Two Essex locations have been named among Great Britain's happiest places to live for 2023 according to Rightmove.
Leigh-on-Sea and Clacton-on-Sea both featured in the top 20 and were the only representatives of the county to rank that highly.
Rightmove’s 12th annual Happy at Home Index asks residents how they feel about their area and was completed this year by over 26,000 people.
The study found that feeling a sense of pride, belonging, and community is most likely to contribute to feeling happy to live in an area, more so than having access to things like public transport, schools and job opportunities.
Rightmove's Top 20 happiest places to live in Great Britain 2023
Rightmove's top 20 happiest places to live list for 2023 where Leigh-on-Sea and Clacton-on-Sea featured was as follows:
- Richmond-upon-Thames, London
- Winchester, Hampshire
- Monmouth, Monmouthshire
- Wokingham, Berkshire
- Cirencester, Gloucestershire
- Skipton, North Yorkshire
- Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- St Ives, Cornwall
- Hexham, Northumberland
- Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
- Harrogate, North Yorkshire
- Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
- Kendal, Cumbria
- Galashiels, Scottish borders
- Weymouth, Dorset
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
- Anglesey, Wales
- St Albans, Hertfordshire
- Stourbridge, West Midlands
The average asking price for a house in Leigh-on-Sea in 2023 was £461,804, whilst it was £263,481 in Clacton-on-Sea.
Meanwhile, the average rent per calendar month was £1,637 in Leigh-on-Sea and £1,206 in Clacton-on-Sea.
The full map of Great Britain and lists that break down by region can be found on the Rightmove website here.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert said: “Searching for new areas outside of the city that are still commutable on office days and looking for cheaper properties that are in need of renovation are just some of the actions we’ve seen determined movers take this year.
"The results of this year’s study highlight that residents continue to value living near green spaces and natural beauty, features that became all the more important during the pandemic.
"With moving to an area that makes them happy a key motivator for people looking for their next home, highlighting these types of features nearby could really help sellers looking to appeal to potential buyers”.
