Last year, we released a list of the best cities to start a remote business in 2021, and since this way of working has persisted into the new year, we’ve now updated this list for 2022.
Whether you’re planning on selling your latest pandemic projects online, or have used the time at home to think up a foolproof business plan you can’t wait to get going on, these cities are the best places for growing your remote start up.
The best UK cities for remote working annual index
To save you the time, we’ve crunched the numbers to find out which cities are the best to start a remote business from in the UK.
We’ve looked at the percentage of start-ups that last longer than five years, average monthly rent, weekly average pay, number of internet users, average download speed, unemployment rate and number of post offices in the overall region the city is part of.
From this data, we can find out the best place to turn your lockdown hobbies into a successful side hustle. See a breakdown of the top five and the complete index below.
1. Winchester is the best city to start a remote business from in 2022
Winchester was the first ever capital of England, and the city has a rich history dating back to Roman times. But in the modern day, it’s also a great place to start a remote business, ranking the highest in our index with 76.1/100.
While the average monthly rent is quite high, at £1,425, over 44% of start-ups are still going after five years. The unemployment rate is also the lowest of the cities in the index, showing that the local economy is stable.
There are a large number of post offices in the region - 1,346 in total - so you’ll always be able to package up your products and get them sent to your customers. The average download speed is fast, too, at 47 Mbps, so you will be able to respond to your orders and customers in no time.
Winchester’s top index scores:
Five year start-up survival rate: 44.4%
Unemployment rate: 2.4%
Internet users in the past three months: 688,100
Number of post offices: 1,346
2. Oxford is the second best city to start a remote business from
With a reputation for academic excellence at its university, it’s no surprise that businesses in Oxford do well. Remote businesses, especially, have a great shot at thriving in this city. Overall, Oxford scored 72.5/100 in our index.
Rent for a one-bed city apartment is cheaper here than in Winchester, at £1,032 on average. The average weekly pay is also higher than the city in first place, at £687.
The average download speed is fairly fast, with 45 Mbps, so keeping up your small business’ online presence is easy. There are also 1,346 post offices in the region, so even the offline part of your business will run smoothly as you’ll always be able to find somewhere to post your goods.
Top index scores:
Five year start-up survival rate: 40.9%
Average monthly rent for one-bed city apartment: £1,032.78
Average weekly pay: £687
Internet users in the past three months: 688,100
3. St Albans is the third best city to start a remote business
North of London lies the beautiful city of St Albans, with a centuries old cathedral and Roman artefacts making it a history lover’s ideal place to live. What’s more? It’s great for starting a remote business, scoring 69.6/100 in our index.
The five year start-up survival rate is fairly high, at 43%, so the chances are good that yours will stay thriving for a while. Additionally, the unemployment rate is low, with only 2.7% of residents without a job, so the economy is clearly doing well.
The download speed is the fastest of all the cities in our index, at 51 Mbps, so your chances of the internet crashing mid-reply to a customer is very low. Thank goodness.
Top index scores:
Five year start-up survival rate: 43%
Average weekly pay: £643.7
Unemployment rate: 2.7%
Average download speed: 51 Mbps
4. Cambridge is the fourth best city to start a remote business
The city of Cambridge dates back to 1209, and is home to the iconic university and River Cam. It’s also a great place to start a remote business, scoring 68.6 in our index.
The city has a very low unemployment rate, 2.8%, showing that it has a thriving economy and plenty of support for its residents. The download speed is also among the fastest in our index, meaning once you’re established in the city and need to keep up with your online presence, there will be no connectivity problems standing in your way.
You can also expect to earn a high weekly salary in Cambridge, providing your business takes off. The average weekly salary in the city is £687, so there’ll be plenty of money to invest back into the business and grow it even further.
Top index scores:
Five year start-up survival rate: 41.8%
Unemployment rate: 2.8%
Average download speed: 50 Mbps
5. Brighton and Hove rounds up the top five best cities to start a remote business
The seaside city of Brighton and Hove is not only a great place to live, but it’s also great for starting a remote business from. The city scored a total of 64.6/100 in our index, so if you want a good mix of seaside fun and thriving business, Brighton and Hove could be the place for you.
The five year start-up survival rate in Brighton and Hove is among the highest on our index, with 44.3% of start-ups still active after this time period. The average monthly rent is also fairly low, at only £1,050 for a one-bed city centre apartment - and this is bound to get cheaper the further out you live.
Internet users are copious in Brighton and Hove, with 688,100 in the last three months alone. As a result, you can be sure that plenty of people are out there surfing the web - all you need to do is reel them into your website. Easy.
