While people often have different priorities in terms of what they actually need to give them the quality of life they want, some things, like the ability to be financially comfortable and have access to important services, are important to everyone.
The UK has a lot of variety, and so as you might expect quality of life varies quite a lot depending on where you go. In order to establish where the best and worst places to live in the UK are right now, uSwitch have used a detailed data analysis that takes each of the UK's NUTS 3 regions (the regions used in statistics), and looks at metrics relating to all kinds of aspects that can affect quality of life.
Using the results of the analysis, we have produced uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index, a 'league table' of how each region compares for general quality of life taking into account all of these factors.
This is the second time we have produced uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index – the first being in 2013 – so we also are now able to look at how each region now ranks compared with two years before.
Cambridgeshire in the East of England is a region that has fallen in our rankings by nine places since 2013, and is now rated as the 39th best place to live in the UK. Here are some of the stats for the Cambridgeshire CC statistical region:
Employment
Cambridgeshire CC has one of the best employment rates in the UK, equalling other high employment regions like 18th place Hampshire and 66th place Dorset.
Income
As well as enjoying high employment, Cambridgeshire also has high incomes. In 2015, the average person in this statistical region was earning a gross weekly amount of £523.40. Disposable income, which is very important for good quality of life, is also fairly high, at around £18,820 per household, per year on average.
House Prices
As you might expect in a high income, high employment region, house prices in Cambridgeshire CC are above average at £234,249 – one of the highest averages outside of London and commuter regions like Berkshire and Surrey. Rent is exceptionally high by UK standards at £84 per person, per week in 2015.
Life Expectancy
Cambridgeshire has one of the highest life expectancy stats in the country, at 81 for men and 85 for women.
Life expectancy is an influential factor that insurance companies use to determine life insurance premiums. You can check our advice guide on how to get a cheaper life insurance policy.
Living Costs
Living costs are above average in all categories, however not as much as in some places. A weekly grocery shop in Cambridgeshire will cost a household £60. Car insurance premiums are high at £525.20, however petrol prices are just average at 117p.
Even though, the insurance premiums are high, there are certain steps you can take to find the best car insurance deals for you.
Other Important Factors
One area where this region doesn't do so well is technology. It has a far lower than average mobile phone coverage of just 80%, and mediocre broadband speeds of 23.5Mbps.
Use our broadband postcode checker to see which deals and what speeds are on offer in your area.
Cambridgeshire has great employment stats and high incomes, but is fairly expensive and falls behind on some convenience factors, which is why it isn't higher up the table.
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 .