling out rather than people getting in.

I wouldn't have ever moved to Exeter before coming to Bristol I don't think. Too small, seems a bit meh. Course that's different if you've got friends / family already there, a factor not to be underestimated.


----------



## Thora (Jul 5, 2013)

I don't think there's anywhere where your house would likely be attacked by vandals with asbos either.

In terms of rent, £600-£800 is likely to get you a 2-3 bed flat or house in Bristol - so £700/800 for a 2 bed flat in the poshest bits, or a 3 bed with a garden in East Bristol or some bits of South Bristol.


----------



## fractionMan (Jul 5, 2013)

There's quite a lot of IT companies in and around bristol.  I'm not sure if the same can be said of exeter. Devon isn't that far away from Bristol, and you've got south wales & dorset & wiltshire & somerset and all sorts of nice countryside around about.


----------



## lizzieloo (Jul 5, 2013)

Seriously, if you're a snob move to Exeter, if you're more down to earth and still want to party move to Bristol.


----------



## fractionMan (Jul 5, 2013)

Nobodies mentioned Bath yet


----------



## rubbershoes (Jul 5, 2013)

Bristol is of course much bigger and has more jobs etc

But it's bigger so there's more traffic, further to go

Exeter has easy access to a decent coastline


----------



## lizzieloo (Jul 5, 2013)

Move to Bath if you're a bit of a twat


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> Move to Bath if you're a bit of a twat


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

rubbershoes said:


> Bristol is of course much bigger and has more jobs etc
> 
> But it's bigger so there's more traffic, further to go
> 
> Exeter has easy access to a decent coastline


Bristol has easy access to Weston-super-Mare


----------



## fractionMan (Jul 5, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> Move to Bath if you're a bit of a twat


----------



## jakethesnake (Jul 5, 2013)

Rent is high in Exeter; there's a lot of demand, but if you look at some of the smaller towns nearby, eg, Tiverton, Crediton, Cullompton, you get a lot more for your money (but they are very sleepy Devon towns).


----------



## rutabowa (Jul 5, 2013)

lizzieloo said:


> Seriously, if you're a snob move to Exeter, if you're more down to earth and still want to party move to Bristol.


 
eh? i know both places and Bristol is much posher. exeter is more like a northern town.


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)




----------



## Graciemg (Jul 5, 2013)

lol, thanks peeps 

Looking like Bristol might be the place for better opportunities. I've only been to Exeter once so not enough to see all of it, just the city centre and quay side which I liked. The city centre is pretty much like any other.

We'll have to spend some time in both places anyway before making a decision and whilst I prefer the idea of Exeter because it's closer to all the Devon coast and countryside if we'll do better financially in Bristol then that would be the more sensible choice

As for Bath, I really like it there but I'm obviously too much of a Londoner to get the in-joke lol


----------



## jakethesnake (Jul 5, 2013)

rutabowa said:


> eh? i know both places and Bristol is much posher. exeter is more like a northern town.


Yeh, Exeter isn't particularly posh... all the really posh people tend to live in the countryside.


----------



## butchersapron (Jul 5, 2013)

There are clearly posh places in both. Does rutabowa think the cheshire stockbroker belt is particularly poor given that it's in the north? The leafy suburbs around all the major towns?


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

Graciemg said:


> lol, thanks peeps
> 
> Looking like Bristol might be the place for better opportunities. I've only been to Exeter once so not enough to see all of it, just the city centre and quay side which I liked. The city centre is pretty much like any other.
> 
> ...


You sound very sensible. Spend time here and down there. See which you like best. Bristol can change a fair bit within a square mile or two so make sure it's a proper poke around!
Good luck. It's all Ciderland anyway so it's the right choice


----------



## lizzieloo (Jul 5, 2013)

When I say Exeter is posher I mean if you are a snob you'd prefer it to Bristol. I don't know whether the OP is though.


----------



## rutabowa (Jul 5, 2013)

butchersapron said:


> There are clearly posh places in both. Does rutabowa think the cheshire stockbroker belt is particularly poor given that it's in the north? The leafy suburbs around all the major towns?


 
do you really want me to give my verdict on every single place in the UK? think about what would ensue. i don't know about most place anyway; but Bristol and Exeter I happen to know.


