People consider all different factors when it comes to quality of life, so, in an effort to help those looking to find the best places to live in the UK, uSwitch have analysed a wide range of data to come up with an index that we have used to rank the NUTS 3 statistical regions of the UK from best to worst, in terms of the quality of life they currently offer.
For uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index, we have taken all kinds of data for all 138 statistical regions of the UK, including data related to work and income, property prices, and the cost of different essentials like fuel, food and insurance, to work out where the best places to live are. Also, because this study has already been done once in 2013, we are able to compare the results we got using 2015’s data to see how much some places have changed in terms of quality of life in the last two years.
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire is a statistical region that has risen very dramatically in the rankings between 2013 and 2015, going up from 75th place to 29th out of 138.
Here are some of the statistics for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire that were used in uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index 2015:
Employment
One of the most important things for a lot of people when it comes to determining quality of life is the job market. Even if you are self employed, retired, or otherwise don't need to find a job, a high employment rate is a good indicator of prosperity in a location. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire has a very good employment rate, at 79%, with 47% of people who live there working full time.
Income
Incomes are also quite high in this region, with the average individual's gross weekly income in 2015 at £570.95. This is also one of the few regions where the average household's annual disposable income tops the £20k mark.
House Prices
If you are looking to buy, house prices in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire are moderate at £185,000 for the average home in 2015. Rent is also reasonable at £63 per week. Try our free mortgage calculator to see how much you could afford to borrow.
Life Expectancy
In Scotland, life expectancy does trend slightly lower than in England and Wales, and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire is no exception at 78 for men and 82 for women.
Living Costs
The cost of a household's weekly grocery shop in this statistical region in 2015 was £55, which is toward the lower end of the data we reviewed. However, it is good news for motorists as car insurance is well below average for the UK at £343.20.
Other Important Factors
One area where this statistical region doesn't perform so well is technology, with average broadband speeds of just 13.85Mbps and just 75% mobile phone coverage. See how your broadband speeds stack up against your neighbours by trying out our broadband speed test.
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire has some strong benefits in terms of work and earnings and a reasonable cost of living, which are some of the reasons it made it into our top 30 best places to live in 2015.
More to life than rankings
At uSwitch, we know that there is more to life than rankings, stats and figures, and our Qualify of Life Index merely highlights the vast differences in the experiences of people across the UK.
Whether you're living in the best city or the worst, millions of households in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland face financial struggles including rising energy bills and credit card debt. That's why it's more important than ever for households to assess their budgets, and uSwitch.com offers a great way to start.
Below you can find ways to save on everything from car insurance to mobile bills.
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Place to Live 2015 — Where did your region rank?
About the research
The uSwitch.com study assessed 138 local areas (NUTS3 regions) for 26 factors such as salaries, disposable household income, and the cost of essential goods including food bills, fuel costs and energy bills. The study also factored in lifestyle issues like hours of sunshine, working hours and life expectancy to ensure a full picture of the quality of life in each NUTS3 region.
For more about the study's methodology, read the full press release .