A new Quality of Life Index rates Scotland’s capital top because of low crime rates, affordable living costs, high salaries and fast broadband.
The city has rocketed 97 places from 2013 when the survey was last done to hit the number one spot this year.
The index from uSwitch.com assessed 138 UK cities and regions for 26 different lifestyle factors including working hours, life expectancy, hours of sunshine, food and energy bills, disposable income and more.
USwitch.com said: “Not only does Edinburgh have the lowest reported crime rate in the entire UK, it boasts cheap energy bills, an average salary of £29,558, a disposable income average of £20,083 and super-fast broadband speeds of 23Mbs.”
Solihull, which was the judged best place to live two years ago, dropped to second place.
Bradford and Hull were officially the worst places, let down, uSwitch.com said, by low disposable income, low employment, high rent and crowded schools.
The researchers said it was also a “victory for Scotland” as 13 of the 20 regions that saw the biggest gains in the Quality of Life rankings since they were last done two years ago are located north of the border. It means that more than half of Scottish regions have improved their Quality of Life ranking since 2013.
The top seven biggest climbers are all in Scotland. They include South Lanarkshire which moves up 55 places to be the fifth best place to live and North Lanarkshire which jumped 98 places to number eight. Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire enjoyed the biggest ranking gain, moving from 112th to 10th thanks in part to some of the lowest household costs in the UK.
But on the down side, the survey found Glaswegians have the shortest life expectancy while women in Buckinghamshire live the longest.
Life was less rosy south of the border with 16 out of the 20 biggest falling regions being English, with both Bradford and Hull, both in the Yorkshire and Humber region, rooted at the foot of the index.
The lowest ranking Scots region was the Western Isles which fell from 120th to 135th.
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, said: “Edinburgh has long been a city that’s inspired; a vibrant city with striking architecture and a world famous festival, all surrounded by stunning scenery. Now it’s official – Edinburgh is the best place to live in the UK. With low crime rates, high wages and affordable living costs, it’s not just the history and cultural attractions that are drawing people to Scotland’s capital.”
Andrew Burns, City of Edinburgh council leader, said: “This result is further great news for the city. The quality of life in Scotland’s capital is high because the city offers the best of everything.
“Edinburgh is the home of Hogmanay, spectacular architecture, great museums and the biggest arts festival in the world. We have a vibrant retail offering and thriving jobs market, award-winning green spaces and beaches and well regarded schools and universities – the list goes on. Little wonder, then, that Edinburgh tops the list of the best places to live.”
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Artcle source: heraldscotland
Image source: www.flickr.com/dun_deagh