Richmond upon Thames crowned 2026’s happiest place to live

• Richmond upon Thames has been crowned the happiest place to live in Great Britain, reclaiming the top spot after winning in 2023 and finishing second last year 

• In second place is Harrogate in Yorkshire and the Humber, and in third place is Cirencester, Gloucestershire in the South West 

• Kirkcaldy is the happiest place in Scotland, and Monmouth tops the list in Wales  

• Eight of the ten happiest places are also among the best for access to nature and green spaces 

• Four in five (81%) people across Great Britain rate themselves as happy with where they live, compared with 9% who say they are unhappy 

• On average, residents in the South West are the happiest, and those in Greater London are the least happy overall, despite Richmond taking the top spot 

• Happiness with where we live increases with age: More than a third (35%) of over-75s give Dwhere they live a perfect 10 for happiness, compared with just 16% of 18–24-year-olds 

Richmond upon Thames has been named the happiest place to live in Great Britain in Rightmove’s 15th annual Happy at Home Index.  

More than 24,000 residents across 221 locations told Rightmove how happy they feel about where they live, rating everything from access to nature and green spaces to local services, amenities and employment opportunities. 

Richmond upon Thames returns to number one after previously winning in 2023 and finishing second last year. Residents of the south-west London borough gave their area the highest average happiness score of all the locations included in this year’s study. 

Richmond also ranked particularly highly across several aspects of local life. It came first in Great Britain for access to nature and green spaces, essential local services, shops and restaurants, employment opportunities and desirable jobs, as well as residents’ pride in their area. 

Harrogate in Yorkshire and the Humber takes second place, while Cirencester, Gloucestershire in the South West is third.  

Monmouth is the highest-ranked place in Wales, while Kirkcaldy takes the top spot in Scotland. 

Last year’s winner Skipton, also remains among Britain’s ten happiest places to live, ranking seventh in this year’s study. 

What the happiest places have in common 

Nature and green space feature strongly among the happiest places, with eight of the top ten also ranking highly for access to them. 

Richmond ranks first for access to nature, while also topping the rankings for essential local services, shops and restaurants, and employment opportunities. 

Second-placed Harrogate also ranked highly for access to nature and green spaces, as well as residents’ agreement with the statement: “I can be myself.”  

People are looking for a balance of greenery and convenience. While 52% would ideally live somewhere rural, 66% want shops and amenities nearby, 62% want green spaces and 61% want good public transport. 

Across Great Britain, four in five people (81%) are happy with where they live, compared with just 9% who are unhappy.  

On average, the South West has the highest happiness rating, while Greater London has the lowest, although differences between the regions are small. 

More than a third (35%) of people aged 75 and over give where they live a perfect 10 for happiness, compared with 16% of 18–24-year-olds. 

The pattern continues across the age groups, with average happiness rising from 7.3 out of 10 among 18–24-year-olds to 8.2 among those aged 75 and over. 

Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert said: “Richmond stands out for offering a combination many people value: easy access to nature and green spaces, without having to give up local services, places to eat and shop, or employment opportunities. 

“That balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important. This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.” 

The Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Councillor Nancy Baldwin, said: “It is wonderful to see Richmond upon Thames recognised as the happiest place to live in Great Britain. This recognition is especially meaningful because residents highlighted their pride in the local area, our beautiful parks and green spaces, and the local services they rely on every day. 

“Above all, it is our people and communities that make Richmond special. I am proud to serve as Mayor and to celebrate everything that makes our borough such a happy place to call home.” 

Amy Reynolds, Head of Sales, Antony Roberts said: ““We see it every week. Families are drawn to Richmond for its excellent schools and green spaces, and they stay for the strong sense of community. With Richmond Park and the Thames on the doorstep, a thriving town centre and plenty of places to eat, shop and spend time, it offers a quality of life that’s hard to match in London. Add in the easy journey into central London, and it’s easy to see why people are so happy to call Richmond home.” 

Graham Price, Director at Randall Price said: “What makes Richmond upon Thames such a happy place to live is the balance it offers. There’s a real sense of community, plenty going on locally, and people can enjoy the best of both worlds: a great place to call home while still feeling well connected. It’s the kind of area people put down roots in, and once they’re here, many don’t want to leave.” 

Great Britain’s Happiest Places 2026 

Rank	Place	Region	Average asking price (Oct 2026)	Average asking rent (per calendar month)
1	Richmond upon Thames	Greater London	£1,021,256	£3,298
2	Harrogate	Yorkshire and The Humber	£395,776	£1,750
3	Cirencester	South West	£407,368	£1,633
4	Monmouth	Wales	£366,782	£1,395
5	Hove	South East	£476,115	£2,086
6	Chorley	North West	£234,387	£1,011
7	Skipton	Yorkshire and The Humber	£304,033	£1,110
8	Llandrindod Wells	Wales	£234,417	£531
9	Horsham	South East	£470,577	£1,933
10	Hexham	North East	£317,332	£1,329

 

Regional rankings 

East Midlands 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Loughborough	1	45
Chesterfield	2	113
Lincoln	3	149
Derby	4	151
Nottingham	5	163
Northampton	6	165
Mansfield	7	177
Leicester	8	182
Kettering	9	197

 

