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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Is Leicester good for expats? It's worth considering — QoL score 57/100, safety 55/100, rent £860/mo, median income £30,000/yr. Compared to 26 other East Midlands cities below.
Is Leicester good for expats? It's worth considering — QoL score 57/100, safety 55/100, rent £860/mo, median income £30,000/yr. Compared to 26 other East Midlands cities below.
Leicester: cost index 93 (-10 vs national avg 103), rent £860/month.
East Midlands region average cost index: 103. Leicester is -10 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 57/100 — safety 55, healthcare 68, walkability 65.
Safety score: 55/100 (crime rate 90.2/1k). National average: 61/100.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester | 93 | £860 | £30,000 |
| 2 | Swansea | 87 | £720 | £29,500 |
| 3 | Sheffield | 91 | £830 | £30,000 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 |
| 5 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 |
| 6 | Exeter | 106 | £1,020 | £32,600 |
| 7 | York | 107 | £1,080 | £34,700 |
| 8 | Plymouth | 97 | £870 | £31,000 |
| 9 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 89 | £800 | £30,500 |
| 10 | Norwich | 99 | £920 | £32,000 |
| 11 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 |
| 12 | Belfast | 89 | £780 | £30,500 |
| 13 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 |
| 14 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 |
| 15 | Glasgow | 95 | £960 | £32,600 |
| 16 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 |
| 17 | Leeds | 96 | £950 | £31,600 |
| 18 | Sunderland | 83 | £660 | £28,400 |
| 19 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 |
| 20 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 |
Here's the finding that keeps coming up in different analyses: Leicester has a cost index of 93 — 10 points below the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £30,000 with rent at £860/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 34%. That's a strong position by any measure.
Context matters here. looking at East Midlands as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 10 points on the cost index. Manchester sits at the other end with index 103 and rent of £1,080/mo. This stands out as genuinely impressive.
On quality of life, Leicester scores a composite score of 57/100 — reflecting its safety (55), healthcare (68), and walkability (65) metrics. That said, affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Leicester — cost index 93, rent £860/mo, income £30,000, QoL 57/100.
Swansea — cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500, QoL 66/100.
Sheffield — cost index 91, rent £830/mo, income £30,000, QoL 65/100.
Edinburgh — cost index 110, rent £1,220/mo, income £37,000, QoL 65/100.
Aberdeen — cost index 98, rent £810/mo, income £35,800, QoL 65/100.
Leicester scores 57/100 on the relevant index for expats — with rent of £860/month and cost index 93 (10 points below the national average of 103).
The East Midlands region of average QoL score is 60/100. Leicester leads with 57/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ONS, Land Registry, HMRC.
Leicester: cost index 93, rent £860/mo, income £30,000/yr, QoL 57/100. Swansea: cost index 87, rent £720/mo, income £29,500/yr, QoL 66/100.
This analysis uses data from ONS, Land Registry, HMRC to rank cities in United Kingdom. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.