Best cities in the UK to be single from Edinburgh to Bristol

Poor, single Londoners

Rachel Hosie
Wednesday 30 August 2017 06:34 EDT
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These are the best budget hotels in Belfast
These are the best budget hotels in Belfast (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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Being a young, single, urbanite can be a lot of fun.

You can spend your evenings and weekends eating out with friends, trying new bars on hot dates or just doing exactly whatever you want. And when you get home, you have the whole bed to yourself too. Bliss.

A new study by Bateaux London has now revealed a definitive ranking of which British cities are the best for singletons, and the results may surprise you.

The worst? London. But this is mainly down to the cost.

And any single person will vouch for the fact that it can be a pricey existence - the costs of dates at swanky cocktail bars, beautifying treatments as pre-date prep and gym memberships all add up. (Not that we’re saying those in relationships don’t also go out and look after themselves.)

The list was compiled based on the average cost of being single as well as the proportion of the population who are single, and the percentage of those aged between 20 and 30 - the reasoning is that more single people is better, and younger people are more likely to be single.

The cities were ranked from best to worst for each category and awarded a point score based on their position. This was then turned into a percentage rating.

Here are the best cities in which to be single in the UK:

22. London — 29.2%.

London
London (Getty)
  • Average salary: £34,967
  • Meal out: £55
  • Pint of beer: £4.50
  • Coffee: £2.64
  • Gym membership: £46.50
  • Cinema ticket: £12.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £1,682

Londoners earn the highest salaries in the UK, but it’s also the most expensive city and has a low proportion of eligible singletons, apparently meaning it’s the worst place in Britain to be single.

21. York — 40.15%.

York
York (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £24,175
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.35
  • Coffee: £2.42
  • Gym membership: £34.33
  • Cinema ticket: £9.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £720

20. Brighton — 43.07%.

Brighton
Brighton (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £25,116
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £4.25
  • Coffee: £2.42
  • Gym membership: £36.14
  • Cinema ticket: £9.44
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £907

19. Oxford — 45.26%.

Oxford
Oxford (Getty Images)
  • Average salary: £29,476
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £4.25
  • Coffee: £2.60
  • Gym membership: £38.14
  • Cinema ticket: £10.50
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £1,075

18. Cambridge — 45.99%.

Cambridge
Cambridge (Getty)
  • Average salary: £30,886
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.83
  • Coffee: £2.62
  • Gym membership: £38.71
  • Cinema ticket: £10.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £1,046

17. Bristol — 47.45%.

Bristol
Bristol (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £27,983
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.80
  • Coffee: £2.72
  • Gym membership: £28.56
  • Cinema ticket: £9
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £853

16. Leeds — 47.45%.

Leeds
Leeds (Getty/iStock)
  • Average salary: £26,015
  • Meal out: £45.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.50
  • Coffee: £2.66
  • Gym membership: £24.14
  • Cinema ticket: £10
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £656

15. Sheffield — 48.91%.

Sheffield
Sheffield (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £24,269
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.00
  • Coffee: £2.55
  • Gym membership: £28.42
  • Cinema ticket: £9.89
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £593

14. Edinburgh — 48.91%.

Edinburgh
Edinburgh (Getty/iStock)
  • Average salary: £28,048
  • Meal out: £48.00
  • Pint of beer: £4.00
  • Coffee: £2.54
  • Gym membership: £31.42
  • Cinema ticket: £10.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £718

13. Chester — 51.09%.

Chester
Chester (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £25,436
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £2.90
  • Coffee: £2.50
  • Gym membership: £32.80
  • Cinema ticket: £9.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £585

12. Norwich — 52.55%.

Norwich
Norwich (Getty Images)
  • Average salary: £22,604
  • Meal out: £45.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.50
  • Coffee: £2.54
  • Gym membership: £32.00
  • Cinema ticket: £9.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £586

11. Reading — 53.28%.

Reading
Reading (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £31,852
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.65
  • Coffee: £2.54
  • Gym membership: £25.44
  • Cinema ticket: £9.65
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £885

10. Glasgow — 56.2%.

Glasgow
Glasgow (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £26,096
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.50
  • Coffee: £2.55
  • Gym membership: £28.53
  • Cinema ticket: £9.45
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £610

9. Manchester — 57.66%.

Manchester
Manchester (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £26,436
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.50
  • Coffee: £2.68
  • Gym membership: £26.42
  • Cinema ticket: £9.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £720

8. Hull — 59.12%.

Hull
Hull (Getty Images)
  • Average salary: £21,533
  • Meal out: £45.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.10
  • Coffee: £2.45
  • Gym membership: £24.50
  • Cinema ticket: £9.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £433

7. Nottingham — 63.5%.

Nottingham
Nottingham (Getty Images)
  • Average salary: £24,304
  • Meal out: £45.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.00
  • Coffee: £2.58
  • Gym membership: £26.89
  • Cinema ticket: £10.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £559

6. Cardiff — 63.5%.

Cardiff
Cardiff (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £24,643
  • Meal out: £40.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.20
  • Coffee: £2.45
  • Gym membership: £25.53
  • Cinema ticket: £6.75
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £636

5. Newcastle — 64.23%.

Newcastle
Newcastle (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £25,151
  • Meal out: £50.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.50
  • Coffee: £2.62
  • Gym membership: £22.42
  • Cinema ticket: £8.50
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £582

4. Birmingham — 64.23%.

Birmingham
Birmingham (Getty Images)
  • Average salary: £25,843
  • Meal out: £40.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.50
  • Coffee: £2.28
  • Gym membership: £22.42
  • Cinema ticket: £8.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £663

3. Southampton — 64.96%.

Southampton
Southampton (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • Average salary: £26,982
  • Meal out: £40.00
  • Pint of beer: £3.10
  • Coffee: £2.59
  • Gym membership: £20.91
  • Cinema ticket: £10.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £698

2. Liverpool — 66.42%.

Liverpool
Liverpool (Getty Images)
  • Average salary: £23,995
  • Meal out: £42.50
  • Pint of beer: £2.90
  • Coffee: £2.55
  • Gym membership: £21.79
  • Cinema ticket: £9.00
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £602

1. Belfast — 67.15%.

Visit Belfast: This is Belfast
  • Average salary: £24,012
  • Meal out: £40.00
  • Pint of beer: £4.00
  • Coffee: £2.33
  • Gym membership: £23.77
  • Cinema ticket: £6.75
  • Rent for one-bed in city centre: £520

Low rents, affording dining options and plenty of singletons make the Northern Irish capital officially the best place in the UK to be single.

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