A town in Powys has been named one of the happiest places to live in Wales by property experts Rightmove.
Rightmove released its 12th annual Happy at Home Index last Wednesday (December 6) revealing the happiest locations to live in Britain.
The Happy at Home Index asks residents how they feel about their area based on 13 happiness factors and this year was completed by more than 26,000 people.
Rightmove said 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.
These things proved more important than other factors including having access to public transport, schools and job opportunities.
Most expensive UK cities to buy a house in
The study also revealed the top reason people said they were looking to move in 2023 was to find a home in an area that makes them happier (37%).
While around one in three (30%) residents thought they would be happier living in a different area.
Rightmove’s property expert, Tim Bannister, 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 highlights 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.”
A drop in new seller asking prices takes the national average to £355,177 (-1.9%) this month, as sellers price even more competitively to attract buyers during the busy festive period.
— Rightmove (@rightmove) December 11, 2023
Take a look at what's happening in your area 👇 pic.twitter.com/GgwA6mhBCv
Top 11 happiest places to live in Wales
Rightmove also revealed the top 11 happiest places to live in Wales as part of the Happy at Home Index.
The Powys town of Llandrindod Wells was named the third happiest place to live in Wales, behind only Monmouth and Anglesey.
Llandrindod Wells also featured among the top 50 happiest places to live in the UK with a national ranking of 35.
The happiest places to live in Wales, according to Rightmove, are:
- Monmouth (national ranking: 3)
- Anglesey (18)
- Llandrindod Wells (35)
- New Quay (38)
- Wrexham (77)
- Bridgend (86)
- Swansea (94)
- Llandudno (100)
- Cardiff (136)
- Caerphilly (169)
- Newport (207)
Top 20 Happiest places to live in the UK
Richmond upon Thames was named the happiest place to live in the UK in 2023, according to Rightmove's Happy at Home Index.
Winchester, in Hampshire, was second, while Monmouth was revealed as the third happiest place to live in the UK.
Rightmove said this was "the first time an area from Wales has made the top three since 2018".
The top 20 happiest places to live in the UK, according to Rightmove's Happy at Home Index are shown on the map above.
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