These are the best UK cities to live and work in

What would be in your perfect city? Great transport links, rent that was perhaps 20% of your monthly salary, nice weather, good buildings, bit of culture, parks, and maybe the people could be friendly too? Well, the bad news is, you can’t have it all (unless you move to Melbourne, but that’s so far away). If you stay in the UK, your best bet is Edinburgh, according to a new study by the Royal Mail.

The Scottish capital came out on top in education, and scored highly in a lot of big other sectors including business community, access to green spaces, job opportunities and earnings. Interestingly Edinburgh also has the second highest number of start ups, but with half of the office rental costs. We predict a top-knot migration in the next few years. Other, less official reasons we can think of for the city winning this contest are:

1. The Scottish Accent

It gets a bad rep but it’s also frequently voted one of the sexiest in the world, and the Edinburgh accent in particular is very friendly.

2. The Fringe

Edinburgh hosts the world’s biggest comedy festival every year throughout the whole month of August, the whole city is cracking up for four weeks straight, no wonder it’s a great place to live.

3. Macaroni Cheese Pies

Possibly the best thing ever invented, if you haven’t tried one you haven’t lived. Head to The Piemaker on South Bridge for the best thing you’ll ever eat. I’m still in two minds as to whether or not to launch a campaign against Greggs to bring theirs back, after they made the outrageous decision to discontinue them in 2015.

4. Mary’s Milk Bar

Possibly the best ice cream you’ll ever taste outside of Italy. Queue up every day for a scoop of the homemade ice cream then climb up onto the hill opposite and enjoy. The staff at Mary’s make their batch every day, and when they run out, they shut up shop, so get there early.

Don’t worry if you don’t live or aren’t planning to live in Edinburgh though, London came a close second, with highest average weekly earnings and great employment rate. 

Coming in at a cool third was even cooler Bristol, with great scores across the board including access to healthcare. Everyone seems to be thinking about moving to Bristol, and with a lot of start ups happening there too, it seems like a great place to start a business. 

Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow sit just under Bristol - there’s something for everyone. Chances are you don’t live too far from one of these places. 

So if you’re thinking of an upheaval, maybe head north of the border, and start eating your favourite pasta encased in a pie. Good luck.