----------



## butchersapron (Jul 5, 2013)

rutabowa said:


> do you really want me to give my verdict on every single place in the UK? think about what would ensue. i don't know about most place anyway; but Bristol and Exeter I happen to know.


 
That's the last thing i would want you to do. Reflection on the idea that northern towns are by definition not posh should have been a minimal for posting what you did.


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

butchersapron said:


> That's the last thing i would want you to do. Reflection on the idea that northern towns are by definition not posh should have been a minimal for posting what you did.


I'll have you know that Macclesfield and Knutsford are rough as anything.


----------



## rutabowa (Jul 5, 2013)

butchersapron said:


> That's the last thing i would want you to do. Reflection on the idea that northern towns are by definition not posh should have been a minimal for posting what you did.


 
i bet i know 10 times more about northern towns than you do. 10 times! step aside whilst those who have more experience in this speak.


----------



## stuff_it (Jul 5, 2013)

Graciemg said:


> I work as sales support for an IT company, the days of wild living are behind me having just turned 40 but one of the reasons I love London is because it's cosmopolitan and there's always something different to do. Saying that though, I prefer an evening in the pub as opposed to clubbing it until 4 in the morning. My boyfriend is slightly younger than me but he actually prefers a quieter lifestyle so I would think living in a quieter area would suit us both but if I don't have access to a busy city centre then I do go a bit stir crazy. I'm a typical girl in that respect, love my shopping, coffee shops but also love a bit of culture, museums, cinema, theatre etc.


 
If you like being in or near a big cosmopolitan city Exeter might be a bit of a shock. It is _very_ much smaller and quieter than London or Bristol, and a bit backward compared to a larger city. I've lived in the countryside near Exeter and even if we wanted to go to the pub we would go elsewhere in the area rather than in to Exeter. Shopping? The centre of Exeter is really small and mainly chain stores.

If you wanted to be near Bristol but somewhere quieter Bath might be a good option. Don't expect rents in Bristol or Bath to be that different from London prices though and cheaper areas of Bristol can be quite rough - in fact rougher than a lot of so called 'rough' areas in London.


----------



## Thora (Jul 5, 2013)

I think rents in Bath are very different to London prices aren't they?  I've known people in Hackney paying the same amount for a studio flat as would get you a 3 bed house with a garden in Bristol.


----------



## rutabowa (Jul 5, 2013)

Rent are definitely Way cheaper in Exeter than London, i'd be really surprised if they weren't a lot cheaper in Bristol too. anyway that's easy enough to research.


----------



## Geri (Jul 5, 2013)

stuff_it said:


> Don't expect rents in Bristol or Bath to be that different from London prices though and cheaper areas of Bristol can be quite rough - in fact rougher than a lot of so called 'rough' areas in London.


 
Are you mad? Bristol prices are nowhere near London prices! I would also be interested to know what parts of Bristol you consider to be as rough as some parts of London.


----------



## stuff_it (Jul 5, 2013)

Geri said:


> Are you mad? Bristol prices are nowhere near London prices! I would also be interested to know what parts of Bristol you consider to be as rough as some parts of London.


 
If you cut out some of the richest areas the rents aren't as dissimilar as one might hope. Rent a room in Bristol and you're looking at around £90 per week, rent a room in non-central London and you're looking at around £100-110 per week, so yes similar rents or at least not vastly different ones.

Certainly I have felt more unsafe walking through parts of Bristol on my own at night (eg from Easton to Montpellier through the subway) than I have walking to my friends flat in the arse end of the Homerton/Hackney area, walking around Brixton at night before the gentrification struck, or walking through St Anns or Radford in Nottingham. I have a relatively acute street sense having lived in a lot of the cheaper areas of various cities and have moved around a lot. I also knew where I was going so it wasn't caused by it being new area to me or anything like that.

