Area planning
Northern Ireland Area Planning: Schools, Commute, Affordability and Moving
Comparing areas in Northern Ireland uses the same four checks — school distance, commute, affordability and moving cost — with NI-specific admissions to verify locally. This page is a framework, not property or admissions data.
Last reviewed:
Planning framework, not live data
How to compare areas in Northern Ireland
Wherever you are looking in Northern Ireland, the same four checks let you compare any two places on a fair, consistent basis. Run each one with the relevant free tool, then weigh them together.
1. School distance
Start from the schools that matter to you. Use the Find Schools Near a Postcode tool to see what is nearby, the School Distance Calculator to measure a specific home-to-school distance, and the School Radius Map to picture a catchment radius. Distances are straight-line, and distance never guarantees a place.
2. Commute
Test the journey you would actually make with the Commute Cost Calculator, and weigh two locations against each other with Compare Two Postcodes.
3. Affordability
Get a rough sense of borrowing and monthly repayments with the Mortgage Affordability Calculator, using live prices from a property portal as your input.
4. Moving cost
Build a realistic one-off budget with the Moving Cost Calculator, and confirm any property tax for Northern Ireland on the official government source.
School data in Northern Ireland
The official DfE register covers England only. In Northern Ireland, our Find Schools Near a Postcode tool relies on OpenStreetMap (or future nation-specific data sources), which is crowd-sourced and may be incomplete.
For authoritative information use the Department of Education (NI) and the Education Authority. All school and admissions details must be verified with the school or Education Authority.
What to verify before you decide
- Each school's published admissions criteria and process, with the school and the Education Authority.
- Live property prices and recent sold prices on a property portal.
- Real commute times and costs for the journeys you would make.
- Stamp Duty Land Tax for your circumstances on GOV.UK.
- Whether a school is controlled, maintained, integrated or Irish-medium, if that matters to you.
Tools for area planning
School Distance Calculator
Work out the straight-line distance between a home and a school, and check whether it falls within a chosen catchment radius.
Useful for: Parents checking school catchment areas before they move or apply.
Open calculatorFind Schools Near a Postcode
Enter a UK postcode and radius to find schools nearby, ranked by straight-line distance. Uses the official DfE register for England, with OpenStreetMap as a fallback.
Useful for: Families starting a school search from a home or work postcode.
Open calculatorSchool Radius Map
Set a school location, a home postcode and a radius to see the straight-line distance and a simple radius diagram for planning a move.
Useful for: Anyone visualising how a home sits within a school catchment radius.
Open calculatorCompare Two Postcodes
Compare two postcodes side by side for distance to a school, distance to work and estimated commute cost, with a transparent planning score.
Useful for: Families weighing two locations for the same school and workplace.
Open calculatorCommute Cost Calculator
Estimate the daily, monthly and annual cost of driving to work, with an optional public transport comparison.
Useful for: Anyone weighing up how a longer or shorter commute affects the household budget.
Open calculatorMoving Cost Calculator
Add up the typical costs of moving home in the UK, from removals and conveyancing to surveys and mortgage fees.
Useful for: Buyers and movers budgeting for the full cost of a move, not just the deposit.
Open calculatorMortgage Affordability Calculator
Get a simple estimate of how much you might borrow, your monthly repayment, loan-to-value and deposit percentage.
Useful for: Households getting a rough idea of what they could afford before speaking to a lender.
Open calculatorArea Comparison Tool
Compare up to three areas side by side using a weighted score for affordability, school distance and commute.
Useful for: Families torn between two or three locations who want a structured comparison.
Open calculatorFrequently asked questions
Where does school data for Northern Ireland come from?
The official DfE register covers England only, so in Northern Ireland our Find Schools tool uses OpenStreetMap, which can be incomplete. Use the Department of Education (NI) and the Education Authority for authoritative information, and verify admissions directly.
How do school places work in Northern Ireland?
Post-primary admissions can involve each school's published admissions criteria, set out by the school and the Education Authority. Confirm the current criteria and process directly, as they vary by school.
Is property tax the same as the rest of the UK?
Northern Ireland uses Stamp Duty Land Tax (as in England). Check the current rates and any reliefs on GOV.UK.
Verify the specifics officially