Buckinghamshire top county in Quality of Life Survey

Residents of Buckinghamshire are not just the healthiest but they also have the highest life expectancy rates (80 years for newborns), according to the Halifax Quality of Life Survey for Counties.

People living in Buckinghamshire are also typically well remunerated with an average annual salary of £40,000 (equivalent to the top 5% for all counties in this survey). The majority of householders are owner-occupiers (77%), while houses are larger than average (6.1 rooms). GCSE results are also above average and the area sees slightly more sunshine per week (28.7 hours) than the average for other counties (27.7) in the survey.

Counties in the South of England have the best quality of life

Apart from Vale of Glamorgan, the top ten counties are all in the South East, Greater London and East of England. In fact, 22 of the top 30 counties offering the highest quality of life score are in southern England. Ten are in the South East, seven in Greater London, and the East Anglia and South West provide five counties.

Vale of Glamorgan has the best quality of life outside the South of England

The Welsh county is ranked 8th in the survey. In Vale of Glamorgan, houses are relatively large. The county also boasts above average owner occupancy rates, high life expectancy is high and good GCSE results. East Dunbartonshire is the highest ranked in Scotland, at 15th.

House prices trade at a premium to the average house price in their region in 15 of 30 counties with the best quality of life

House prices trade at a discount to their region in the remaining 15 counties. In Buckinghamshire, the average house price is £313,644, a premium of £21,501 (7.4%) to the average house price in the South East. Those 15 trading at a discount offer good value housing i.e. a combination of below regional average house prices and high quality of life scores. Examples include the London boroughs of Bexley (£233,846) and Havering (£257,048) where average prices are £134,382 and £111,180 below the Greater London average respectively.

Martin Ellis, Chief Economist at Halifax, commented: “People living in Buckinghamshire have the highest quality of life amongst all the counties in Great Britain. Average house prices in the county, however, trade at a premium of £21,500 to the South East region; so there is a price for reaping the benefits of living in Buckinghamshire.

Half the top 30 counties have average house prices that are below the regional average. These counties provide the potential for good value with a combination of relatively low prices and high quality of life."