Britain’s happiest places to live have been revealed in an annual list by Rightmove – but the closest places to Bristol are an hour’s drive away from the city.
Cirencester has made it to the top ten across the country, as has Monmouth in Wales. Rightmove found house prices in the Cotswold market town are £384,013 – with the average rent standing at £1,495.
Rightmove has also done a regional breakdown for the South West, which is topped by Cirencester and followed by St Ives. Dorchester takes the third place, Weymouth the fourth and Cheltenham the fifth.
Across Britain, Woodbridge in Suffolk has topped the list of the happiest places to live for the first time. Residents of Woodbridge scored it particularly highly for feeling that they are able to be themselves in the area, the community spirit and friendliness of the people, and access to essential services such as doctors, or schools, according to Rightmove, which compiled the report.
The London borough of Richmond upon Thames was placed second, having been top last year, while Hexham in Northumberland, a previous winner, was ranked third. The study, now in its 13th year, was completed by more than 35,000 people across Britain, with residents being asked how they feel about their area.
Residents expressed opinions on topics such as how proud they feeI about where they live, their sense of belonging, community spirit, whether they can be themselves, whether they can earn enough to live comfortably in their area, public transport, sports and recreation, green spaces and artistic and cultural activities.
Monmouth was crowned the happiest place to live in Wales, while Stirling came top in Scotland. Rightmove said its study indicates that, overall, residents in Scotland, Wales and the South West are most happy with where they live, while those in the East and West Midlands are the least happy.
The Gen-Z generation (18 to 24-year-olds) were the most likely to say that they thought they would be happier living in a different area, while those aged 55-plus were the least likely. Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, said: “It’s the younger generation who are most likely to say they would be happier living somewhere else, many of whom have to travel to cities for education or to find their first jobs.”
The research also indicated that the type of environment that made residents most happy was a rural location by woodland or a forest, or being near a National Park or National Landscape.
Rightmove’s analysis found that feeling proud to live in an area was the biggest driver of overall satisfaction with a home and community out of the factors it looked at, while living near to family and friends was the smallest driver.
Here are the happiest places to live in 2024, according to Rightmove, followed by the average asking price for a home and the average asking rent per month:
1. Woodbridge, East of England, £441,569, £1,478
2. Richmond upon Thames, London, £939,329, £3,131
3. Hexham, North East, £313,147, £840
4. Monmouth, Wales, £320,974, £1,335
5. Harrogate, Yorkshire and the Humber, £394,312, £1,439
6. Skipton, Yorkshire and the Humber, £263,479, £1,030
7. Sevenoaks, South East, £881,061, £2,924
8. Leigh on Sea, East of England, £465,542, £1,796
9. Cirencester, South West, £384,013, £1,495
10. Wokingham, South East, £590,949, £2,120
South West
1. Cirencester (9)
2. St Ives (23)
3. Dorchester (26)
4. Weymouth (33)
5. Cheltenham (43)