Choosing the best place to live is not easy. There are so many different things to think about: price of housing, jobs, broadband speed, clean air, level of crime, schools. Luckily in the UK there are many resources that can help you find detailed information so you can choose the best city, town or area.

However, if you are not sure where to even start, here is list of the 36 English, Scottish and Welsh cities and towns over 180,000 people, ordered by size. This overview of British cities and their key statistics might help you make a decision about where to live in the UK.

Britain’s biggest cities all have their own character. Some are very old, some new. All are diverse and interesting and have become home to communities from around the world. Some cities are known for their beauty or architecture, others for their culture or sports focus.

Comparing the data listed for each city (population density, median rental cost, area crime rate and average distance to the nearest park), Stoke-on-Trent emerges as the best large city because it is in the only place that is in the top 5 of the list for two of the criteria (low crime rate and short distance to nearest park). It is also within the top 10 cheapest cities for renting and has one of the top 20 lowest population densities.

Peterborough is in the top 5 for population density, in the top 10 for low crime rate and in the top 20 for short distance to parks and lowest rental cost. Also scoring well using this data is Derby: in the top 10 for lowest average distance to the nearest park and lowest rents, and in the top 20 for low crime and low population density.

Milton Keynes offers a low population density (top 5), low crime rate (top 10) and short distance to the nearest park (top 20), but rents are relatively high. Another option is Brighton, which is among the top 5 lowest crime rates and also in the top 20 for closeness to nearest park and low population density. Other cities scoring well on at least 3 parameters include Swindon,  Bradford and Bolton.

If rental price and safety are your most important factors, Hull and Aberdeen have the lowest crime rates within the top 5 cheapest cities. Consider also Swansea or Plymouth: both are in the top 10 cities with the lowest rents and crime rates, plus Swansea has a very low population density. As a bonus, these four cities also have sandy beaches nearby. Sadly there’s no guarantee of great weather!