It may seem like the \u2018value\u2019 of a city is an immeasurable, vibes-based thing. According to a group of leading economists, however, it\u2019s quantifiable by \u2018a robust array of datasets\u2019.<\/p>\n
Each year, Oxford Economics (OE) \u2013 an advisory firm not to be confused with Oxford University’s school of economics \u2013 creates a \u2018Global Cities Index\u2019. The index ranks more than 1000 cities across the world on a variety of criteria to determine which is the most \u2018attractive\u2019 to businessmen and working professionals. It\u2019s worth noting that this is a scale created by and for economists and businesspeople, so stuff like \u2018abundance of cute indie caf\u00e9s\u2019 isn\u2019t really the sort of thing that they look for.<\/p>\n
Instead, the categories that OE measure include: governance, economics, human capital (how skilled the workforce is), quality of life, and environment. Each city is measured up against these five pillars, given a total number out of 100, and ranked in order. We\u2019ve already reported on the world\u2019s best cities<\/a>\u00a0as determined by OE, but where in the UK made its way to the top?<\/p>\n The UK makes an appearance almost immediately, with London<\/a><\/strong> coming in second place with a score of 98.5, narrowly missing out on New York<\/a>\u2019s 100. It excelled in \u2018human capital\u2019, where it is the world leader, but fell to 144th for quality of life, largely because of high housing costs.<\/p>\n OE described the Big Smoke as \u2018a perpetually relevant locale for business, science and technology, education, and the arts\u2019, adding \u2018London has weathered the UK\u2019s past stumbles related to Brexit and the turmoil of the Prime Minister\u2019s office quite well\u2026 The city is set to remain a top Global City for years to come, potentially fighting New York for the top spot\u2019.<\/p>\n Then, the UK doesn\u2019t see another entry until Edinburgh<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in 57th. It came fifth in the world for environmental friendliness, and was dubbed one of the world\u2019s \u2018cultural capitals\u2019 due to its \u2018amenities and educational opportunities\u2019.<\/p>\n Bristol<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was next, landing in 68th with high scores in the environmental and governance categories. Surprisingly, Edinburgh still beat Bristol, known for its commitment to all things green and leafy, in the environment category.<\/p>\n Following Bristol was Leeds<\/a><\/strong> at 83. Leeds environmental score was also very high (are you seeing a pattern?), but it was let down slightly by a lower quality of life, perhaps owing to its lack of useful public transport. Cambridge<\/a><\/strong>, Glasgow<\/a><\/strong>, and Manchester<\/a><\/strong> were our final entries into the top 100 at 86th, 90th, and 93rd place respectively.<\/p>\n The lowest ranking British city that was measured was Middlesbrough, which came 243rd out of 1000, with especially low scores in economic output and human capital. Regardless, all of our cities were within the top 25 percent of the world, which is not too shabby at all.<\/p>\n Where every UK city ranks in the Oxford Economics 2025 Global Cities Index<\/p>\n Oxford Economics ranked 26 total cities in Britain, and, as noted, all of them appear before the 250 mark. Here is where every UK city ranked by the OE ended up in its charts.<\/p>\n You can read more about the top cities in this year\u2019s index here<\/a> have a look at the full report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n To move, or not to move<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of cities in the UK, each with its own pros and cons. If you\u2019re currently planning where to go to plant your roots, maybe avoid the most boring towns in the UK<\/a>, as named by the Telegraph, and also Britain\u2019s most miserable place to live<\/a>. Instead, try out one of our happiest places to live<\/a>, or if you\u2019ve got some cash to splash, head to one of the most expensive postcodes in the country<\/a>.<\/p>\n Did you see that this is the UK city break destination that is the most expensive in western Europe<\/a>.<\/p>\n