Revealed: These are the 10 best cities for graduates in the UK

From average salaries, job opportunities and transport to the cost of life’s little luxuries, many factors contribute towards the top graduate cities in the UK.

To help those who are currently looking for roles following their recent graduation, comparethemarket.com has created the ultimate graduate index, analysing important factors such as job adverts, salaries, monthly rent prices, basic utilities, and the cost of a beer, as well as providing a helpful moving checklist to determine the cities that have the most opportunities and lowest costs for young professionals.

Following the research, comparethemarket.com reveals the top ten cities for ultimate graduate satisfaction, as follows:

Bradford takes the top spot, with the average rent price for a one-bedroom city centre apartment costing £460.62 per month, and an additional £121.43 for basic utilities. Along with this, the opportunity to meet other young people is one of the best in the top ten, with 86,502 people aged 18-30 currently living in the city.

For those focusing more on salary and job prospects, the Midlands is a prime location with average monthly wages totalling £1,663.31 in Birmingham, £1,793.43 in Leicester and £2,240.00 in Coventry and live employment adverts sitting at 368 in Leicester, 588 in Coventry and 942 in Birmingham. However, if life’s little luxuries are more important to you, a meal out (£10.00) in Bradford, Preston, and Coventry. Whilst the cheapest cost of a beer (£3.00) can be found in Bradford, Carlisle, and Stoke-On-Trent.

Turning to the bottom of the index, Westminster (32.0%), Bath (35.3%) and Brighton (37.5%) make up some of the most expensive cities for graduates, with the cost of rent, utilities, transport, and gym memberships amongst the reasons for the low rankings.

Despite having a high monthly salary (£2,547.22) and job opportunities (6,566), the rent of a one-bedroom apartment (£1,968.57) in Westminster is the highest out of all cities in the UK. It doesn’t stop there, as despite being renowned for their universities, both Cambridge and Oxford rank in the bottom ten of the index.

Commenting on the index, Chris King, head of home insurance at comparethemarket.com, says:

“No matter where you choose to set up home after graduation, there are a lot of important factors to consider. If you find yourself in a position to purchase after university, it is important to get both your home and your contents insured, and if you’re renting, it is sensible to consider contents insurance too.”