What it's like to live in Exmouth

East Devon is a strongly owner-occupied district: 72.2% of homes are owned outright or with a mortgage, 16% are privately rented and just 10.3% are socially rented, well below the England average of 17.1%. Social homes are therefore in demand, which is exactly why a mutual exchange can be the most practical route in.

Average weekly social rents in the council area for 2024/25 were £89 for a one bed, £103 for a two bed and £113 for a three bed. The biggest landlords are East Devon District Council with around 4,155 homes and LiveWest Homes with 1,998, followed by Sovereign Network Group, The Guinness Partnership and Abri Group.

The district's age profile is older than England's, with 27.1% aged 45 to 64 and 15.5% under 16. For context on supply, East Devon's housing register held 4,909 households at March 2025, with 425 social homes let through the council and 27 mutual exchanges completed in 2024-25.

Families are well served close in. The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School is on the doorstep at 0.1 miles, with Exeter Road Community Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Marpool Primary School and Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School all within a mile. That choice matters if you are swapping with school-age children.

For secondary, Exmouth Community College is about 0.7 miles away and is the main option in town. The Deaf Academy is close by at 0.4 miles, and St Peter's Preparatory School is a little over two miles out.

Outside school hours there is plenty within walking distance: Imperial Recreation Ground for running about, Queens Drive Space near the seafront, the Sensory Garden and Manor Gardens, plus Exmouth Public Library. Scott Cinemas Exmouth is in the centre. Community centres including Gorfin Hall, Burnside, Bidmead House and Palmer House host local groups. Exmouth Hospital is half a mile away for minor needs.

Exmouth railway station is about a quarter of a mile from the centre, which is unusually handy for a coastal town. It is the end of the Avocet Line, running along the Exe estuary. Lympstone Village station is just over two miles away, and across the water Starcross and Dawlish Warren sit within two miles as the crow flies.

The town centre is the sort of place where walking works. Schools, parks, the library, pharmacies and most supermarkets are within half a mile of each other, so plenty of errands can be done on foot. Expect some hills once you head away from the seafront towards Withycombe.

By car, you are on a peninsula between the estuary and the sea, which means journeys out of town funnel through a limited number of roads and can be slow in summer. Exeter is the usual destination for bigger shops and hospital appointments. If you do not drive, check the bus routes that matter to you before committing to a swap, as timetables vary by street and time of day.

The seafront is the main event, with Queens Drive Space and Gunfield Gardens close by and the beach a short walk from the centre. Manor Gardens and the Exmouth Sensory Garden give quieter green space, and Imperial Recreation Ground is the place for a kickabout or a dog walk.

For evenings out, Scott Cinemas Exmouth is right in the middle of town, and there is no shortage of pubs: Temple Bar, The Queen Vic, The Heavitree, The Pilot Inn and The Powder Monkey are all within a few minutes' walk. Capones, about two miles away, covers later nights.

If you like to keep active, Crossfit Exmouth, Bodywise Gym and Albion Yoga Studio are all within a quarter of a mile. Exmouth Indoor Market is good for a browse, and the library is a useful free resource for families and anyone job-hunting. It is a town where a lot of what you need for a decent weekend is on foot.

The employment picture for the wider East Devon council area is steady rather than booming. Around 52.4% of adults are in work, below the England figure of 57.4%, but that largely reflects the district's older age profile: 30% of residents are 65 or over.

Unemployment is low. Just 1.9% of adults were recorded as unemployed at the 2021 Census, against 3.5% across England, and unemployment-related benefit claims stood at 2.1% of 16 to 64 year olds in September 2026, compared with 4% nationally. In short, work is there, though a coastal town like Exmouth tends to lean on seasonal, retail, care and hospitality jobs.

Many people here look to Exeter for a wider range of employers, and the train from Exmouth station makes that commute realistic without a car. If your work is remote or shift-based, check travel times both ways before you swap, especially for early starts.