While it might not seem obvious, where you live can have a big impact on how easy it is to lead a healthy lifestyle. Having access to a wide range of exercise options close to home can make it easier to find the motivation to work out, while cost and affordability can also be big factors in our decision making-process.
So, which are the best cities for leading a healthy lifestyle? We crunched the numbers to find out, ranking 30 of the UK’s biggest cities across four different availability and affordability criteria.
For availability we looked at the number of gyms, leisure centres and exercise classes per 100,000 people, as well as the average number of public parks within a 1,000m radius. For our affordability score, we compared the cost of a gym membership, tennis court rental and a healthy grocery shop to the average wage in each city. We then used this data to give each city an overall score, creating our ranking of the UK’s best cities for healthy living.
Cardiff is the UK’s best city for healthy living
Claiming the title of the UK’s best city for healthy living is Cardiff, scoring an impressive 107 out of 120. The Welsh capital came out on top for exercise classes, with 14.7 per 100,000 people, and third overall for gym access, with 11 gyms and leisure centres per 100,000 people. For those who prefer exercising outdoors, Cardiff came eighth overall for green space access, with an average 3.5 public parks within a 1,000m radius. And if money is your main concern, Cardiff was the fifth-most affordable city for healthy living in our study.
Following closely behind Cardiff is London, which earned an overall score of 102, with residents enjoying excellent access to gyms, exercise classes and green spaces. Belfast and Portsmouth took the third and fourth spots, with scores of 96 and 92 respectively, and Manchester and Bristol shared fifth place, with both cities scoring 87.
Belfast, Cardiff and Newcastle rank top for availability
Focusing on availability alone, Belfast takes the top spot when looking at gyms and leisure centres, with 12.3 per 100,000 people. Leeds is a close second, with 11.3, followed by Cardiff with 11. Derby and Brighton round out the top five, with 10.9 and 10.2 gyms per 100,000 people respectively.
If you prefer working out with others, Cardiff is the place to be, with 14.7 exercise classes per 100,000 people. London isn’t far behind, with 14.5 classes per 100,000 people, followed by Newcastle (11.1), Portsmouth (10.7) and Manchester (10.5).
Finally, for those who enjoy exercising outside, Newcastle ranks highest, with an average of 5.7 parks within a 1,000m radius. Stoke-on-Trent came in second for green space, with an average of 5.6 parks per 1,000m, followed by London and Liverpool, which both have an average of 4.7. Finishing the top five is Bristol, which has an average of 4.4 parks within a 1,000m radius.
Southampton is the UK’s most affordable city for healthy living
Southampton claims the title of the UK’s most affordable city for healthy living. Residents enjoy the cheapest average gym membership of all the cities in our study, at just £19.33 per month, as well as access to cheap healthy groceries.
Coventry follows closely behind as the UK’s second-most affordable city for healthy living, with Bradford, Glasgow and Cardiff rounding out the top five.
Take Home Message
While where you live can have an impact on the availability and affordability of certain forms of exercise, there are also plenty of at-home workouts you can do that require no equipment and won’t cost you a penny!
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Methodology
We looked at 30 of the UK’s biggest cities, gathering data across the following criteria: number of gyms and leisure centres per 100,000 people, number of exercise classes per 100,000 people, average number of parks or public gardens within a 1,000m radius, and affordability. For our affordability score we compared the cost of a gym membership, tennis court rental and a healthy grocery shop to the average wage in each city.
Data sources included Statista, the Office for National Statistics, Numbeo, Huntdown Fitness, England Athletics, Welsh Athletics, Scottish Athletics and Athletics Northern Ireland.
