Choosing where to live is a hard one. Whether it’s dictated by work, schools or simply where you grew up. One of the main criteria is whether you like the area or not. And, living in God’s Own Country, that’s a given. One spot in Yorkshire has been given the title of best place in Britain for quality of life in 2025.
A recent study from think tank Demos and accountancy firm PwC called the Good Growth for Cities Index believes that factors that make a place feel invested in, future-focused and full of opportunity are key. The study looked at the UK’s 50 biggest cities, excluding London, to discover which cities have seen the most growth (excluding London, which seems to be in a league of its own).
12 categories were looked at for the study to determine the best cities, such as job opportunities, and liveliness of the high street, but didn’t take into consideration things like nightlife, just the economics of the cities in question.
York came out top in the study as the UK’s most prosperous place. Unemployment is at 1.6% compared to 3.8% across the country. And, the historic city is a big centre for business and sees a huge amount come in through tourism each year.
Its high street is the second busiest in the country, beaten only by Edinburgh (again, London is not included in this study), and it has fairly low crime rates. What is even more interesting is that southern cities saw more growth than the North, meaning York’s top spot is even more impressive.
Check out the full list of the 10 best cities in the UK for quality of life in 2025 below:
- York
- Edinburgh
- Bristol
- Exeter
- Swindon
- Plymouth
- Southampton
- Reading
- Portsmouth
- Norwich
If you’d like to find out more, you can check out the Demo and PwC’s full study here.
Read More: 24 Things To Do In York That You Need To Try
Feature Image Credit: Unsplash
