With regard to average quality of life, you can find plenty of variation throughout England, Wales, Scotland and NI.
We all want to live somewhere that offers us a comfortable standard of living, and if you are looking to move in the UK, it can pay to do some research on your options and what you can expect from them.
In order to find out where the best places to live in the UK are at the moment, uSwitch have carried out a study called uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index, which takes data on all of the UK's 138 different statistical regions, and analyses them in order to rank them from best to worst for quality of life.
The data used referred to all kinds of financial factors like average incomes and the cost of things like food and fuel, and also other things that can reflect on the convenience of living in a given area, like how fast the broadband is and how easy it is to get a phone signal.
Because we carried out the same analyses back in 2013, by comparing the results based on 2015 data we can also see which areas are on the up, and which are in decline.
East Cheshire just made it into our top 20, however it has fallen from 12th to 20th since 2013. Here are some of the stats that explain this North West region's performance:
Employment
Something many UK people think is fundamental to good quality of life is how easy it is to find work, as even if you are not looking for a job yourself areas of high employment tend to be generally better in other respects, too. East Cheshire has an above average 76% employment rate.
Income
Incomes in East Cheshire are not among the highest in our top 20, however they compare well to other regions in the North West of England, with the gross weekly income of individuals here in 2015 at £498.80. Disposable income for each household is also respectable, at just over £19k per year.
House Prices
House prices in East Cheshire are low compared to many of our other top 20 places to live in the UK, at £185,000 on average in 2015.
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is comparable to the other 19 places in our top 20, at 80 for men and 84 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
Food shopping is cheaper in East Cheshire than most of our other top 20 locations, with the average household's groceries coming to £53 per week. Petrol, however, is on the high end at an average in 2015 of 118p.
Other Important Factors
East Cheshire performs well for mobile coverage, with 96% of the region able to get a signal. Its average broadband speeds are fairly mediocre, however, at 21.2Mbps.
Use our broadband postcode checker to see which deals and what speeds are on offer in your area.
East Cheshire, like anywhere else, has its pros and cons as a place to live, but performed well enough in uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index to just make the top 20!
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 .