Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Liverpool climate: 1352 sunshine hours/year, avg summer 19°C / winter 4°C. Compared to other North West cities.
Liverpool climate: 1352 sunshine hours/year, avg summer 19°C / winter 4°C. Compared to other North West cities.
Liverpool: cost index 92 (-11 vs national avg 103), rent £830/month.
North West region average cost index: 103. Liverpool is -11 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 57/100 — safety 52, healthcare 70, walkability 72.
Safety score: 52/100 (crime rate 98.7/1k). National average: 61/100.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income | Sunshine hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 92 | £830 | £30,500 | 1352 |
| 2 | Brighton | 122 | £1,350 | £37,000 | 1782 |
| 3 | Southampton | 113 | £1,130 | £35,200 | 1720 |
| 4 | Plymouth | 97 | £870 | £31,000 | 1654 |
| 5 | Exeter | 106 | £1,020 | £32,600 | 1600 |
| 6 | Oxford | 132 | £1,500 | £39,000 | 1560 |
| 7 | Norwich | 99 | £920 | £32,000 | 1548 |
| 8 | Bristol | 112 | £1,200 | £35,800 | 1541 |
| 9 | Reading | 124 | £1,300 | £40,000 | 1540 |
| 10 | Swansea | 87 | £720 | £29,500 | 1530 |
| 11 | Cardiff | 96 | £940 | £32,600 | 1518 |
| 12 | Cambridge | 129 | £1,450 | £41,000 | 1504 |
| 13 | London | 142 | £2,000 | £42,500 | 1481 |
| 14 | Edinburgh | 110 | £1,220 | £37,000 | 1437 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 83 | £660 | £28,400 | 1382 |
| 16 | Leicester | 93 | £860 | £30,000 | 1380 |
| 17 | Nottingham | 94 | £880 | £31,000 | 1372 |
| 18 | Birmingham | 97 | £950 | £32,200 | 1364 |
| 19 | Coventry | 94 | £880 | £30,500 | 1350 |
| 20 | Aberdeen | 98 | £810 | £35,800 | 1340 |
Here's the surprising part: Liverpool has a cost index of 92 — 11 points below the United Kingdom national average of 103. Median income is £30,500 with rent at £830/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 33%. Financially, that's significant.
Context matters here. looking at North West as a whole, the spread across all 27 cities is 3 points on the cost index. Glasgow sits at the other end with index 95 and rent of £960/mo. This combination is rare — and valuable.
On quality of life, Liverpool scores a composite score of 57/100 — reflecting its safety (52), healthcare (70), and walkability (72) metrics. And there's one more thing: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Liverpool — cost index 92, rent £830/mo, income £30,500, QoL 57/100.
Brighton — cost index 122, rent £1,350/mo, income £37,000, QoL 57/100.
Southampton — cost index 113, rent £1,130/mo, income £35,200, QoL 56/100.
Plymouth — cost index 97, rent £870/mo, income £31,000, QoL 63/100.
Exeter — cost index 106, rent £1,020/mo, income £32,600, QoL 64/100.
Liverpool has a cost index of 92 (national avg: 103), rent £830/mo, median income £30,500/yr, and a quality of life score of 57/100.
The North West region of average QoL score is 60/100. Liverpool 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.
Liverpool: cost index 92, rent £830/mo, income £30,500/yr, QoL 57/100. Brighton: cost index 122, rent £1,350/mo, income £37,000/yr, QoL 57/100.
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.