Certainly I felt I needed to be more on my guard in Bristol, and was indeed followed by rather a tall chap trying to use some piss poor excuse (lighter broken, now it's fixed, etc) to lure me off for a mugging or whatever. I'm not particularly green and I have a stupidly high danger threshold but I have definitely been kept on my toes more in parts of Bristol than many other places and have had to take evasive manouvres a couple of times when I thought I was being followed. It may just be that Bristol is so nice that muggers don't really try very hard and are easily spotted but I suspect that's not the case, especially as several of my friends were worried about my routes walking in Bristol when I passed through areas where people they know had been mugged or attacked.

If I could afford it I would still move to Bristol like a shot, I'm not sure anyone could pay me enough money to move to Exeter though.


----------



## JTG (Jul 5, 2013)

Not disputing your personal experiences obv, but that's not really mine in 10 years of living in St Pauls/Easton


----------



## Thora (Jul 5, 2013)

How odd, I don't think I know anyone personally who's been mugged or attacked in Bristol.

£90 a week sounds pretty expensive for a room in a shared house to me - probably in the more expensive areas?, but I think the OP was interested in 2 bed flats anyway.  You have quite a choice around the £6-700 mark here, and could live in Redland or Clifton for £800 if you wanted.  When I was last living in London in 2008 we struggled to find a 2 bed flat under £800 anywhere.


----------



## rutabowa (Jul 5, 2013)

I dont think comparing hackney or homerton to the dodgiest areas of bristol is comparing like for like either... there are Far more dodgy areas in london to walk around! Hackney is a kind of safe, high rent area really.


----------



## rutabowa (Jul 5, 2013)

Nothing more scary than scunthorpe town centre area on sarurday night though, that is where you get the real cheap rents


----------



## Thora (Jul 5, 2013)

rutabowa said:


> I dont think comparing hackney or homerton to the dodgiest areas of bristol is comparing like for like either... there are Far more dodgy areas in london to walk around! Hackney is a kind of safe, high rent area really.


That bit of Bristol isn't really dodgy either - though obviously an underpass under a motorway isn't going to be anyone's first choice of places to walk alone at night.


----------



## RedDragon (Jul 5, 2013)

I know loads of people who have moved from London to Bristol, it makes sense they took their dodginess with them.


----------



## Graciemg (Jul 8, 2013)

RedDragon said:


> I know loads of people who have moved from London to Bristol, it makes sense they took their dodginess with them.


 
Well I'm actually from Southampton originally so any dodginess would be minimal 

ok, so seeing as some of you can't agree on where's "dodgy" in Bristol haha where are the "posh" areas? That would give me something to start with in terms of looking at rents in those areas and then work my way down


----------



## fractionMan (Jul 8, 2013)

Bath rents might be high on a national scale but they're nowhere near London rents.


----------



## Thora (Jul 8, 2013)

Clifton, Redland, Cotham, St Andrews are the central posh bits (lots of posh students though).  Sneyd Park, Westbury Park/on Trym, Henleaze and Stoke Bishop are a bit further out posh.  Bishopston and Southville are yummy mummy-posh.

If you want to avoid council estates then they are Hartcliffe, Southmead (quite far out anyway) Knowle West.  If you want to avoid multicultural areas then St. Pauls, Easton, Lawrence Hiill.


----------



## xenon (Jul 8, 2013)

Thora said:


> How odd, I don't think I know anyone personally who's been mugged or attacked in Bristol.
> 
> £90 a week sounds pretty expensive for a room in a shared house to me - probably in the more expensive areas?, but I think the OP was interested in 2 bed flats anyway.  You have quite a choice around the £6-700 mark here, and could live in Redland or Clifton for £800 if you wanted.  When I was last living in London in 2008 we struggled to find a 2 bed flat under £800 anywhere.


I know maybe 3, OTOMH who've been mugged. This is over a number of years and in different areas of the city though and none lately. Thankfully.


----------



## stuff_it (Jul 8, 2013)

fractionMan said:


> Bath rents might be high on a national scale but they're nowhere near London rents.


 
It all seems really high, I'm from the East Midlands.


----------



## Geri (Jul 8, 2013)

xenon said:


> I know maybe 3, OTOMH who've been mugged. This is over a number of years and in different areas of the city though and none lately. Thankfully.


