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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in United Kingdom for 2026. Brighton leads with a cost index of 118 and rent of £1,250/month.
Ranking of cities in United Kingdom for 2026. Brighton leads with a cost index of 118 and rent of £1,250/month.
Brighton ranks #1 with a cost index of 118 and rent of £1,250/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 104 (+5 vs national average of 99).
Average quality of life: 60/100. Top: Brighton at 58/100.
Safest city: Brighton (62/100 safety score).
Here's the surprising part: Brighton stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 118 and median income of £35,000, it offers competitive value despite costs slightly above the national median. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Glasgow leads with a composite score of 62/100 — reflecting its safety (52), healthcare (74), and walkability (78) metrics. Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and United Kingdom is a good example of that tension.
Brighton — cost index 118, rent £1,250/mo, income £35,000, QoL 58/100.
Glasgow — cost index 90, rent £850/mo, income £31,000, QoL 62/100.
The country average QoL score is 61/100. Brighton leads with 58/100, reflecting its 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.
Brighton (ranked #1) has a cost index of 118 and rent of £1,250/mo. Glasgow (#2) has index 90 and rent £850/mo — a 28-point gap.
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.