What are the UK’s best cities for expats? If you’re planning a move to the UK, either with your family or solo, there’s a lot of conflicting information.
We’ve taken a look at multiple reports of the best cities in the UK for quality of life, both for expats specifically and more generally, to help you find your perfect UK home.
What makes a city great for expats?
Many of the things that make a city great for expats are the same things anyone looks for in a new home city, including:
- Great infrastructure, including schools, healthcare and roads
- Easily accessible green spaces
- Local arts and culture
- A good range of independent businesses
- Affordable, high-quality housing
- Environmental factors like air quality
There are also some features that are particularly important to those arriving in the UK from overseas, such as:
- Employment opportunities in relevant industries
- Local communities of other expats
- Diverse leisure facilities so you can keep up with your hobbies from back home
- Good public transport – especially if you’re not bringing a car with you
The UK’s best cities for expats
With all that in mind, here are some of the UK’s best towns, cities and areas for expats.
Greater Manchester
Manchester and the surrounding area are rapidly becoming more popular with UK movers. Marple, a town in Greater Manchester, came top in Garrington Property Finder’s 2026 ranking of the best towns in the UK. Meanwhile, Manchester made it into the top 10 UK cities for expats in Expat Mortgages UK’s ranking.
Among the reasons for ranking it so highly were the strong community spirit and access to incredible facilities and opportunities, without the enormous cost of living that faces those moving to London. It also has the benefit of being a major city with incredible natural beauty on its doorstep, with the Peak District close by and both the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District within easy reach.
St Albans, Hertfordshire
The most Southern town in Garrington’s top 10, St Albans, offers small-town charm with the convenience you’d expect from a city. Residents can enjoy a wide range of local shops and businesses while being surrounded by countryside, but it’s also only a short train ride to central London and everything it offers.
St Albans also offers much of the history and culture that draws people to the UK, with Roman monuments, the UK’s oldest pubs and a 500-year-old street market that’s still going strong.
Birkenhead, Merseyside
The town with the steepest increase in migration in 2026, Birkenhead, is just across the Mersey River from Liverpool. Residents can enjoy easy access to the major city’s cultural history and arts scene (after all, it was the home of a little band called The Beatles) while also enjoying the comparative quiet of a smaller town.
House prices in Birkenhead are also significantly below the national average, making it a popular choice for young people looking to get on the housing ladder.
How to make any city feel like home
Ultimately, it’s not always possible to choose which area you’re moving to, especially if you’re relocating for a specific job. However, there are things you can do to make anywhere feel more like home.
- Find your people: This could be people from the same area as you, or just those that share your hobbies, passions or sense of humour.
- Get settled quickly: Sort out housing, utilities and general life admin quickly so you can jump into your new life with both feet.
- Test out local culture: Whether it’s a local delicacy from the farmer’s market, a music venue everyone raves about or just a hill with a must-see view, the sooner you try out the best your new home has to offer, the sooner you’ll fall in love with it.
