BRITAIN’S most miserable places to live have been named in a new shortlist – but does your hometown make the cut?
A yearly happiness study by property website Rightmove has revealed that Slough in Berkshire, is the most miserable place to live in the country.
Slough, situated between London and Reading, has landed at the bottom of Rightmove’s 2024 happiness index – a list of 220 locations across the UK.
The study, now in its 13th year, asked over 35,000 people about their sense of pride in where they live, their sense of belonging, and whether they felt they could truly “be themselves”.
Despite its poor showing in the survey, Slough isn’t a bargain for homebuyers or renters.
The average asking price for a property in the town is £411,820, according to Rightmove.
But it was recently dubbed one of the nation’s hotspots for first-time buyers, according to an analysis from Halifax.
Renters face an average monthly rent of £1,824 – both above the national averages of £366,592 and £1,348 respectively.
However, there are many positives for Slough and it is well-served in terms of transport links.
The Slough Borough Council highlights the town’s prime location just 10 minutes from the M25 – Europe’s busiest road – and its proximity to Heathrow Airport, plus a 20-minute train ride to Paddington Station in central London.
Slough has also benefitted from hundreds of millions of investment over the years with Queensmere centre and the Lexicon shopping centre being some examples of the area’s significant improvements.
Slough also boasts Europe’s largest trading estate.
Bradford in West Yorkshire was the second most miserable place to live in the UK, according to the Rightmove index.
But there’s a silver lining for residents. The city has been chosen as the UK’s City of Culture for 2025, promising over 1,000 new events and performances.
Property in Bradford is much cheaper than in many other parts of the UK, with the average asking price at £181,791 and rent averaging just £940 a month.
Next on the list is Barking and Dagenham, in east London, where average asking prices are £375,970 – slightly above the UK average.
The east London borough is one of the more affordable parts of the capital, with average asking prices only a little above the UK average.
Despite its relative affordability, residents clearly feel the area doesn’t offer enough in terms of lifestyle.
Further misery hotspots include four other Greater London boroughs: Croydon, Brent, Newham, and Bexley.
The West Midlands also features heavily on the list, with Dudley, Walsall, and Birmingham all making the top 10.
Dudley comes in fourth, with an average asking price of £223,664 while Croydon ranks fifth, with an average property price of £488,766.
Walsall follows in sixth place, with an average asking price of £235,238.
In Brent, the average asking price is £610,182, with average rents reaching a hefty £2,393 a month – a tough pill to swallow for residents who feel they aren’t getting value for money.
Newham ranks eighth, with properties there priced at an average of £477,755.
Bexley takes the ninth spot, with an average asking price of £489,118.
Finally, Birmingham rounds off the top 10 with an average asking price of £255,410.
Despite being the largest city in the region, Birmingham does offer affordable property, with an average asking price of £255,410.
On a more positive note, we also recently covered the happiest places to live in Britain.
A study by property website Rightmove has revealed that Woodbridge in Suffolk topped its annual list of the happiest places to live in Britain for the first time.
Residents of Woodbridge scored it particularly highly for feeling that they can be themselves in the area, the community spirit and friendliness of the people, and access to essential services such as doctors or schools.
These were the things that respondents were asked about in the survey:
1) I feel proud about the area I live in
2) I feel a sense of belonging
3) I can be myself
4) I earn enough to live comfortably in my area
5) Public transport connections i.e. bus, train, tram
6) Sports and recreational activities
7) There’s a real sense of community spirit
8) Essential local services e.g. doctors, schools
9) Generally the people are friendly and polite
10) Nature and green spaces
11) Employment opportunities and desirable jobs
12) I have the option to work from home
13) Non-essential amenities e.g. restaurants, shops
14) Artistic and cultural activities
15) I live near to family and/or close friends
Mayor of Woodbridge, Councillor Robin Sanders, said: “The happy mood of residents is a reflection of the vibrant town centre.”
The London borough of Richmond upon Thames was placed second, having been top last year, while Hexham in Northumberland, a previous winner, was ranked third.
Monmouth was crowned the happiest place to live in Wales, while Stirling came top in Scotland.
The happiest places to live, as shown by Rightmove’s 2024 data, aren’t solely determined by high property values.
While affluent areas like Richmond upon Thames and Sevenoaks feature in the top 10.
