Now in its 14th year, Rightmove has revealed its annual Happy at Home index, with one Greater Manchester area being named one of the happiest places to live in the UK. The index helps property experts understand what really makes the residents of some areas happier than others, as well as the things that make a place feel like home.
The happiness-hunters over at Rightmove have scoured the length and breadth of the country to uncover where in the UK has the most cheerful residents. They surveyed over 35,000 people, asking each of them the things they love about where they live.
As well as the various societal factors that make someone feel happy with where they live, trends emerged around the type of location that is most likely to make someone feel happy. Those who lived in a rural location were more likely to say they felt happy where they lived than urban and suburban dwellers. Riverside, woodland or coastal locations were also more likely to have happy residents. The study also revealed that residents who live close to a national park, or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are happier on average than those who don’t.
Rightmove’s 2025 Happy at Home Index
Skipton in North Yorkshire, and on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, topped the charts as the UK’s happiest place to live, soaring from sixth place on last year’s list. Located less than two hours away from Manchester, Skipton is frequently dubbed the ‘gateway to the Dales’ and was praised for its glorious green spaces, friendly locals, and access to schools and doctors.
Unsurprisingly, the Trafford town of Altrincham (which has previously been named the ‘best place to live’ by The Sunday Times) was once again ranked one of the happiest places to live in the region by Rightmove, this time coming in the top 10 nationally and first place in the North West region.
Ranked highly before, Altrincham, situated on the Greater Manchester and Cheshire border, achieved sixth place on the overall UK list, with its neighbour Macclesfield following closely behind in seventh place in the national rankings. Regionally, it’s climbed from third place to first this year, beating last year’s rivals Kendal and Chorley for the top spot.
The top 10 happiest places to live in the UK
- Skipton, North Yorkshire
- Richmond upon Thames, London
- Camden, London
- Harrogate, North Yorkshire
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
- Altrincham, Cheshire
- Macclesfield, Cheshire
- Stirling, Scotland
- Cirencester, Gloucestershire
- Hexham, Northumberland
Where did Greater Manchester towns rank?
When it comes to the North West regional rankings, Rightmove gave a little recognition to Greater Manchester in its top 25 list. Alongside Altrincham, the best of the bunch were Stockport in sixth place, followed by Bury in 13th position, with other Greater Manchester boroughs, Manchester, Bolton, Salford, Wigan, Oldham and Rochdale further down the list taking positions 20 to 25.
The top 25 happiest places to live in the North West
- Altrincham
- Macclesfield
- Wirral
- Kendal
- Chester
- Stockport
- Blackpool
- Northwich
- Preston
- Carlisle
- Southport
- Chorley
- Bury
- Lancaster
- Blackburn
- Burnley
- Liverpool
- Crewe
- Warrington
- Manchester
- Bolton
- Salford
- Wigan
- Oldham
- Rochdale