London among the worst places to retire in Britain

Perth, Windsor, and London are among the worst places in Britain to retire in, a study has found.

The locations came bottom of a list of 74 towns and cities when the cost of living, crime rates and pollution levels were ranked by financial adviser Gale and Phillipson.

Worst rated Perth, in Scotland, was the most expensive place to dine out in the UK, costing £18.90 per restaurant meal. It also had the priciest cinema tickets and the fourth most expensive gym membership plans, with residents spending £ 67.60 a month on average.

Residents in London spent £12.50 per restaurant meal, £14.50 per cinema trip and £47.26 a month on gym membership on average.

At the other end of the table, Bangor, in Wales, Dundee and Newcastle-upon-Tyne were the best places in Britain to retire in, the study found.

First- placed Bangor was found to offer good value for money, with residents spending £9.50 per restaurant trip on average, £6 per trip to the cinema, and £26.70 a month on gym membership. Crime and pollution levels were also relatively low.

Phil Morris, of Gale and Phillipson, said: “The increasing cost of living means we could see people becoming more selective over where they choose to retire. The most desirable locations offer a mixture of affordable public amenities, that will help retirees stretch their savings as far as possible.”

While Bangor had the highest overall score, the London borough of Tottenham offered the most cost-friendly restaurants; Chester, in Cheshire, had the lowest crime rate; and Dundee scored highly for its healthcare system.

Residents in Salford in Greater Manchester, Great Yarmouth and Nuneaton in the West Midlands were most concerned about crime.

Those living on the Isle of Wight, Crawley in West Sussex and Doncaster, South Yorkshire, had the worst healthcare provision.

Residents in Lewisham in London, Doncaster and Southend- on- Sea complained the most about pollution, while those in Dover, Maidenhead and Hartlepool in County Durham spent the most money on transportation each month.

Separate research from pension firm Legal & General found that three million over-50s have planned to relocate as a result of the pandemic, swapping cities for rural retirement settings.

Dorset, Shropshire and Wiltshire were retirement migrant hotspots. There has been an exodus of over-50s from London, Birmingham and Bristol.

London came 10th from the bottom of a list of 74 British towns and cities