Sawston
South Cambridgeshire 015 · 5 sub-areas · 7,500 residents
South Cambridgeshire 015 is a predominantly rural and village district within South Cambridgeshire, home to around 7,500 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £1,270 a month — slightly above the national median but reflecting the area's strong owner-occupier character and high greenspace access. Over two-thirds of residents own their home, and nearly a third work from home.
Sawston is a green, lower-density part of South Cambridgeshire — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters.
Overview
What's it like to live in Sawston?
The area is unusually green for its density — 10 parks and 2 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,399 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Sawston in South Cambridgeshire
Living in Sawston
South Cambridgeshire 015 sits in one of England's most rural and prosperous districts, a spread of villages and agricultural land within commuting reach of Cambridge. The feel is unmistakably countryside — over four in five residents live within roughly 200 metres of accessible greenspace, and the pace is slower than almost anywhere else in the East of England. This isn't a place you move to for nightlife or walkable high streets; it's a place you move to for space, quiet, and good schools.
The cost picture is decidedly middle-England. A one-bedroom lets for around £1,000 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,270, and a three-bedroom around £1,520. Council tax (Band D) runs to about £2,540 a year — on the higher side for the region. The median property price is just over £408,000, and buyers saving a standard deposit are looking at roughly five years to get there on local wages. That said, crime sits well below the national average at around 48 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, versus roughly 80 nationally.
The people here tend to be settled and older than you'd find in a city neighbourhood. Around 22% are 65 or over, and nearly 21% are under 18 — a profile that suggests established families and retirees rather than young professionals. Two in three residents own their home. The degree-holding share, at roughly 40%, is well above the national average, which chimes with the area's proximity to Cambridge's professional and academic workforce.
For day-to-day practicalities, the nearest mainline rail station is about 2.1 km away — a walk of roughly 27 minutes or a short drive. Almost half of residents commute by car, and a notable 34% work from home. Public transport use is low at under 4%, so if you don't drive or work remotely, factor that in carefully. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is South Cambridgeshire 015 a nice place to live?
- For the right person, yes. It's quiet, green, and safe — over 80% of residents are within easy reach of accessible greenspace, and crime is well below the national average. The trade-off is that you'll need a car for most errands, schools within catchment are more variable than the national picture, and rents take up around half of take-home pay for the typical resident.
- What is the rent in South Cambridgeshire 015?
- A one-bedroom property runs around £1,000 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,270, and a three-bedroom around £1,520. These are estimates scaled from district-level data using local sale prices. Rents have been rising — up around 4.3% over the past year.
- Is South Cambridgeshire 015 safe?
- It's one of the safer areas in the region. The crime rate is around 48 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, well below the UK national average of roughly 80. Low density and high homeownership tend to correlate with lower crime, and that's the pattern here.
- What's the commute from South Cambridgeshire 015 to Cambridge or London?
- The nearest mainline rail station is about 2.1 km away — most residents drive there. The public-transport journey to London takes around 93 minutes. Almost half of residents commute by car, and 34% work from home, so this is very much a car-dependent area.
- Who lives in South Cambridgeshire 015?
- Mostly settled, older households. Around 22% are 65 or over, two-thirds own their home, and the degree-holding share of roughly 40% is well above average. There's also a sizeable under-18 cohort — around 21% — suggesting plenty of families. Young renters in their 20s are underrepresented.
- What schools are near South Cambridgeshire 015?
- There are 19 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 26% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 7 km away. Families should check specific catchment boundaries carefully before moving here.
- How good is the broadband in South Cambridgeshire 015?
- Very good. Around 95% of premises have gigabit-capable broadband, and no properties fall below the minimum universal service obligation speed. For the 34% of residents who work from home, connectivity isn't a concern.