The UK has a lot of diversity in terms of what life in like in its different countries, cities and regions, and so if you are looking for the best place to move to in the UK then it is a good idea to use the information available to try and choose somewhere that can offer a good quality of life in terms of the factors that matter most to you.
In uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index, a study that compares 138 UK regions based on data relating to things like income, employment rates, cost of living, life expectancy and lifestyle convenience – things like how easy it is to get phone signal and fast broadband – to find the 10 best places to live.
In the study, Scotland scores very well for 2015, with Edinburgh taking the top spot, both North and South Lanarkshire sitting in the top 10, and Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire rated in 10th place. Here are some of the stats that allowed Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire to make the top 10:
Employment
In Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire, the rate of employment is good, at 72%. 46% of people are working full time but without going over the 'normal' amount of hours of 45 per week – only 21% could be considered to be 'overworking', which is a good quality of life indicator.
Income
Income is high in the Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire region, with the average weekly gross income at just under £500 (£495.87 to be precise). The average household enjoys £17,685 in disposable income per year.
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy isn't as high as in some of the other best places to live according to our study, but it is worth considering that Scotland as a whole does have a lower life expectancy on average than England, which affects these stats. Men are still expected to see a respectable 77 years, and women 81 in this area
Living Costs
Costs for basic living expenses are on the low side in Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire even when compared to our other top 10 best places to live in the UK. According to data used in uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index study, the average household in this area spends $54.80 on food, and pays dual fuel bills of £1,209.26 per year. Could you be paying less for your duel fuel bills? Compare them today.
Like other places in our top 10 from Scotland, car insurance is low at £343.20 on average, and petrol is comparatively low too at 117.15 on average in 2015. Compare car insurance deals with our comparison tool to ensure you're on the cheapest deal.
Other Important Factors
When it comes to your all important communication technology, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire is in good shape with 97% mobile phone signal coverage across the region and average broadband speeds of 28.8Mbps
Compare your broadband speeds with our speedtest tool
Scotland has some of the best places to live according to the uSwitch report, and this region has plenty to offer in terms of value and quality of life.
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.
Compare energy
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Compare credit cards
Compare mortgages
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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 .