If you are looking to move to a new part of the UK (or to come to the UK from abroad), it makes a lot of sense to look at good, well sourced information that can help you choose somewhere you can get a good standard of living.
To that end, uSwitch's Best Places to Live in The UK Quality of Life Index is a helpful study that has used 2015 data from official sources like the Office of National Statistics for a wide range of things that have a tangible impact on quality of life across the 138 NUTS 3 statistical regions that make up England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
After analysing this data, uSwitch has been able to create a league table that shows where the best places to live in the UK are, and how all of the 138 cities and regions sit in comparison to each other.
Additionally, because this study was also carried out in 2013, we have been able to use our new 2015 league table of regions to make a comparison that shows which UK statistical regions have improved for quality of life, and which have seen some decline in that 24 month period.
The Wiltshire CC statistical region in the South West of England is one that has actually dropped down the table since 2013, now coming in 78th place where it was in 34th two years ago. This places Wiltshire CC in the bottom half of the table, however it is close to the middle, with some positives in its stats for some areas of quality of life compared to the overall averages from across the UK.
Employment
Wiltshire CC has a very good rate of employment compared with the UK as a whole with 79% of people in work.
However, the percentage of people working standard full time hours of 35-45 hours per week is about average at 42%, and Wiltshire CC also has a high percentage of people overworking (which is classed as regularly doing over 45 hours a week), at 26%.
Income
Incomes are also fairly good in Wiltshire CC, with £479.30 as the gross weekly income of people living here.
House Prices
By UK standards, house prices in this region are quite high, averaging £217,500 in 2015. Rent is exceptionally high too, at £85 per week.
Life Expectancy
Wiltshire CC has higher than average life expectancy from birth – for men it is 81 and for women 84.
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
The cost of living in Wiltshire CC is relatively high when compared UK wide, with a household's weekly grocery shop coming to £60. Petrol prices are also above average at 118p.
Other Important Factors
Wiltshire CC performs relatively poorly for communication technology, with 83% receiving mobile phone coverage (this is most likely due to Wiltshire's rural areas), and fairly slow average broadband speeds of 18.9Mbps.
Use our broadband postcode checker to see which deals and what speeds are on offer in your area.
With regards to the quality of life you can expect, there is quite a lot of variation everywhere in England, Wales, Scotland and NI. While Wiltshire CC does have some positives, the high house prices and cost of living, and the mediocre technology services have placed it in the bottom half of 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 .