The best places to retire to in the UK

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1. North Yorkshire

Average life satisfaction score: 7.67

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £273k

North Yorkshire is home to some of the most popular beauty spots in England. The sweeping Yorkshire Dales as well as the more rugged North Moors make North Yorkshire a hiker’s paradise. For those who want to retire to seaside town, you can get that in North Yorkshire or for culture, the beautiful historic town of York offers that and more. 

2. Cornwall

Average life satisfaction score: 7.8

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £365k

Cornwall offers retirees a chance to live a quiet and paced life. Famed for its stunning beaches and landscapes, there’s a town in Cornwall for any retiree, whether you want to live near a tourist hotspot or further afield. You might enjoy north Cornwall for its striking scenery mixing rugged cliffs and heritage coast or South Cornwall, commonly referred to as the Cornish Riveria. 

3. Somerset

Average life satisfaction score: 7.65

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £367k

Somerset is truly one of the most beautiful parts of England. Mixing seaside towns with places of historic and cultural significance, there’s always something to do and somewhere new to visit. It’s also famed for its food and drink, so if you want to retire to an agricultural area, then Somerset could be a great choice!

4. Dorset

Average life satisfaction score: 7.625

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £399k

Dorset is home of the Jurassic coast and has a truly magical landscape as described by Enid Blyton in many of the Famous Five books. Dorset is also home to Sandbanks, one of the most expensive places to live in the country, so it’s best to carefully choose where you want to live to avoid extortionate house prices!

5. Shropshire

Average life satisfaction score: 7.7

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £271k

With a quarter of Shropshire making up the Shropshire Hills AONB (Area of Natural Beauty), the historic area is a beautiful place to live. It’s considered to be one of the Birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution and the area around Coalbrookdale, which includes Ironbridge, is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

6. Northumberland

Average life satisfaction score: 7.6

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £219k

Northumberland is the least densely populated county in England and as a county, it is largely rural. Northumberland is a county with vast historic importance, from Hadrian’s Wall, to hillforts and more castles than any other county in England! For those who want to retire to an area with plenty to explore on foot, and don’t mind the rural life, then Northumberland is the ideal choice. 

7. Tendring

Average life satisfaction score: 7.4

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £317k (data taken from Colchester and surrounding areas)

Tendring is in North East Essex, with Clacton on Sea being the primary town of the area. Nearby Colchester offers retirees the chance to live a city life, or the more rural towns of Alresford and seaside towns like Walton-on-the-Naze. It’s a truly varied county with a wide variety of landscapes and living options to choose from. 

8. East Riding of Yorkshire

Average life satisfaction score: 7.7

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £194k

Following on from our number one entry of North Yorkshire comes its more southerly cousin, the East Riding area. The Yorkshire Wolds, the famed chalk hills, sit to the east of the county, and meet the sea at Flamborough Head. Compared to other counties of England, East Riding is a much gentler landscape, good for retirees who want to go walking without the need to summit steep hills each time. 

9. Wiltshire

Average life satisfaction score: 7.7

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £336k

In Wiltshire, you have potentially one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the UK, Stonehenge. Wiltshire as a county is a quiet area, with the North and South Avon rivers swirling through the county providing a beautifully rural life for retirees. It still has a large army presence, so some areas may be more marked by army life than others. 

10. East Sussex

Average life satisfaction score: 7.64

Average house price between Feb 23 – Jan 24: £424k

Containing Brighton and Hove and the Seven Sisters, it’s no surprise that East Sussex is a popular place to retire. The county offers cultural areas to enjoy as well as striking landscapes. For those into the arts and culture, East Sussex is a great place to retire to, or if you simply want to live in a well-connected county, then why not choose East Sussex?

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Methodology:

Data is taken from net internal migration for persons aged 60-90+ for local authorities in England and Wales by sex and five-year age groups for the year ending June 2021 (ONS). The top 10 areas with the highest net internal migration are presented, which may indicate popular places to retire.

Where life satisfaction scores are not directly available from the data, the mean score for the broader region is used. For instance, the life satisfaction score for East Sussex is the mean of the scores for the five local authorities that comprise the East Sussex region.