Table of contents
The best place to live in the UK, based on our data, is Rugby. That's the top of our LiveWhere Score, a data-driven ranking of 348 local authorities across affordability, weather, earnings and value for money. Personal preferences matter enormously, so treat this as one lens on the question, not a definitive answer.
How we scored every area in the UK
Every area is scored out of 100 across four dimensions. The final LiveWhere Score is a weighted average of the four:
- Affordability (40%): rent as a percentage of local earnings. Lower is better.
- Weather (20%): combined sunshine, warmth and dryness rank (see our weather guide).
- Earnings (20%): average earnings for the area. Higher is better.
- Value (20%): earnings-to-cost ratio. Higher is better.
The weights are a starting point, not the last word. Someone chasing outdoor time would rate weather higher; someone commuting into a city would rate proximity higher. The important thing is that every input is transparent and comes from official data.
What's missing: crime data and school ratings. We'll add these when they're available at the right resolution across the whole country. In the meantime, our safest places ranking covers the crime side separately.
The 20 best places to live in the UK, based on the data
These rankings are based purely on the data. They don't account for personal preferences like nightlife, cultural amenities, or proximity to family. Those things matter but can't be measured from government statistics.
| # | Area | Score | Monthly cost | Earnings | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rugby West Midlands | 83.7 | £1,082 | £41,814 | #170 |
| 2 | Forest of Dean South West | 83.6 | £946 | £36,589 | #176 |
| 3 | Rutland East Midlands | 80.7 | £1,038 | £39,559 | #180 |
| 4 | East Renfrewshire Scotland | 78.8 | £805 | £39,965 | #333 |
| 5 | Doncaster Yorkshire and The Humber | 76.2 | £812 | £31,119 | #151 |
| 6 | Fylde North West | 75.8 | £939 | £36,020 | #267 |
| 7 | South Derbyshire East Midlands | 75.7 | £936 | £35,452 | #206 |
| 8 | Shetland Islands Scotland | 75.0 | £794 | £35,716 | #342 |
| 9 | North Ayrshire Scotland | 74.3 | £756 | £34,689 | #339 |
| 10 | East Riding of Yorkshire Yorkshire and The Humber | 74.1 | £836 | £31,881 | #198 |
| 11 | Cumberland North West | 73.6 | £837 | £33,840 | #315 |
| 12 | South Ayrshire Scotland | 73.3 | £757 | £33,986 | #337 |
| 13 | North Lanarkshire Scotland | 73.0 | £785 | £34,105 | #324 |
| 14 | North Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber | 72.6 | £792 | £30,012 | #161 |
| 15 | East Ayrshire Scotland | 70.9 | £758 | £33,117 | #344 |
| 16 | Rushcliffe East Midlands | 70.8 | £1,065 | £36,705 | #137 |
| 17 | North East Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber | 70.3 | £778 | £28,898 | #134 |
| 18 | West Lindsey East Midlands | 70.1 | £852 | £30,741 | #156 |
| 19 | Barnsley Yorkshire and The Humber | 70.0 | £823 | £31,359 | #265 |
| 20 | Fife Scotland | 69.9 | £820 | £32,445 | #285 |
1. Rugby - LiveWhere Score 83.7. A single-person monthly cost of £1,082 sits alongside average earnings of £41,814 per year. The area ranks #170 on weather, meaning the weather is in line with the UK average.
2. Forest of Dean - LiveWhere Score 83.6. A single-person monthly cost of £946 sits alongside average earnings of £36,589 per year. The area ranks #176 on weather, meaning the weather is in line with the UK average.
3. Rutland - LiveWhere Score 80.7. A single-person monthly cost of £1,038 sits alongside average earnings of £39,559 per year. The area ranks #180 on weather, meaning the weather is in line with the UK average.
4. East Renfrewshire - LiveWhere Score 78.8. A single-person monthly cost of £805 sits alongside average earnings of £39,965 per year. The area ranks #333 on weather, meaning the weather is in line with the UK average.
5. Doncaster - LiveWhere Score 76.2. A single-person monthly cost of £812 sits alongside average earnings of £31,119 per year. The area ranks #151 on weather, meaning the weather is in line with the UK average.
Best places to live in the UK on a budget
These are the highest LiveWhere Score areas from the cheapest quartile of UK single-person monthly costs (at or below £910). Good affordability plus a decent scorecard on weather, earnings and value.
| # | Area | Monthly cost | Earnings | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Renfrewshire Scotland | £805 | £39,965 | #333 |
| 2 | Doncaster Yorkshire and The Humber | £812 | £31,119 | #151 |
| 3 | Shetland Islands Scotland | £794 | £35,716 | #342 |
| 4 | North Ayrshire Scotland | £756 | £34,689 | #339 |
| 5 | East Riding of Yorkshire Yorkshire and The Humber | £836 | £31,881 | #198 |
| 6 | Cumberland North West | £837 | £33,840 | #315 |
| 7 | South Ayrshire Scotland | £757 | £33,986 | #337 |
| 8 | North Lanarkshire Scotland | £785 | £34,105 | #324 |
| 9 | North Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber | £792 | £30,012 | #161 |
| 10 | East Ayrshire Scotland | £758 | £33,117 | #344 |
See also: Cheapest places to live in the UK.
Best places to live in the UK for families
The family score gives extra weight to three-bed housing affordability and to weather (outdoor time matters more when there are kids at home). Earnings still count, but the affordability lens shifts from one-bed to three-bed rents.