Top index scores:
Five year start-up survival rate: 44.3%
Average monthly rent for one-bed city apartment: £1,050
Internet users in the past three months: 688,100
The remote business 2022 index: The top 20 UK cities
|
Rank |
City |
Population |
5 Year Survival Rate |
Average Monthly Rent For 1 Bed In City Centre |
Weekly Avg Pay |
Unemployment Rate |
Internet Users In The Past 3 Months |
Avg Download Speed (Mbps) |
Remote Index Score (/100) |
|
1 |
Winchester |
125,925 |
44.40% |
£1,425.00 |
£634.00 |
2.40% |
6,881,000 |
47 |
76.1 |
|
2 |
Oxford |
151,584 |
40.90% |
£1,032.78 |
£687.00 |
3.40% |
6,881,000 |
45 |
72.5 |
|
3 |
St Albans |
149,317 |
43.00% |
£1,133.33 |
£643.70 |
2.70% |
4,586,000 |
51 |
69.6 |
|
4 |
Cambridge |
125,063 |
41.80% |
£1,138.33 |
£687.00 |
2.80% |
4,586,000 |
50 |
68.6 |
|
5 |
Brighton and Hove |
291,738 |
44.20% |
£1,050.00 |
£600.30 |
4.80% |
6,881,000 |
39.36 |
64.6 |
|
6 |
Chelmsford |
179,549 |
44.50% |
£900.00 |
£630.70 |
3.10% |
4,586,000 |
38 |
63.9 |
|
7 |
Portsmouth |
214,692 |
35.10% |
£700.00 |
£614.90 |
5.20% |
6,881,000 |
50.03 |
63.2 |
|
8 |
Gloucester |
129,709 |
41.70% |
£618.75 |
£547.70 |
4.20% |
4,238,000 |
49 |
62.9 |
|
9 |
Lancaster |
148,119 |
45.50% |
£579.17 |
£569.30 |
3.80% |
5,280,000 |
32 |
60.0 |
|
10 |
Bristol |
465,866 |
41.70% |
£936.54 |
£632.40 |
4.40% |
4,238,000 |
42.37 |
59.6 |
|
11 |
Southampton |
252,872 |
31.40% |
£736.00 |
£645.90 |
5.00% |
6,881,000 |
37.87 |
57.9 |
|
12 |
Exeter |
133,333 |
43.80% |
£708.75 |
£596.80 |
2.50% |
4,238,000 |
33 |
57.5 |
|
13 |
Lichfield |
105,637 |
43.80% |
£650.00 |
£517.30 |
3.00% |
4,256,000 |
50 |
55.7 |
|
14 |
Carlisle |
108,524 |
37.90% |
£418.75 |
£543.90 |
3.70% |
5,280,000 |
34 |
54.6 |
|
15 |
Canterbury |
166,762 |
41.40% |
£716.67 |
£520.30 |
3.60% |
6,881,000 |
27 |
54.3 |
|
16 |
Wakefield |
351,592 |
39.20% |
£521.67 |
£551.60 |
4.50% |
3,960,000 |
47 |
53.6 |
|
17 |
Plymouth |
262,839 |
35.40% |
£537.78 |
£542.40 |
4.40% |
4,238,000 |
41.03 |
52.9 |
|
18 |
Peterborough |
202,626 |
38.00% |
£606.67 |
£569.50 |
6.40% |
4,586,000 |
40 |
52.9 |
|
19 |
York |
211,012 |
46.40% |
£832.78 |
£636.20 |
2.20% |
3,960,000 |
32 |
52.5 |
|
20 |
Norwich |
142,177 |
38.70% |
£650.00 |
£600.70 |
4.90% |
4,586,000 |
33 |
51.8 |
The biggest changes from the 2021 index
Interestingly, none of the cities that made the top five in our 2021 ‘best cities to start a remote business from’ index are in this year’s top five. It seems a lot more has changed in a year than you’d think. However, every city that featured in the 2021 index would still be a great choice for starting a remote business.
When choosing a city to live in during the often challenging venture of starting a remote business, be it a start-up or SME with an online and offline presence, or an online-only business, there are many things to take into account. You want to be somewhere with a lively and thriving economy, with plenty of customers searching for businesses like yours, and cheap enough accommodation to be sure you’ll never miss a payment. Hopefully, our index will give you an idea of where these places are.
Want to find the best payment solution for your small business once IRL doors reopen again? Our Dojo card machines are the perfect option.
Methodology
A combination of ONS (Population, Region Population, five-year start up survival rate, Unemployment Rate & Number of internet users in the past 3 months), Commons Library (Avg. weekly pay for full-time workers & Number of post offices within each region), Numbeo (Avg. monthly cost for rent) and Broadband speed data was used to create a remote business index.
Each element has been assigned a weighted value that contributes to the final index score. The index scores for each city were then ranked to reveal the best cities to start a remote business from.