East of England 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Woodbridge	1	15
St. Albans	2	16
Norwich	3	49
Ely	4	54
Hemel Hempstead	5	61
Bury St Edmunds	6	71
Bedford	7	81
Hitchin	8	88
Cambridge	9	90
Huntingdon	10	91
Chelmsford	11	102
Leigh on Sea	12	114
Colchester	13	144
Ipswich	14	146
Bishop’s Stortford	15	157
Hertford	16	160
Watford	17	170
Stevenage	18	171
Basildon	19	200
Peterborough	20	202
Southend on Sea	21	203
Luton	22	208
Clacton on Sea	23	216

 

Greater London 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Richmond upon Thames	1	1
Kensington and Chelsea	2	12
Kingston upon Thames	3	13
Westminster	4	41
Wandsworth	5	53
Camden	6	60
Islington	7	66
Southwark	8	67
Hammersmith and Fulham	9	70
Merton	10	82
City of London	11	118
Bromley	12	128
Lambeth	13	142
Haringey	14	153
Greenwich	15	154
Waltham Forest	16	175
Barnet	17	179
Enfield	18	180
Hackney	19	181
Bexley	20	183
Redbridge	21	185
Hillingdon	22	191
Sutton	23	192
Ealing	24	195
Tower Hamlets	25	196
Newham	26	204
Hounslow	27	207
Brent	28	212
Croydon	29	213
Harrow	30	215
Havering	31	217
Lewisham	32	219
Barking and Dagenham	33	221

 

North East 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Hexham	1	10
Cleveland	2	65
Darlington	3	69
Newcastle upon Tyne	4	75
Durham	5	132
Gateshead	6	137
Sunderland	7	148
Middlesbrough	8	201

 

North West 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Chorley	1	6
Stockport	2	19
Altrincham	3	20
Chester	4	24
Macclesfield	5	28
Southport	6	31
Kendal	7	35
Wirral	8	38
Northwich	9	55
Carlisle	10	78
Crewe	11	97
Warrington	12	106
Blackburn	13	109
Lancaster	14	115
Burnley	15	125
Preston	16	139
Liverpool	17	140
Blackpool	18	145
Bury	19	158
Manchester	20	166
Salford	21	167
Bolton	22	188
Wigan	23	190
Oldham	24	198
Rochdale	25	205

 

Scotland 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Kirkcaldy	1	18
Perth	2	39
Inverness	3	40
Dundee	4	43
Galashiels	5	47
Stirling	6	52
Aberdeen	7	72
Edinburgh	8	77
Motherwell	9	94
Falkirk	10	103
Ayr	11	116
Glasgow	12	117
Kilmarnock	13	135
Paisley	14	156
Dumfries	15	161

 

South East 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Hove	1	5
Horsham	2	9
Windsor	3	11
Guildford	4	21
Hastings	5	23
Isle of Wight	6	26
Winchester	7	29
Wokingham	8	33
Farnham	9	46
Epsom	10	48
Chichester	11	64
Brighton	12	74
Folkestone	13	79
High Wycombe	14	80
Basingstoke	15	93
Aylesbury	16	101
Sevenoaks	17	105
Tonbridge	18	108
Portsmouth	19	110
Tunbridge Wells	20	112
Canterbury	21	121
Fareham	22	122
Worthing	23	123
Woking	24	127
Southampton	25	129
Oxford	26	130
Milton Keynes	27	131
Eastbourne	28	133
Fleet	29	136
Redhill	30	138
Bracknell	31	150
Banbury	32	155
Ashford, Kent	33	159
Newbury	34	168
Reading	35	169
Ashford, Surrey	36	178
Crawley	37	187
Dartford	38	189
Maidenhead	39	194
Maidstone	40	206
Rochester	41	214
Slough	42	218

 

South West 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Cirencester	1	3
St Ives	2	17
Weymouth	3	22
Torquay	4	27
Cheltenham	5	30
Dorchester	6	44
Falmouth	7	51
Poole	8	58
Yeovil	9	62
Exeter	10	73
Bath	11	83
Gloucester	12	87
Barnstaple	13	89
Plymouth	14	98
Bristol	15	99
Truro	16	100
Bournemouth	17	104
Taunton	18	119
Swindon	19	126
Weston Super Mare	20	134
Salisbury	21	164

 

Wales 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Monmouth	1	4
Llandrindod Wells	2	8
Anglesey	3	50
New Quay	4	56
Swansea	5	59
Llandudno	6	84
Wrexham	7	86
Cardiff	8	95
Caerphilly	9	162
Newport	10	172
Bridgend	11	173

 

West Midlands 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Lichfield	1	14
Leamington Spa	2	25
Shrewsbury	3	34
Tamworth	4	36
Sutton Coldfield	5	37
Stourbridge	6	42
Stratford on Avon	7	57
Worcester	8	63
Telford	9	92
Stafford	10	107
Hereford	11	111
Solihull	12	143
Burton on Trent	13	147
Stoke on Trent	14	152
Coventry	15	184
Dudley	16	193
Wolverhampton	17	209
Birmingham	18	210
Walsall	19	220

 

Yorkshire and The Humber 

Place	Regional rank	National rank
Harrogate	1	2
Skipton	2	7
York	3	32
Hull	4	68
Halifax	5	76
Sheffield	6	85
Huddersfield	7	96
Whitby	8	120
Leeds	9	124
Barnsley	10	141
Wakefield	11	174
Grimsby	12	176
Doncaster	13	186
Bradford	14	199
Rotherham	15	211

 

ENDS