Edinburgh named as UK's most attractive city to live and work

Edinburgh is the UK's most attractive city to live and work in, according to a new study.

Edinburgh scored highly for education, earnings and green space

The Capital has the edge over other significant UK cities on a number of measures including education, business community, earnings, job opportunities and green space – which makes up 28 per cent of the city.

Commissioned by the Royal Mail, the study shows earnings in Edinburgh are second only to London, with the average wage being £578 per week for employees.

Edinburgh’s employment rate is strong at 70.8 per cent, and access to education takes first place.

Edinburgh Council leader Adam McVey said: “It is welcome news that Edinburgh is yet again receiving recognition as the UK’s top city to live and work in.

“The facts demonstrating the city’s attributes are plentiful and our own statistics in Edinburgh by numbers show that Edinburgh is a vibrant capital city with a diverse economy, an increasing population with strong investment potential.”

The city also has the second highest number of start-ups, while office space costs are about half that of London.

CEO and founder of online shopping app Mallzee, Cally Russell, said: “Edinburgh is a fantastic city to live and work in. The city is home to many successful businesses and has strong transport links connecting residents to the rest of the UK. Edinburgh combines the benefits of a metropolitan city with easy access to the outdoors and beautiful Scottish scenery.

“A big part of the growing appeal of Edinburgh is the thriving start-up scene and the community being built around this sector.”

Edinburgh features highly on all accounts bar housing affordability, with only property in London and Bristol considered more expensive.

Glasgow places first for share of the city which is green space, at 35 per cent. Ranking third for rich cultural services, Glasgow has 7.1 theatres and 60.2 libraries per million people. Access to education in Glasgow is also strong, with 47.2 per cent of the working age population qualified above A-level equivalent.

London achieves strong scores on earnings (average £697 per week) and employment levels (73.7 per cent). It also has good access to education and strong levels of business activity compared with other locations, whilst housing affordability and office costs are the highest in the UK.

Royal Mail spokesman David Gold said “This shows there is hot competition among the UK’s leading cities to be the most attractive location for people to live and work in. Edinburgh has the edge on other economically significant UK cities. Bristol also performs well in categories including job opportunities, healthcare, business community and culture.”