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UK DATING REPORT 2020
Best and worst cities to be single
Finding love can be tough no matter where you live. The town you're living in could make all the difference. Whether it's a lack of affordable places to go out for a date or there simply aren't good people to date.
That's why we've looked at nine factors to try and determine the best and worst cities to find love in the UK.
This includes qualities of the population such as how happy, sexy and intelligent people living there are. Also, how much a date costs - cinema ticket, pint and meal for two. Finally, we looked at the cost of living on your own in the city.
The Ultimate Single City Chart
Top 5 ![](https://mydatingadviser.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/top-5.jpg"){kind=small}
Bottom 5 ![](https://mydatingadviser.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/bottom-5.jpg"){kind=small}
KEY: All scores and ranking values go from (1) best/most to (69) worst/least. 
Rank Town/City 
Sexy Score 
Happy Score 
Smart Score 
Cost of One Cinema Ticket 
Cost of Meal for Two 
Cost of Pint of Beer 
Average Salary 
Average Rent for One Bedroom Flat 
Rent as a Perentage of Earnings 
Overall Score
| Rank | City | Smart Score | Sexy Score | Happy Score | Pint Cost | Meal Cost | Cinema Cost | Average Salary | Average Rent | Rent as % of Salary | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 65 | London | 1 | 69 | 43 | £5.00 | £60.00 | £13.00 | £31,114.00 | £1,654.00 | 5.32% | 57.53 |
| 66 | Brighton | 6 | 43 | 55 | £4.50 | £60.00 | £10.00 | £25,740.00 | £915.00 | 3.56% | 57.94 |
| 58 | Edinburgh | 9 | 47 | 46 | £4.00 | £60.00 | £9.00 | £26,187.00 | £839.00 | 3.20% | 53 |
| 67 | Manchester | 69 | 10 | 32 | £4.00 | £50.00 | £8.00 | £22,306.00 | £697.00 | 3.12% | 58.2 |
| 64 | Slough | 28 | 62 | 42 | £4.00 | £40.00 | £10.50 | £28,125.00 | £867.00 | 3.08% | 57.4 |
| 36 | Woking | 8 | 49 | 15 | £4.00 | £45.00 | £10.00 | £29,831.00 | £910.00 | 3.05% | 45.1 |
| 69 | Worthing | 58 | 37 | 33 | £3.25 | £47.00 | £13.50 | £23,491.00 | £712.00 | 3.03% | 61.44 |
| 45 | Leeds | 24 | 33 | 35 | £3.65 | £45.00 | £8.00 | £24,100.00 | £728.00 | 3.02% | 49.34 |
| 48 | Oxford | 4 | 39 | 40 | £4.00 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £25,886.00 | £758.00 | 2.93% | 50.24 |
| 52 | Watford | 21 | 63 | 4 | £3.90 | £60.00 | £11.50 | £27,729.00 | £800.00 | 2.89% | 50.61 |
| 59 | Colchester | 33 | 5 | 50 | £3.70 | £49.00 | £14.50 | £24,460.00 | £693.00 | 2.83% | 53.07 |
| 62 | Nottingham | 32 | 1 | 69 | £3.50 | £45.00 | £10.00 | £20,302.00 | £569.00 | 2.80% | 56.1 |
| 49 | Crawley | 36 | 36 | 1 | £4.00 | £48.00 | £12.00 | £23,856.00 | £664.00 | 2.78% | 50.37 |
| 60 | Basildon | 65 | 35 | 27 | £3.87 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £27,369.00 | £751.00 | 2.74% | 53.97 |
| 35 | York | 15 | 6 | 22 | £4.00 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £22,973.00 | £625.00 | 2.72% | 44.37 |
| 56 | Glasgow | 20 | 16 | 63 | £3.50 | £50.00 | £10.47 | £23,541.00 | £636.00 | 2.72% | 52 |
| 63 | Birmingham | 41 | 61 | 26 | £3.50 | £50.00 | £9.50 | £22,519.00 | £613.00 | 2.72% | 56.54 |
| 57 | Leicester | 39 | 51 | 19 | £3.50 | £45.00 | £8.80 | £20,753.00 | £561.00 | 2.70% | 52.37 |
| 42 | Milton Keynes | 23 | 20 | 52 | £3.25 | £50.00 | £12.00 | £28,702.00 | £766.00 | 2.67% | 48.03 |
| 22 | Exeter | 17 | 15 | 2 | £4.00 | £35.00 | £10.00 | £23,371.00 | £621.00 | 2.66% | 39.07 |