 
I've been mugged 5 times! Twice in Montpelier, once by the Spectrum building, once in the Bearpit, once in Eastville by the M32 roundabout by Tesco. Long time ago now though, I have not had any hassle for about 10 years (apart from being propositioned by weirdos).

House next to me is to let, if anyone is interested.


----------



## xenon (Jul 8, 2013)

5 times. 

Only had drunks / twats / people with some kind of mental problems, say stupid stuff to me occasionly. (The blind stick thing innit.) Like last night, got boohd at by a woman as she walked past with her friends. Although I think they were retarded people from a nearby sheltered housing place. But Bedminster's generally alright. Bit rough round the edges and not the prettiest area but decent for shops, getting into town and Templemeads.


----------



## kebabking (Jul 20, 2013)

Bristol would get my vote, not only do i think its a nicer place to live than Exeter - and i've lived in/near both - but Bristols size and proximity to other places gives you more options: from Bristol, most of South Lales, Swindon, the Severn Valley, Glocerster, Cheltenham and Bath is commutable, from Exeter, err... there's Exeter.

Bristol is a reasonably large city with easy transport links to lots of other places that have significant employment - Exeter is a small city thats on the arse end of nowhere. if you don't find the job you need in Bristol you've got other options, if you don't find the job you need in Exeter you're screwed because everywhere else is too far to commute to.

in cultural terms Bristol is lightyears ahead of Exeter - festivals, arts, music, eating, architecture etc.. its 60 mins from the Brecon Beacons, 45mins from the Forest of Dean, 30 mins to the Cotswolds, 2hrs 30mins from Newquay, or 90 mins from the Dorset coast. no contest for me...


----------



## keybored (Jul 21, 2013)

I lol'd so hard at some of the replies on this thread.

*rivalry between South-West cities*

*championing said cities because of proximity to other, arguably better places*

*thinking Exeter is posh, or Bath*


----------



## Jenniwren (Jul 6, 2014)

I grew up in Exeter,  been living in London the last 15 years - absolutely sick of the place now, and finally escaping to Bristol. I find Exeter rather stuck up and always found it a bit 'clicky'. A very slow pace of life, but! it's close to Dartmoor and the Coast. I personally would be bored within 2 weeks, which is why Bristol is my choice. Cannot wait to escape the South East and get back to the Westcountry


----------



## Idaho (Aug 15, 2014)

kebabking said:


> Bristol would get my vote, not only do i think its a nicer place to live than Exeter - and i've lived in/near both - but Bristols size and proximity to other places gives you more options: from Bristol, most of South Lales, Swindon, the Severn Valley, Glocerster, Cheltenham and Bath is commutable, from Exeter, err... there's Exeter.
> 
> Bristol is a reasonably large city with easy transport links to lots of other places that have significant employment - Exeter is a small city thats on the arse end of nowhere. if you don't find the job you need in Bristol you've got other options, if you don't find the job you need in Exeter you're screwed because everywhere else is too far to commute to.
> 
> in cultural terms Bristol is lightyears ahead of Exeter - festivals, arts, music, eating, architecture etc.. its 60 mins from the Brecon Beacons, 45mins from the Forest of Dean, 30 mins to the Cotswolds, 2hrs 30mins from Newquay, or 90 mins from the Dorset coast. no contest for me...


Bristol has more options for work, more cultural stuff and better connections with the rest of the county. But Exeter has much nicer country and seaside options nearby. The local country within 30 minutes of Bristol is a bit meh. 

I am completely puzzled about the posh comments. Exeter has a couple of very small, well off suburbs, and the student population is wealthy but otherwise is poor, backward and townie.


----------



## Roadkill (Aug 26, 2014)

Idaho said:


> I am completely puzzled about the posh comments. Exeter has a couple of very small, well off suburbs, and the student population is wealthy but otherwise is poor, backward and townie.



I don't think Exeter is posh by any means, a couple of suburbs excepted, but it's certainly not poor on average.  Not compared to much of northern England. 

Meanwhile, in Bristol they seem to have trouble with spelling:


----------

