When looking at how good an experience you can expect, there is quite a lot of diversity throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. To help try and make sense of the differences and see where the best places to live in the UK are based on the most recent data available, uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index for 2015.
This is a study that compares all of the UK's 138 NUTS 3 statistical regions based on a wide array of data for things like the local economy, the cost of buying or renting a home, and even things like broadband speeds and classroom sizes that contribute to quality of life overall.
Using data for 2015 from official sources to create our index, we were then able to not only order the 138 regions from best to worst in terms of quality of life, but also compare this 2015 league table to the results of a similar study we did in 2013, to see how things have changed around the UK in those two years.
Portsmouth is a statistical region on its own due to its size and significance as a city, and it is one that has dropped down the table since 2013, going from 51st place to 65th. This puts it in the top half of the table, but only just.
Here are some of the statistics relating to life in Portsmouth that we used in our research:
Employment
Portsmouth has fairly average employment rates, with 70% of the people who live there employed. 46% of the people in Portsmouth work normal full time hours (between 35 and 45 hours per week), but 23% can be considered to be overworking and experiencing a poor work life balance, working over 45 hours per week on a regular basis.
Income
Incomes are high at £518 per week gross as the average per individual. Disposable income, however, is very low comparative to the South East of England and the UK as a whole, at just £13,614 per household.
House Prices
House prices are moderate for the UK, but low for the South East of England, averaging out at £163,995 in 2015. Rent is expensive, however, at £79 per person, per week. Why not use our free mortgage calculator that helps you determine how much you could afford to borrow.
Life Expectancy
The average life expectancy from birth in Portsmouth is fairly average for the UK at 78 for men and 82 for women.
Living Costs
Portsmouth has one of the highest cost of living statistics in the UK, with a weekly grocery shop costing £63 – this is more than even the places generally accepted to be very expensive like West inner London, who pay £60 per household, per week for groceries. The car insurance premiums in Portsmouth are also very high at £556.40. Why not try our cheaper car insurance and can save you heaps on your renewals.
Other Important Factors
One thing Portsmouth scores exceptionally well in is technology. Its average broadband speeds are among the highest in the UK at 33.8Mbps, and it has 99% mobile phone coverage.
Portsmouth has positive and negative factors, with a high cost of living but good incomes and excellent communication technology.
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 .