Crawley ranked fourth best area to move to in the UK

Research conducted by mortgage advisors has revealed the best places to live in the UK.

Job prospects, affordability, and quality of life were the three main factors used in the research, with a total of eight metrics used, including the percentage of income spent on rent.

The team at RM Mortgage Solutions ranked 181 of the largest towns and cities across the UK on how attractive they are to people looking to relocate.

Overall, Warrington in Cheshire was ranked as the best place to move to in the UK, with a happy population, good job prospects, and low rental costs propelling this town into top spot.

Within the top ten, two spots held were within Warwickshire, with Warwick and Rugby both appealing to people looking to move locations.

Crawley came in fourth in the ranking, behind Warrington, Warwick, and Derby.

RM Mortgage Solutions said: "Situated between Brighton and London, Crawley has great transport links to major hubs of employment.

"Quality of life is rated very highly, with a score of 304/403, and the job density is 0.84, below only Warwick in the top five.

"The South Downs and High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty are also both within easy reach for residents here.

"Crawley marries the quality of life often associated with access to nature and a more relaxed lifestyle, with some of the strongest transport links in the UK.

"Rent here is inflated by this, however, costing £1,000 per month, 35.3 per cent of the average salary in the area.

Each of these areas were individually assessed with a total of eight metrics:

Job Prospects - number of roles available, versus number of working population residents. A score of one means there is one job for every working-age person.

Affordability - the average monthly wage in the area, versus the average monthly rent in the area. This is summarised using rental costs as a percentage of income.

Quality of Life - a score based on self-assessments of how residents in each area feel using four factors - life satisfaction, anxiety, worthwhileness, happiness. These are ranked and average to create a quality of life score out of 403.

All data is from ONS, Nomis, StatsWales and gov.scot.

Richard Moring, Director at RM Mortgage Solutions Ltd, added: “It’s really interesting to see how the results vary across the UK.

"Some places score very well for quality of life, but the cost of living is much higher.

"At the end of the day, moving location is a balancing act - one area won’t necessarily fulfil everything that you are looking for.

"Prioritising certain elements, or making a checklist of likes and dislikes that you can tally up, are both great ways to decide if you’d like to live in one area over another.

“Many of the areas ranking highly are well connected and have strong transport links to the largest UK cities.

"The top five - Warrington, Warwick, Derby, Crawley, and Tewkesbury are all situated near major motorways.

"You can change many aspects of a property but not the location - or the convenience of the commute.

“If you’re unsure about an area, consider testing the water by renting.

"A lot of time and money goes into buying a house, from researching lenders to completion.

"Taking the time to experience an area can be invaluable when deciding which street, part of town or property type you would like to live in.”