Bradford named as UK’s most affordable university city by Comparethemarket.com
Bradford has topped a national league table that ranks cities according to the cost of living for students and graduates for the second year in a row.
The study by Comparethemarket puts Bradford #1 in the UK, thanks to things like the price of a cappuccino, a pint of beer, monthly transport costs, rental costs, the number of young people, and number of graduate job opportunities.
The University has also been ranked #1 in England two year's running on the Social Mobility Index.
The survey notes: “Bradford takes the top spot, with the average monthly rent price for a one-bedroom apartment just outside of the city centre costing £384.38, and an additional £121.43 for basic utilities. For those who enjoy socialising, a pint of beer will only set them back by £3, a meal £10, and currently, there are over 1,400 graduate entry level roles available in the city. A cappuccino also sits at £2.51 on average, and a monthly gym membership at £25.14.”
Bradford crowned as the best city for graduates to reside
Following the research, comparethemarket.com reveals the top 10 cities for ultimate graduate satisfaction, as follows:
|
Rank |
City |
Graduate Satisfaction Score |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Bradford |
64.1% |
|
2 |
Preston |
61.1% |
|
3 |
Kingston-Upon-Hull |
59.8% |
|
4 |
Dundee |
57.5% |
|
5 |
Carlisle |
55.5% |
|
6 |
Nottingham |
55.2% |
|
7 |
Peterborough |
54.9% |
|
8 |
Sheffield |
54.8% |
|
9 |
Birmingham |
54.7% |
|
10 |
Belfast |
54.1% |
Methodology:
To determine the top cities for university graduates, the following nine different factors were analysed:
- Beer cost - the price for a pint of domestic beer via Numbeo
- Cappuccino cost - the price for a cappuccino via Numbeo
- Inexpensive meal cost - the price of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant via Numbeo
- Monthly transport cost - the price for a monthly pass on public transport via Numbeo
- Basic utilities cost - the total price for electricity, heating, and water, per month via Numbeo
- Gym membership cost - the total price for membership at a gym, for one month via Numbeo
- Rent cost - the monthly cost of rent, for a one-bedroom apartment outside of the city centre via Numbeo
- 21-30 population - the number of 21-30-year-olds living in the area, according to the latest ONS estimates
- Number of graduate jobs - the total number of jobs advertised on Indeed and Total Jobs with "graduate" as a keyword via Indeed and Total Jobs
To determine the best cities, nine ranking factors were weighted between 0.00 – 2.00 against 49 cities in the UK, with the higher score assigned to factors with greater importance. Rent cost and graduate job opportunities were deemed the most important, followed by monthly transport and basic utilities cost (including electricity, heating and water), the population of 21-30-year-olds, gym fees, an inexpensive meal, and then the cost of a beer and cappuccino. The total score was then converted into a percentage of overall graduate satisfaction, with the higher the percentage being the best city.
To see the full research and helpful moving tips, select this link.