Hilsea
Portsmouth 007 · 5 sub-areas · 8,084 residents
Portsmouth 007 is a residential stretch of Portsmouth, home to around 8,100 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,100 a month — slightly below the UK median for a 2-bed — and over half the area's homes are owner-occupied, giving it a more settled feel than many parts of the city.
Hilsea is a mid-density neighbourhood of Portsmouth in the South East region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services.
Overview
What's it like to live in Hilsea?
2 parks and 2 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; 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 £1,357 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.
Hilsea in Portsmouth
Living in Hilsea
This part of Portsmouth has a notably grounded, owner-occupier character. More than half of households own their home — that's relatively unusual for a city with as much private rental stock as Portsmouth — and the population is spread fairly evenly across age groups, from families with children to older residents who've lived here for years. It doesn't feel like a transient area.
On costs, Portsmouth 007 sits at the more manageable end of the Portsmouth rental market. A 2-bed runs around £1,100 a month, which is roughly in line with — or slightly below — the UK median for a two-bedroom home. That said, rent-to-income here is stretched: if you're on a typical local salary, you're looking at spending around 62% of take-home pay on rent, which is significant. Buying is somewhat more realistic than in many southern cities — the median sale price is around £265,000 and a deposit takes roughly 4.3 years to save on a local income.
The demographic picture is broadly mixed. Around one in five residents is under 18, and a similar share is in the 18–34 bracket, so there's a genuine family presence alongside younger renters. Social housing accounts for about 22% of tenures — a meaningful share — which sits alongside the owner-occupier majority and a private rental segment of around one in five homes. Degree-level qualifications are held by roughly one in four residents, which is below the national average but not dramatically so.
Practically speaking, the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1 km away — about a 13-minute walk — which keeps central Portsmouth and the wider rail network accessible on foot. Greenspace is within easy reach: around 63% of residents are within a short walk of parks or open land. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on how this area breaks down.
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Frequently asked
- Is Portsmouth 007 a nice place to live?
- It's a settled, predominantly owner-occupied area with a genuine neighbourhood feel. Rents are relatively affordable for the South East, greenspace is close by, and broadband is excellent. The trade-off is a crime rate above the national average and Ofsted ratings for nearby schools that are well below the national norm. It suits people who want stability over buzz.
- What is the rent in Portsmouth 007?
- A one-bedroom flat runs around £890 a month, a two-bed around £1,100, and a three-bed around £1,350. These figures are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices. Rents have risen about 2.7% over the past year, which is modest for the South East.
- Is Portsmouth 007 safe?
- Crime runs at around 102 incidents per 1,000 residents per year — above the UK national rate of roughly 80. Portsmouth generally has higher crime figures than many South East cities, and this area reflects that pattern. It's not the highest-crime part of Portsmouth, but it's worth checking street-level data on police.uk for the specific streets you're considering.
- What's the commute from Portsmouth 007 to Portsmouth city centre?
- The nearest mainline rail station is about 1 km away — roughly a 13-minute walk. From there, central Portsmouth is a short ride. Most residents drive rather than use public transport, with around 55% travelling to work by car and just 7% using public transport.
- Who lives in Portsmouth 007?
- A broad mix — families with children, working-age adults, and older residents who've put down roots. Over half own their homes, around a fifth rent privately, and about 22% are in social housing. It's less dominated by students or young renters than parts of Portsmouth closer to the university.
- What schools are near Portsmouth 007?
- There are 101 schools within 2 km, so proximity isn't an issue. About half are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — significantly below the national average of around 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 570 metres away. Check current catchment boundaries directly with Portsmouth City Council before committing.
- How long is the rail commute from Portsmouth 007 to London?
- Around 98 minutes by public transport. That makes it feasible for occasional trips to London but a long haul for a daily commute. The area's high work-from-home rate — around 22% of residents — suggests many locals have made the same calculation.