| 53 | Portsmouth | 40 | 66 | 17 | £3.50 | £51.00 | £5.00 | £23,241.00 | £617.00 | 2.65% | 51.2 |
| 33 | Chelmsford | 37 | 13 | 7 | £4.25 | £70.00 | £12.00 | £26,497.00 | £664.00 | 2.50% | 43.3 |
| 54 | Luton | 46 | 67 | 8 | £3.75 | £40.00 | £11.50 | £24,565.00 | £605.00 | 2.46% | 51.67 |
| 34 | Bristol | 11 | 9 | 57 | £4.50 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £25,958.00 | £637.00 | 2.45.% | 44.03 |
| 68 | Eastbourne | 55 | 55 | 41 | £5.00 | £49.37 | £12.00 | £23,368.00 | £572.00 | 2.45% | 60.27 |
| 20 | Cardiff | 14 | 44 | 29 | £3.50 | £40.00 | £6.00 | £24,958.00 | £598.00 | 2.40% | 39 |
| 61 | Lincoln | 57 | 3 | 56 | £3.50 | £57.50 | £12.00 | £21,223.00 | £508.00 | 2.39% | 54.73 |
| 25 | Basingstoke | 5 | 22 | 44 | £4.00 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £30,368.00 | £723.00 | 2.38% | 40.32 |
| 40 | Swansea | 34 | 27 | 53 | £3.65 | £50.00 | £7.00 | £23,019.00 | £546.00 | 2.37% | 46 |
| 28 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 2 | 32 | 67 | £3.50 | £40.00 | £8.00 | £23,502.00 | £545.00 | 2.34% | 41.24 |
| 30 | Blackburn | 31 | 64 | 6 | £2.10 | £45.50 | £5.50 | £21,152.00 | £492.00 | 2.32.% | 42.13 |
| 18 | Maidstone | 43 | 30 | 16 | £2.50 | £49.37 | £9.80 | £26,645.00 | £614.00 | 2.30.% | 38.94 |
| 4 | Reading | 13 | 18 | 10 | £3.00 | £45.00 | £10.00 | £28,039.00 | £641.00 | 2.29% | 30.24 |
| 24 | Bournemouth | 19 | 40 | 5 | £3.98 | £55.00 | £11.00 | £25,101.00 | £576.00 | 2.29% | 39.97 |
| 32 | Southampton | 25 | 12 | 49 | £4.00 | £50.00 | £11.25 | £24,298.00 | £555.00 | 2.28.% | 43.24 |
| 27 | Cambridge | 3 | 7 | 64 | £4.00 | £55.00 | £12.00 | £28,600.00 | £648.00 | 2.27% | 40.94 |
| 50 | Ipswich | 49 | 17 | 61 | £3.85 | £40.00 | £10.20 | £22,257.00 | £503.00 | 2.26% | 50.37 |
| 26 | Norwich | 44 | 2 | 38 | £4.28 | £60.00 | £8.50 | £23,364.00 | £525.00 | 2.25% | 40.4 |
| 13 | High Wycombe | 7 | 52 | 3 | £3.50 | £50.00 | £11.00 | £29,407.00 | £656.00 | 2.23% | 35.64 |
| 39 | Liverpool | 26 | 45 | 54 | £3.23 | £55.00 | £9.00 | £23,314.00 | £521.00 | 2.23% | 45.94 |
| 37 | Poole | 38 | 53 | 37 | £3.98 | £55.00 | £9.00 | £25,101.00 | £557.00 | 2.21% | 45.13 |
| 31 | Sheffield | 16 | 48 | 39 | £3.50 | £40.00 | £10.00 | £23,295.00 | £507.00 | 2.18.% | 42.47 |
| 38 | Southend-on-Sea | 52 | 59 | 25 | £3.65 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £27,087.00 | £592.00 | 2.18.% | 45.37 |
| 15 | Worcester | 42 | 24 | 11 | £3.25 | £40.00 | £10.15 | £23,633.00 | £504.00 | 2.13% | 36.04 |
| 9 | Cheltenham | 12 | 23 | 24 | £4.00 | £55.00 | £11.45 | £26,845.00 | £567.00 | 2.11% | 34.34 |
| 44 | Telford | 56 | 50 | 58 | £3.08 | £40.00 | £8.00 | £22,490.00 | £468.00 | 2.08% | 48.44 |
| 51 | Kingston upon Hull | 62 | 46 | 66 | £3.00 | £48.00 | £5.00 | £20,682.00 | £430.00 | 2.08% | 50.5 |
| 47 | Blackpool | 67 | 58 | 48 | £3.25 | £50.00 | £7.00 | £19,460.00 | £403.00 | 2.07% | 50.23 |
| 5 | Stockport | 18 | 8 | 51 | £3.00 | £40.00 | £9.00 | £25,829.00 | £534.00 | 2.06% | 30.24 |
| 17 | Coventry | 30 | 54 | 30 | £3.50 | £45.00 | £9.75 | £24,214.00 | £499.00 | 2.06% | 38.4 |
| 14 | Swindon | 51 | 14 | 20 | £3.50 | £55.00 | £12.00 | £26,917.00 | £549.00 | 2.04% | 35.77 |
| 21 | Peterborough | 53 | 19 | 23 | £3.25 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £22,847.00 | £466.00 | 2.04% | 39.04 |
| 7 | Solihull | 22 | 56 | 14 | £3.50 | £30.00 | £8.80 | £27,551.00 | £554.00 | 2.01.% | 30.46 |
| 8 | Northampton | 35 | 29 | 12 | £3.20 | £65.00 | £10.00 | £25,575.00 | £504.00 | 1.97% | 31.27 |
