Top 10 UK cities with the highest average salaries - is your area on the list?

New research carried out by business energy company Utility Bidder has revealed the UK cities where workers earn the highest and lowest salaries. This comes as the unemployment rate in the UK was 3.7 per cent as of November 2022, the lowest unemployment rate since the 70s.

In 2022, the average UK salary was £33,000, but as the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze the finances of millions of Brits across the country, hard-earned cash isn’t stretching as far as what it once did.

The list of cities with the highest UK salaries on average is dominated by the south, with the likes of Guildford, London, Reading, Oxford and more all included. However, Leeds and Edinburgh make the top 10.

The research also looked at the best city to work in. This was done by taking into consideration the cost of living index, annual pay and average working hours per week. Edinburgh has been crowned the best city to work in with a salary score of 7.86 out of 10.

However, it’s bad news for those living in Nottingham. The city has been named the UK city with the lowest annual salary, averaging £22,24, and based on the same factors as above it has been named the worst city to work in after being awarded a salary score of 2.62 out of 10.

Top 10 UK cities with the highest average salaries

1. Guildford - £38,040
2. London - £33,970
3. Reading - £30,925
4. Oxford - £30,575
5. City of Edinburgh - £30,172
6. City of Bristol - £29,923
7. Southampton - £29,496
8. Leeds - £28,639
9. Coventry - £27,766
10. Cardiff / Caerdydd - £27,649