What it's like to live in Truro

Social housing is thinner on the ground in Cornwall than nationally: 12.8% of homes are social rented, against 17.1% for England, with 66.2% owned and 19.7% privately rented. That makes exchanges a valuable route in.

The main landlords across the council area are Cornwall Council with 10,488 homes, LiveWest with 9,741, Coastline Housing with 5,311, Ocean Housing with 4,414 and Westward Housing Group with 1,286.

Average weekly social rents in Cornwall for 2024/25 were £82 for one bed, £94 for two and £106 for three. Cornwall's register held 23,731 households at 31 March 2025, and 128 council homes changed hands by mutual exchange in the year, so swapping is a well-used option.

There is a reasonable choice of primary schools close in. Bosvigo School and Archbishop Benson C of E Primary are both around half a mile out, with St Mary's C of E School and Tregolls Academy a short distance further. Truro School, an independent school, is also nearby.

For secondary age, Richard Lander School is about 2.3 miles away, so most older children will travel by bus. Pencalenick School, a special school, is around 1.9 miles out.

For days out of the house, Hendra Park, Rosedale Park and Daubuz Moors are all within half a mile, and Truro Community Library is a couple of minutes from the centre. Across Cornwall, 16.3% of residents are under 16, a little below the England average.

Truro is one of the easier Cornish places to live without a car. The bus station and Lemon Quay stops are right in the centre, roughly a tenth of a mile from the main shopping streets, and services fan out across the county from there.

Truro railway station is about 0.6 miles from the centre, linking the city to the wider network. If you currently rely on trains, this is a real plus compared with many Cornish towns.

By car, you get the usual small-city trade-off: quick access to the surrounding countryside and coast, but parking in and near the centre is competitive and often paid. Ask any potential swap partner what parking comes with the home, as it varies a lot street by street.

For a city of this size, the everyday offer is strong. The Plaza cinema is in the centre, there are several gyms including Anytime Fitness, and pubs and bars such as The Market Inn, Truro Lounge and Mannings are all within a few minutes' walk. Vanilla covers later nights.

Daytime, it is markets and green space: the Pannier Market, St Mary's Street Mews and Lemon Street Market for browsing, then Victoria Gardens or the boardwalks at Daubuz Moors when you want air.

Community life runs through places like Truro City Community Hub, the Moresk Centre, Malpas Road Community Centre and the Cathedral Chapter House. The Courtney Library and Cornish History Research Centre is there if local history interests you.

Truro is Cornwall's administrative and retail hub, so a lot of local work is in shops, offices, public services and health-related roles clustered in and around the centre.

The wider Cornwall figures show a slightly older working picture than England as a whole: 53.3% of adults are in work compared with 57.4% nationally, partly because 25.3% of residents are 65 or over. Unemployment is lower than average, at 2.6% against 3.5% for England, and unemployment-related benefit claims stood at 3% of working-age people in August 2026, below the England figure of 4%.

Seasonal and part-time work is common across the county, so check how steady hours are before you commit to a move.