| 55 | Bradford | 63 | 68 | 31 | £3.00 | £40.00 | £9.00 | £21,900.00 | £427.00 | 1.95% | 51.8 |
| 11 | Newport | 48 | 26 | 34 | £3.38 | £40.00 | £8.50 | £23,470.00 | £453.00 | 1.93% | 34.8 |
| 12 | Plymouth | 50 | 21 | 13 | £4.00 | £60.00 | £7.50 | £21,662.00 | £419.00 | 1.93% | 35 |
| 23 | Bolton | 45 | 41 | 45 | £2.50 | £50.00 | £6.25 | £22,148.00 | £427.00 | 1.93% | 39.64 |
| 46 | Middlesbrough | 61 | 57 | 62 | £3.00 | £40.00 | £9.00 | £21,080.00 | £407.00 | 1.93% | 49.4 |
| 6 | Wigan | 59 | 11 | 9 | £3.15 | £45.00 | £8.25 | £22,888.00 | £440.00 | 1.92% | 30.37 |
| 10 | Gloucester | 54 | 25 | 28 | £3.10 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £24,492.00 | £454.00 | 1.85% | 34.74 |
| 19 | Doncaster | 68 | 4 | 65 | £3.25 | £45.00 | £8.00 | £22,639.00 | £418.00 | 1.85% | 38.94 |
| 41 | Sunderland | 64 | 60 | 60 | £3.25 | £45.00 | £8.00 | £21,665.00 | £401.00 | 1.85% | 47.27 |
| 43 | Wolverhampton | 66 | 65 | 59 | £3.08 | £40.00 | £9.25 | £22,212.00 | £401.00 | 1.80% | 48.07 |
| 16 | Dundee | 29 | 34 | 68 | £3.50 | £47.50 | £9.25 | £23,413.00 | £417.00 | 1.78% | 36.94 |
| 29 | Stoke-on-Trent | 60 | 31 | 36 | £3.00 | £60.00 | £7.50 | £22,143.00 | £389.00 | 1.76% | 41.57 |
| 1 | Aberdeen | 10 | 28 | 47 | £3.40 | £47.50 | £9.00 | £25,920.00 | £450.00 | 1.74% | 25.87 |
| 2 | Warrington | 27 | 38 | 18 | £3.40 | £50.00 | £10.00 | £25,177.00 | £438.00 | 1.74% | 27.83 |
| 3 | Derby | 47 | 42 | 21 | £3.50 | £47.50 | £9.00 | £25,808.00 | £418.00 | 1.62% | 28.33 |
Methodology
To begin with, we looked at UK towns and cities with a population of over 1,000. We then determined a normalised score from 1 to 69 for each factor. Finally, we combined these scores to reach the overall score out of 69 for each city. All factors were given the following weighting:
- Population Attributes (Happy, Sexy & Smart People – (50%)
- Date Costs (Cinema, Meal, Drink) – (30%)
- Living Costs (Salary & Rent) – (20%)
Happy Score
Estimates of personal well-being, taken from the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Population Survey (APS) (Oct 2019). Rating is from most (1) to least happy (69).
Sexy Score
Rankings of the sexiest places in the country according to the level of sexual activity. Research by sex toy seller Lovehoney’s sex map (July 2020). Rankings based on sales of sex toys from March to May 2019. Rating is from most (1) to least sexy (69).
Smart Score
The percentage of individuals in a population with a degree or equivalent. The number of individuals with a degree level qualification taken from the Office for National Statistics Highest Level of Qualification Achieved by People Living in UK Regions (Sept 2019). The total individuals in a population taken from Estimates of the Population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (June 2020, also from ONS). Rating is from most (1) to least educated (69).
Cost of One Cinema Ticket, Meal for Two & Pint of Beer
All costs are taken from crowd-sourced data from Numbero (Aug 2020).
Average Salary
The median annual salary for a full-time worker, taken from the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Oct 2019).
Average Rent & Rent as a Percentage of Salary
The average rent for a one-bed property according to Zoopla (Aug 2020). The rent as a percentage of salary took this value and divided by it by annual salary figures.
Overall Score
The overall score was determined by combining the scores on population attributes, affordability of a date and cost of living. These values were combined after weightings were applied to each group.