Best cities in the UK to be single from Edinburgh to Bristol

Poor, single Londoners

These are the best budget hotels in Belfast (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Being a young, single, urbanite can be a lot of fun.

You can spend your evenings and weekends eating out with friends, trying new bars on hot dates or just doing exactly whatever you want. And when you get home, you have the whole bed to yourself too. Bliss.

A new study by Bateaux London has now revealed a definitive ranking of which British cities are the best for singletons, and the results may surprise you.

The worst? London. But this is mainly down to the cost.

And any single person will vouch for the fact that it can be a pricey existence - the costs of dates at swanky cocktail bars, beautifying treatments as pre-date prep and gym memberships all add up. (Not that we’re saying those in relationships don’t also go out and look after themselves.)

The list was compiled based on the average cost of being single as well as the proportion of the population who are single, and the percentage of those aged between 20 and 30 - the reasoning is that more single people is better, and younger people are more likely to be single.

The cities were ranked from best to worst for each category and awarded a point score based on their position. This was then turned into a percentage rating.

Here are the best cities in which to be single in the UK:

22. London — 29.2%.

London (Getty)

• Average salary: £34,967
• Meal out: £55
• Pint of beer: £4.50
• Coffee: £2.64
• Gym membership: £46.50
• Cinema ticket: £12.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £1,682

Londoners earn the highest salaries in the UK, but it’s also the most expensive city and has a low proportion of eligible singletons, apparently meaning it’s the worst place in Britain to be single.

21. York — 40.15%.

York (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £24,175
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.35
• Coffee: £2.42
• Gym membership: £34.33
• Cinema ticket: £9.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £720

20. Brighton — 43.07%.

Brighton (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £25,116
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £4.25
• Coffee: £2.42
• Gym membership: £36.14
• Cinema ticket: £9.44
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £907

19. Oxford — 45.26%.

Oxford (Getty Images)

• Average salary: £29,476
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £4.25
• Coffee: £2.60
• Gym membership: £38.14
• Cinema ticket: £10.50
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £1,075

18. Cambridge — 45.99%.

Cambridge (Getty)

• Average salary: £30,886
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.83
• Coffee: £2.62
• Gym membership: £38.71
• Cinema ticket: £10.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £1,046

17. Bristol — 47.45%.

Bristol (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £27,983
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.80
• Coffee: £2.72
• Gym membership: £28.56
• Cinema ticket: £9
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £853

16. Leeds — 47.45%.

Leeds (Getty/iStock)

• Average salary: £26,015
• Meal out: £45.00
• Pint of beer: £3.50
• Coffee: £2.66
• Gym membership: £24.14
• Cinema ticket: £10
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £656

15. Sheffield — 48.91%.

Sheffield (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £24,269
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.00
• Coffee: £2.55
• Gym membership: £28.42
• Cinema ticket: £9.89
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £593

14. Edinburgh — 48.91%.

Edinburgh (Getty/iStock)

• Average salary: £28,048
• Meal out: £48.00
• Pint of beer: £4.00
• Coffee: £2.54
• Gym membership: £31.42
• Cinema ticket: £10.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £718

13. Chester — 51.09%.

Chester (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £25,436
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £2.90
• Coffee: £2.50
• Gym membership: £32.80
• Cinema ticket: £9.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £585

12. Norwich — 52.55%.

Norwich (Getty Images)

• Average salary: £22,604
• Meal out: £45.00
• Pint of beer: £3.50
• Coffee: £2.54
• Gym membership: £32.00
• Cinema ticket: £9.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £586

11. Reading — 53.28%.

Reading (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £31,852
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.65
• Coffee: £2.54
• Gym membership: £25.44
• Cinema ticket: £9.65
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £885

10. Glasgow — 56.2%.

Glasgow (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £26,096
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.50
• Coffee: £2.55
• Gym membership: £28.53
• Cinema ticket: £9.45
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £610

9. Manchester — 57.66%.

Manchester (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £26,436
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.50
• Coffee: £2.68
• Gym membership: £26.42
• Cinema ticket: £9.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £720

8. Hull — 59.12%.

Hull (Getty Images)

• Average salary: £21,533
• Meal out: £45.00
• Pint of beer: £3.10
• Coffee: £2.45
• Gym membership: £24.50
• Cinema ticket: £9.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £433

7. Nottingham — 63.5%.

Nottingham (Getty Images)

• Average salary: £24,304
• Meal out: £45.00
• Pint of beer: £3.00
• Coffee: £2.58
• Gym membership: £26.89
• Cinema ticket: £10.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £559

6. Cardiff — 63.5%.

Cardiff (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £24,643
• Meal out: £40.00
• Pint of beer: £3.20
• Coffee: £2.45
• Gym membership: £25.53
• Cinema ticket: £6.75
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £636

5. Newcastle — 64.23%.

Newcastle (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £25,151
• Meal out: £50.00
• Pint of beer: £3.50
• Coffee: £2.62
• Gym membership: £22.42
• Cinema ticket: £8.50
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £582

4. Birmingham — 64.23%.

Birmingham (Getty Images)

• Average salary: £25,843
• Meal out: £40.00
• Pint of beer: £3.50
• Coffee: £2.28
• Gym membership: £22.42
• Cinema ticket: £8.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £663

3. Southampton — 64.96%.

Southampton (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

• Average salary: £26,982
• Meal out: £40.00
• Pint of beer: £3.10
• Coffee: £2.59
• Gym membership: £20.91
• Cinema ticket: £10.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £698

2. Liverpool — 66.42%.

Liverpool (Getty Images)

• Average salary: £23,995
• Meal out: £42.50
• Pint of beer: £2.90
• Coffee: £2.55
• Gym membership: £21.79
• Cinema ticket: £9.00
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £602

1. Belfast — 67.15%.

• Average salary: £24,012
• Meal out: £40.00
• Pint of beer: £4.00
• Coffee: £2.33
• Gym membership: £23.77
• Cinema ticket: £6.75
• Rent for one-bed in city centre: £520

Low rents, affording dining options and plenty of singletons make the Northern Irish capital officially the best place in the UK to be single.