The happiest places to live: Where did the Three Counties fall in the 2025 rankings?
Each year, Rightmove produces its Happy at Home Index, a survey of the happiest places to live in Great Britain.
For 2025, the property search site polled thousands of people living across 220 areas in England, Scotland, and Wales. It asked them how they feel about their home, the wider area, the community, and how close they are to the things which matter most.
Divided by region, it’s a comprehensive and very interesting look at which towns and cities’ residents report being happiest.
In 2025, the top three happiest places to live in the UK were:
- Skipton, North Yorkshire
- Richmond-upon-Thames, London
- Camden, London
Notably, northern England and London largely outperformed this year, with 8 of the top 10 based in Greater London, the north-east, and the north-west.
Despite this, it was actually the south-west that came out happiest, while those in the east Midlands were least happy.
While none of the cities, towns, and villages in the Three Counties made the top 10, they tend to rank quite highly nationally.
So, read on to discover where the Three Counties’ municipalities ranked in the index, both regionally and nationally.
High Wycombe tops the rankings for Buckinghamshire towns in south-east England
Although you might imagine that Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire settlements would fall in the same region, they actually occupy two.
For the purposes of the survey, Buckinghamshire is included in the south-east category, alongside places as far afield as Canterbury, Hove, Southampton, and even the Isle of Wight.
In 2025, High Wycombe was the highest-ranked Buckinghamshire town, finishing in an impressive sixth in the south-east. That puts it in a very respectable 31st place nationally.
After that, there were just two more Bucks entrants for the index this year:
- Aylesbury, finishing 24th regionally and 108th nationally, keeping it in the top half of all places.
- Milton Keynes, coming in 35th regionally, and a slightly surprising 176th nationally, despite its many amenities and proximity to London.
Hertfordshire dominates the top 10 in the east of England
Meanwhile, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire sit in the east of England bracket. Another broad category, it encompasses places such as Norwich, Basildon, and Clacton-on-Sea.
Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire performed very differently in the 2025 index.
Hertfordshire
In the 2025 rankings, Hertfordshire makes up 40% of the top 10 in the east of England, with:
- Stevenage in third, 24th nationally
- Albans in fifth, 44th nationally
- Hitchin in seventh, 61st nationally
- Hertford in eighth, 67th nationally.
After that, Bishop’s Stortford finished in 15th, although that sees the east Hertfordshire town finish in the bottom half of the total, coming 127th nationally.
That’s followed by Hemel Hempstead, which came 18th regionally and 165th nationally, and Watford in 19th, 183rd nationally.
Bedfordshire
Perhaps the most interesting finding from the 2025 index is that Bedfordshire communities ranked lowest out of the Three Counties, despite scenic countryside, many bustling towns, and excellent transport links.
As the historic county town, it’s somewhat fitting that Bedford is the highest-ranked Bedfordshire entrant in 2025.
Coming 17th in east England and 150th overall, Bedford is in the bottom half both regionally and nationally.
The category is then propped up by Luton, which finished 23rd out of 23 in the East of England and 215th overall, putting it just five spaces off the bottom place.
You could live happier by working with a financial planner
Of course, Rightmove’s index is not a completely comprehensive picture of the cities, towns, and villages in Great Britain. There are countless areas in the Three Counties that weren’t polled, many of which would undoubtedly rank near the top of the list if they had been.
Nor is the methodology of the index faultless. As Rightmove itself points out, residents aged 18 to 24 were the least likely to say they felt happy where they lived, while those aged 65 and over were the most likely. So, it’s possible that all the index does is provide a glimpse into the age demographics of Great Britain’s different regions.
Regardless of the findings, the index does pose an interesting question about living happily and what it means. With residents asked to objectively reflect on how happy their home makes them on a specific list of criteria, it forces them to think about what they value and whether their community offers it to them.
This is exactly what good financial planning is all about: getting you to consider what’s important and then organising your wealth so you can achieve it.
Whether that’s spending time with family, travelling the world, or indeed moving to your dream home in your ideal location, planning carefully with your finances can help you reach those ambitions.
So, if you want to live as happily as possible in 2026 and beyond, working with a financial planner could be a good start.
Get in touch
Want to work with a financial planner serving families and businesses in the Three Counties? We can help at Caliber Financial Management.
Email contact@caliberfm.co.uk or call 01525 375286 to speak to one of our team today.
Please note
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.
All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.
