After just one year as ‘Great Britain’s happiest place to live’, the London borough of Richmond has been overthrown by the market town of Woodbridge in Suffolk according to Rightmove’s Happy at Home 2024 Index.
Last year saw the leafy south-west London borough ranked highest nationally by its residents, the area having rocketed up the happiness tables from 11th place in 2022. It was the first time a London area claimed the top spot on the national index – now in its 13th year and based on the responses of over 35,000 residents across Great Britain.
However, despite dropping a place on the national happiness table this year, Richmond certainly hasn’t lost its regional appeal. The celebrity-studded enclave has retained its title as ‘happiest place to live in London’ for the 10th consecutive year.
Sir David Attenborough, Holly Willoughby, Zendaya and Tom Holland are among famous names to call Thameside area home. Property prices in Richmond are now £939,300 on average while monthly rents are around £3,100, according to Rightmove.
Nationally, the London borough of Richmond comes in second behind Woodbridge in Suffolk, while Hexham in Northumberland – also a previous winner – is now the third happiest place to live in Britain according to the 2024 study.
Happiness in London
Richmond is celebrated for its green spaces – the 2000-plus acres of Richmond Park, plus Bushy Park and Kew Gardens – as well as the Thames Path which takes walkers more than 10 miles through the borough, and spans both banks of the river, linking Hampton Court Palace, Twickenham and Kew with London.
“The borough’s outstanding schools, abundant green spaces, vibrant community, and excellent transport links make it a truly exceptional place to live,” said Amy Reynolds of Antony Roberts estate agents in Richmond.
After Richmond, Kensington and Chelsea is London’s second happiest area, followed by Wandsworth and Westminster – ranked 16th, 19th and 24th nationally.
Kensington & Chelsea — the capital’s most expensive borough — is the only other London area to make the top 20 nationally. Average property prices in the royal borough are £1,668,000 while monthly rents are currently around £5,300.
Meanwhile, Barking and Dagenham — the capital’s cheapest borough for homebuyers — has been declared the least happiest place to live in London and takes 218th place in the national index this year.
Croydon, which was recently named London’s most affordable area according to house value-to earnings ratios, comes 32nd on the list of the capital’s 33 boroughs – and takes 216th place nationally.
Where’s Woodbridge?
The market town of Woodbridge is a first-time winner of the nationwide survey which is based on the responses of over 35,000 residents across Great Britain.
Set on the River Deben, Woodbridge in East Suffolk was once a port, famed for shipbuilding and sail-making. An ideal base for exploring the Suffolk and Essex coast, as well as the nearby Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Woodbridge is also home to Sutton Hoo – the 255-acre country estate with an Anglo-Saxon royal burial site dating back 1300 years.
The average asking price for a home in Woodbridge is £441,500, while the average monthly rent is £1,500.
London commuters would need to be prepared to spend around two hours travelling each way, with a 20-minute train from Woodbridge to Ipswich followed by a 70-minute train to London Liverpool Street. Season tickets cost £8,732 a year, or £30 to £65 a day.
Happiest places to live in 2024
- Woodbridge (East of England)
- Richmond upon Thames (London)
- Hexham (North East)
- Monmouth (Wales)
- Harrogate (Yorkshire and the Humber)
- Skipton (Yorkshire and the Humber)
- Sevenoaks (South East)
- Leigh on Sea (East of England)
- Cirencester (South West)
- Wokingham (South East)
Residents of Woodbridge scored it particularly highly for feeling that they are able to be themselves in the area, the community spirit and friendliness, as well as access to essential local services such as doctor appointments and schools.
“Woodbridge appears to have a lot of the factors that people are looking for from an area, including being close to a river and a National Landscape,” said Tim Bannister of Rightmove.
“It’s the intangible factors of feeling proud to live in an area, feeling a sense of belonging, and feeling able to be yourself that are the biggest drivers of happiness.
“There are some interesting trends revealed by the study, such as how those who live in a rural location are more likely to be happy than urban dwellers, who often live in busy cities,” added Bannister.