We'll add school ratings (Ofsted) and crime data to this ranking in a future update.
| # | Area | Family score | 3-bed rent + bills | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doncaster Yorkshire and The Humber | 77.4 | £1,116 | £31,119 |
| 2 | North East Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber | 76.0 | £1,044 | £28,898 |
| 3 | North Lincolnshire Yorkshire and The Humber | 74.8 | £1,111 | £30,012 |
| 4 | Hartlepool North East | 72.0 | £1,020 | £28,830 |
| 5 | West Lindsey East Midlands | 71.7 | £1,173 | £30,741 |
| 6 | East Riding of Yorkshire Yorkshire and The Humber | 71.3 | £1,178 | £31,881 |
| 7 | Hull Yorkshire and The Humber | 70.5 | £1,113 | £27,309 |
| 8 | Barnsley Yorkshire and The Humber | 69.9 | £1,108 | £31,359 |
| 9 | Rotherham Yorkshire and The Humber | 69.4 | £1,123 | £29,664 |
| 10 | South Holland East Midlands | 69.2 | £1,261 | £30,196 |
Best coastal places to live in the UK
Filtered from our list of coastal local authorities and ranked by LiveWhere Score. Coastal areas often combine strong weather scores with tighter housing supply, so affordability varies more than inland areas.
| # | Area | Score | Monthly cost | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fylde | 75.8 | £939 | #267 |
| 2 | Shetland Islands | 75.0 | £794 | #342 |
| 3 | North Ayrshire | 74.3 | £756 | #339 |
| 4 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 74.1 | £836 | #198 |
| 5 | Cumberland | 73.6 | £837 | #315 |
| 6 | South Ayrshire | 73.3 | £757 | #337 |
| 7 | Fife | 69.9 | £820 | #285 |
| 8 | Fareham | 69.4 | £1,191 | #86 |
| 9 | Aberdeenshire | 69.1 | £885 | #313 |
| 10 | Orkney Islands | 67.9 | £805 | #335 |
Best places to live by region
Top 3 areas from each part of the country on our LiveWhere Score (LWS).
Best places to live in South East England
- 1. Fareham LWS 69.4, £1,191/month
- 2. Dover LWS 65.1, £1,037/month
- 3. East Hampshire LWS 63.6, £1,237/month
Best places to live in South West England
- 1. Forest of Dean LWS 83.6, £946/month
- 2. Mid Devon LWS 54.3, £1,005/month
- 3. Stroud LWS 52.2, £1,101/month
Best places to live in East of England
- 1. Uttlesford LWS 69.9, £1,241/month
- 2. East Cambridgeshire LWS 67.1, £1,064/month
- 3. South Cambridgeshire LWS 66.9, £1,356/month
Best places to live in the Midlands
- 1. Rugby LWS 83.7, £1,082/month
- 2. Rutland LWS 80.7, £1,038/month
- 3. South Derbyshire LWS 75.7, £936/month
Best places to live in North West England
- 1. Fylde LWS 75.8, £939/month
- 2. Cumberland LWS 73.6, £837/month
- 3. Chorley LWS 68.9, £920/month
Best places to live in North East England
- 1. Hartlepool LWS 68.8, £756/month
- 2. Darlington LWS 66.6, £823/month
- 3. Northumberland LWS 64.2, £821/month
Best places to live in Yorkshire and the Humber
- 1. Doncaster LWS 76.2, £812/month
- 2. East Riding of Yorkshire LWS 74.1, £836/month
- 3. North Lincolnshire LWS 72.6, £792/month
Best places to live in Wales
- 1. Flintshire LWS 66.7, £910/month
- 2. Carmarthenshire LWS 66.1, £823/month
- 3. Powys LWS 65.1, £799/month
Best places to live in Scotland
- 1. East Renfrewshire LWS 78.8, £805/month
- 2. Shetland Islands LWS 75.0, £794/month
- 3. North Ayrshire LWS 74.3, £756/month
Best places to live in the UK for weather
Weather is only 20% of the LiveWhere Score, but it's the metric people ask about most. These are the areas that score in the top 10 on weather AND above the median on our overall LiveWhere Score - great weather that comes without an impossibly high price of admission.
| # | Area | Weather rank | Hrs a day | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castle Point | #1 | 4.8 | 59.3 |
| 2 | Thurrock | #3 | 4.6 | 57.1 |
| 3 | Medway | #4 | 4.8 | 51.5 |
| 4 | Rochford | #5 | 4.9 | 65.8 |
| 5 | Maldon | #8 | 4.8 | 51.5 |
| 6 | Gravesham | #9 | 4.6 | 52.7 |
| 7 | Ipswich | #18 | 4.7 | 52.1 |
| 8 | Swale | #27 | 4.8 | 57.9 |
| 9 | Brentwood | #31 | 4.5 | 53.0 |
| 10 | Braintree | #32 | 4.5 | 54.7 |
For the complete weather analysis, see our guide: Where in the UK has the best weather?
How we built this guide
Data sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (rent), MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government (council tax), ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (earnings), Ofgem energy price cap (energy), Water UK (water bills), and the Met Office HadUK-Grid dataset (weather).
Scoring: each area is ranked against every other on four metrics, converted to a 0-100 score based on rank position, then weighted 40 / 20 / 20 / 20 across affordability, weather, earnings and value. This is deliberately simple. A more sophisticated model (z-scores, non-linear weighting, priors) wouldn't change the ranking much and would make the methodology harder to explain.
Limitations: we don't yet include crime data, school ratings, or broadband quality in the score. We'll add these as they become available at the right resolution. This guide is updated when new data lands.
Frequently asked questions
Sources: ONS Price Index of Private Rents, MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Ofgem energy price cap, Water UK bill data, and Met Office HadUK-Grid climate averages. All data published under the Open Government Licence.