These are the best places to live in the UK based on quality of life - how does your area compare?

How did your area rank? (Photo: Shutterstock)How did your area rank? (Photo: Shutterstock)
How did your area rank? (Photo: Shutterstock)

We all might like to think of our little corner of the world as the best place to call home, but there are some parts for the UK that offer a better quality of life than others.

Areas across the country have been assessed on a variety of factors, with East Hertfordshire being crowned the UK’s best place to live, according to an annual quality of life survey.

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Highest quality of life

The Halifax Quality of Life survey looks at how local authority areas compare based on 26 different factors that home buyers might consider when choosing a place to live.

These factors include employment, earnings, house affordability, health and well-being, education, traffic and crime rates.

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures indicate that residents in East Hertfordshire are among the happiest and most content in the UK, with high average life expectancies.

People who live in this area of the UK generally feel fit and well, with 97 per cent reporting good or fairly good health.

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Fareham, Hart and Horsham in the south east of England also ranked highly, along with Selby and Hambleton in the north.

Russell Galley, managing director at Halifax, said: “With bustling market towns and picturesque countryside, East Hertfordshire has topped the table thanks to high life expectancy, good schools and health and happiness scores, with high average earnings.

“Everyone has different priorities when it comes to choosing a place to live, depending on time of life, and personal circumstances.

“Affordability will always be one of the most important factors, with getting a foot on the property ladder still difficult for some people.”

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East Hertfordshire was crowned the best place to live in the UK (Photo: Shutterstock)

Where are the best places to live in the UK?

Listed are the top 50 places in the UK with the best quality of life, according to Halifax:

East Hertfordshire, East of England

Fareham, South East

Hart, South East

Horsham, South East

Maldon, East of England

Selby, Yorkshire and the Humber

Hambleton, Yorkshire and the Humber

Babergh, East of England

St Edmundsbury, East of England

Wokingham, South East

Ryedale, Yorkshire and the Humber

South Derbyshire, East Midlands

South Cambridgeshire, East of England

Tonbridge and Malling, South East

Rugby, West Midlands

Runnymede, South East

Wychavon, West Midlands

Orkney, Scotland

Woking, South East

Warwick, West Midlands

South Oxfordshire, South East

Rushcliffe, East Midlands

Huntingdonshire, East of England

Newark and Sherwood, East Midlands

Rushmoor, South East

Forest Heath, East of England

Elmbridge, South East

Wiltshire, South West

Gedling, East Midlands

North Dorset, South West

Rutland, East Midlands

Tewkesbury, South West

Rochford, East of England

Winchester, South East

Bracknell Forest, South East

Cherwell, South East

Central Bedfordshire, East of England

Charnwood, East Midlands

Forest of Dean, South West

Vale of White Horse, South East

West Berkshire, South East

New Forest, South East

North Warwickshire, West Midlands

Guildford, South East

Swindon, South West

Lichfield, West Midlands

Suffolk Coastal, East of England

York, Yorkshire and the Humber

Basingstoke and Deane, South East

Erewash, East Midlands

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