An area of Lancashire has been revealed as one of the best places for graduates to live.

From job opportunities to the cost of rent, transport, and dining out, comparethemarket.com conducted research to find out which are the best cities for graduates to live in.

Taking the top spot is Bradford, with a high number of job opportunities and low monthly rent.

But coming in a close second is Preston, with a 61.1 per cent graduate satisfaction rating, low monthly gym membership costs, and low monthly rent costs. 

To help students who are finishing university this summer, comparethemarket.com has analysed the nine important factors when deciding where to live after graduating, including: the number of graduate entry level jobs, monthly rent payments, transport, utility costs, gym prices, and the average price of dining out.

Following the research, comparethemarket.com has revealed the top 10 cities for ultimate graduate satisfaction, as follows, from left to right: rank; city; graduate satisfaction score:

  1. Bradford; 64.1%
  2. Preston; 61.1%
  3. Kingston-Upon-Hull; 59.8%
  4. Dundee; 59.5%
  5. Carlisle; 57.5%
  6. Nottingham; 55.2%
  7. Peterborough; 54.9%
  8. Sheffield; 54.8%
  9. Birmingham; 54.7%
  10. Belfast; 54.1%

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.

For those looking for lower rent costs, aside from Bradford, Kingston-Upon-Hull is a great option, with the average monthly rent sitting at £404.29, followed by Preston, at £416.67.

And for those who love the gym Preston is home to gyms that have the lowest monthly membership costs, at £18.33 on average.

To determine the best and most expensive cities for graduates, nine ranking factors were weighted between 0 – 2 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.

For more information on the research and a checklist on moving home, please visit: comparethemarket.com/home-insurance/content/best-and-worst-graduate-areas/