Town’s a tough place to earn a living

HUDDERSFIELD has fared poorly in a report listing the best places in Britain to “earn a living.”

The town is ranked 55th out of 59 towns and cities – above only Birkenhead, Brighton, Southend and Swansea – in the table compiled by online credit report provider TotallyMoney.

The report analysed average take home salary, average monthly mortgage repayment, cost of living, employment rates and business closures to determine the best and worst places to make a living.

Crawley in Sussex was ranked highest followed by Derby, Southampton, Edinburgh, Gloucester, Milton Keynes, Reading, Swindon, Oxford and Slough making up the top 10.

Figures for Huddersfield showed a comparatively low average monthly salary of £424 but a comparatively high average monthly mortgage repayment of £813 – giving it an unfavourable cost of living rating.

Elsewhere in West Yorkshire, Leeds was 11th with Wakefield 15th.

While London takes the top spot for take home salary, more expensive house prices and a higher cost of living means it only ranks 39th among the locations overall.

A spokesperson for TotallyMoney said: “It’s easy to think that large cities, such as London and Birmingham, offer the best opportunities when it comes to making a living – and to some extent, this is true.

“However, when you consider other lifestyle factors this isn’t always the case. Our research shows that living in some of the UK’s smaller towns and cities could mean you have more in your pocket overall.”

He added: “No points are awarded here for scenery, culture or connections. Instead, the best places are those where cost of living is in line with the salaries paid and the job market is healthy.”