Best & Worst UK Cities To Be A Freelancer Study

With remote working rising, and more than two million people now freelancing across the UK, the study examined 50 major cities to identify which locations offer the perfect blend of factors to allow independent workers to achieve success, and which cities make it an uphill challenge.

Our team sought to highlight locations which would provide the best balance when it came to digital stability, rates of pay and affordable living. Observing key data, including cost of living data, WIFI performance, potential hourly rates, networking and co-working opportunities and remote job demand, the output pinpoints where self-employed professionals may want to consider basing themselves. 

The analysis shows how a freelancer’s postcode can be a barrier to growth.

As a white label SEO team who regularly works with freelancers and larger businesses, this was really interesting to see in terms of what the freelancer hotspots actually are, rather than where you may simply assume they would be. 

Ditch The Capital 

Contrary to what may be expected, although London is a busy hub when it comes to digital job opportunities, it only just ranked in the top 10 due to its prohibitive monthly cost of living, making it much harder to achieve a higher net income. 

Let It Be… Liverpool

The success story of the analysis presented Liverpool as the No. 1 location – offering a happy balance when it comes to living costs, digital job demand, co-working communities and overall quality of life (not to mention the welcoming inhabitants and its famously eclectic mix of culture, arts and music!) 

The full list of cities, showing the raw data and their ranked position in the UK freelance market can be found here. 

A Snapshot of the Top Results:

The cities holding places at the bottom of the list all have the same less-than-positive theme in common: lack of professional connections through scarce co-working and networking opportunities, poor WIFI connectivity, high cost of living / below average chargeable rates – all the perfect storm for tougher conditions and reduced potential success.  

The lowdown of the bottom results: 

Subtly Succeeding 

Sitting comfortably in the middle of the table are the understated cities of Norwich, York and Cardiff. With growing freelance communities and increasing numbers of self-employed professionals, coupled with a cheaper cost of living – they are viable contenders and quietly creeping up the ranks. 

It may be assumed that cities in the UK are a level playing field when it comes to remote work and freelancing. However, this data analysis exposes that the location where a self-employed professional lives could have a significant impact on their chances of success.  Whether a digital nomad or relocating, geography does matter, with some cities being more challenging than others. 

This study will help demonstrate the differences in over 50 cities, and how where someone is based could be the make-or-break factor between struggling to make ends meet and flourishing in a switched on and supportive location.

Methodology:

The data gathered focused on 7 metrics, which are integral to the digital freelancing industry.  The final index evaluates and compares the attractiveness of UK cities for freelancers, with emphasis on the digital and technology sectors. A tech-focused lens was applied to ensure meaningful comparisons across cities.