Scotland’s ‘happiest place to live’ revealed as Glasgow and Edinburgh miss out

Stirling has been named the “happiest place to live in Scotland”, according to Rightmove.

The study, now in its 13th year, was completed by more than 35,000 people across Britain, with residents being asked how they feel about their area.

Residents expressed opinions on topics such as how proud they feeI about where they live, their sense of belonging, community spirit, whether they can be themselves, whether they can earn enough to live comfortably in their area, public transport, sports and recreation, green spaces and artistic and cultural activities.

In Scotland, Stirling took the top spot and was ranked 12th overall in the UK – with an average house price of £214,441 and an average monthly rent price of £1,227.

Dumfries was ranked second in Scotland and 35th overall in Britain followed by Perth in 3rd and 39th respectively.

The fourth happiest place to live in Scotland was Galashiels and the fifth was Dundee, both ranked within the top 50 in a UK-wide sense.

Edinburgh just made the top 50 while Glasgow was placed in 53rd followed by Aberdeen in 62nd.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, said: “It’s the younger generation who are most likely to say they would be happier living somewhere else, many of whom have to travel to cities for education or to find their first jobs.”

The research also indicated that the type of environment that made residents most happy was a rural location by woodland or a forest, or being near a National Park or National Landscape.

On Tuesday, consultancy business Mercer named Zurich as being the top of an international 2024 quality of living city ranking.

Zurich was followed by Vienna and Geneva in second and third place, respectively. Copenhagen took the fourth spot, with Auckland placed fifth.

The index evaluates living conditions in more than 450 cities worldwide to help businesses calculate allowances for people working internationally.

Here are the happiest places to live in 2024, according to Rightmove, followed by the average asking price for a home and the average asking rent per month:

1. Woodbridge, East of England, £441,569, £1,478
2. Richmond upon Thames, London, £939,329, £3,131
3. Hexham, North East, £313,147, £840
4. Monmouth, Wales, £320,974, £1,335
5. Harrogate, Yorkshire and the Humber, £394,312, £1,439
6. Skipton, Yorkshire and the Humber, £263,479, £1,030
7. Sevenoaks, South East, £881,061, £2,924
8. Leigh on Sea, East of England, £465,542, £1,796
9. Cirencester, South West, £384,013, £1,495
10. Wokingham, South East, £590,949, £2,120
11. Winchester, South East, £578,760, £2,069
12. Stirling, Scotland, £214,441, £1,227
13. Stratford-upon- Avon, West Midlands, £413,115, £1,604
14. Horsham, South East, £458,641, £1,983
15. Kendal, North West, £285,645, £966
16. Kensington and Chelsea, London, £1,667,573, £5,345
17. Chorley, North West, £197,199, £883
18. Hove, South East, £555,193, £1,993
19. Wandsworth, London, £865,205, £3,159
20. Hitchin, East of England, £510,612, £1,730