York Ranked Most Liveable UK City, Outperforming London

York has been named the most liveable city in the United Kingdom, according to a recent study that evaluated 25 locations based on quality of life, safety, and healthcare. The city achieved a liveability score of 85, attributed in part to its affordable cost of living, with an average monthly surplus of £872 and rent consuming 35 percent of income.

Norwich secured the second position with a score of 81.3, followed by Edinburgh in third place with 80.3. The study found that generally, more affordable cities, particularly those in Scotland and Northern England, tend to rank higher in liveability. Scotland emerged as a strong region overall, with Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Glasgow all featuring in the top ten.

Aberdeen was highlighted as the best-value Scottish city, offering a surplus of £1,017 and rent at 25 percent of salary, although Edinburgh's rent is higher at 45 percent of salary.

Northern England also demonstrated a combination of high scores and affordability. Cities like York, Sheffield, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Leeds all scored between 74 and 85. Newcastle offers a surplus of £1,029 with rent at 34 percent of income. Hull, while scoring lower at 68.3, is among the most affordable, with a surplus of £1,072 and rent at 25 percent of salary. Manchester, however, showed a weaker performance with a surplus of £287 and rent at 53 percent of income.

Conversely, the report indicated that higher-cost locations, such as London and many cities in the South of England, did not achieve better liveability scores and left residents with significantly less disposable income.

London ranked second from the bottom with a score of 63. At the very end of the list was Coventry, with a liveability score of 57.

Derby was identified as the most affordable city in the ranking, boasting a surplus of £1,344 and rent at just 21 percent of salary. Other cities like Nottingham (66.7) and Birmingham (65) also ranked lower, with Coventry at the bottom.

Southern cities like Oxford (76) and Brighton (73.7) scored well on liveability factors but were penalized for their high cost of living, with rent typically consuming 53 percent to 62 percent of salary and surpluses under £400. Cardiff scored 72.7 with rent at 40 percent, and Belfast scored 71 with rent at 42 percent.

The ranking was compiled using Wise’s Cost of Living Index, which averaged data from its quality of life, safety, and healthcare indices. Florian Ramos, marketing director for Europe at Wise, stated that the index aims to provide transparent and easily comparable information for people managing their finances.